Clay Township ballot will be crowded too
By Barb Pert Templeton
The deadline to file nominating petitions for the Algonac City Council and Clay Township Board of Trustees was Tuesday, April 23 at 4 p.m. and the list of candidates is heavy this election year.
In Algonac voters will be selecting eight candidates, seeking four-year terms, from a field of ten during an August primary. Then the November General Election will see the list of eight narrowed down to four to fill seats at the council table.
In Clay Township the ballot is full with all the officials, from supervisor, clerk, treasurer and the board of trustees, facing challengers to retain their spots.
Algonac City Clerk Lisa Borgacz said the four seats with four-year terms expiring include that of Council members Michael Bembas, Cathy Harris, Raymond Martin and Corey Blair. All but Blair seek reelection. The incumbents are being challenged by Glen Carter, Bernie Ferris, Christina Halkias-Robb, Wendy Meldrum, Anne Marie Ponessa, Terry Isaacs Stoneburner and Jacob Skarbek.
Stoneburner, who was first appointed to fill a vacancy on the council in 2017, was elected in 2018 and appointed to the mayor’s seat, a spot she held until 2022 when she ran again but was defeated at the polls. Skarbek didn’t run in 2022 but instead made an unsuccessful big for the Michigan House of Representative for District 63.
Former Algonac city council member and mayor Terry Stoneburner is placing her name back on the ballot this year after failing to retain her seat in 2022.
Algonac City Council members are elected to four-year terms on a rotating basis in even-numbered years. Each new council’s first meeting is an organizational meeting where they elect the mayor, mayor pro tem, and adopt their organizational rules and the ethics policies for the term.
As for the remaining members of the city council, Borgacz said Mayor Rocky Gillis and council members Ed Carter and Dawn Davey have terms that expire in November 2026.
The Algonac City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m.
All posts are up in Clay Township
Clay Township Supervisor Artie Bryson will face one opponent at the polls, as Paul Cassidy is also running for the top spot.
In Clay Township the supervisor, clerk and treasurer will all face challengers at the polls. Supervisor Artie Bryson will run against Paul Cassidy, Clerk Cindy Valentine will face Tanya Hogan and Treasurer Kristi Hiltunen will oppose Jerry Galka.
At the same time there will be nine candidates vying for four trustee seats. Incumbents Mark Borchardt, Chris O’Regan, Maureen Boury and Jon DeBoyer will face challengers Mike Booth, Justin Higgins, George F. Rose, David Mark Sluka and Bryan Campbell.
All of the posts in Clay Township are four-year terms that will expire in 2028.
