Three candidates, including one from Leelanau County, are campaigning to become the Republican Party candidate to replace 101st District state Rep. David Palsrok.

Mike McManus of Lake Leelanau, and Manistee County residents Janice McCraner of Arcadia and Ray Franz of Onekama have declared candidacies for the 101st District seat. Because of term limits, Palsrok can’t run again for the House seat.

The 101st District includes Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee and Mason counties.
McManus has lived most of his life in northwest lower Michigan, and recently retired after a 30-year career as a teacher with Traverse City Area Public Schools. He earned a master’s degree in education from Central Michigan University, and spent his first year teaching in the Carmen school district near Flint before landing a position with TCAPS.

In addition to being a teacher, McManus is a lifelong cherry farmer, fourth-generation. He and his wife, Janet (Courtad), have owned and operated fruit orchards in Leelanau County since 1976. The couple moved to Leelanau in 2005 as he was finishing up his second term on the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees.

McManus is also a member of Citizens for Equity, local land conservancy groups, right to life groups, Cherryland Rural Electric Cooperative, and hunting and gun ownership advocacy organizations.

“After the 2006 election I had a number of people suggest I look at running for this office. I talked with my family and talked with some more people in the county and decided to throw my hat in the ring,” he said.

So far, McManus has raised the least amount of funds for his campaign among the three people vying for the Republican nomination. According to his year-end campaign finance report on file with Secretary of State in Lansing, McManus has raised $2,300, with himself as the largest contributor with a $1,000 donation. Franz raised $12,400, which included a $9,600 contribution he made to his campaign. McCraner has raised $16,080, and personally contributed $12,150 to her campaign.

McCraner is currently a Manistee County commissioner, a position she was elected to in 2004. Prior to that, she served as Arcadia Township supervisor from 2000-04. As supervisor, McCraner said she was able to help update the township’s master plan and zoning ordinance using grant dollars.

“We were able to preserve 10 acres of Lake Michigan frontage, now known as Arcadia’s Natural Beach Area and open for all to enjoy,” she said. McCraner said she is proud that the accomplishments came with no new taxes or increases for service to constituents.

As a Manistee County commissioner, McCraner pointed to her efforts to improve communications between local governments. She said she organized the first “regional summit” between county, village and township governments in the spring of 2005.

“I was one of two Republicans on a seven-member board of commissioners and they let me do this as long as I didn’t ask for any money,” she said. Since the first gathering, the governments have held five more summits and the flow of information between all branches of government has dramatically increased, she said.

Franz was born and raised in Oakland County. After graduating from Salesian High School in Detroit, he attended the University of Detroit until he was drafted in the U.S. Army. He served from 1968-70, and spent a tour of duty in Vietnam where he earned a Bronze Star. After leaving the Army, he held various jobs before moving to Manistee County in 1978 and buying a local grocery store in Onekama. He now owns Franz Market in Onekama, Onekama Self Storage and is a partner in the Bear Lake IGA store as well.

His government experience includes serving for 28 years on the Onekama Village Council after being appointed in 1978. As council president from 2000-06, Franz said he helped lower property taxes from 10 mills to 5 mills. He said the council was also able to build up fund reserves in the village’s budgets, reduce resident sewer bills by 23 percent, and pay off sewer bonds early.

“We were able to secure a $3.68 million in USDA Rural Development grants and loans to reline and upgrade sewer lagoons and irrigation discharge. We were able to secure enough land to accommodate the inclusion of the Bear Lake and Pleasanton sewer systems,” he said.

All three candidates said the biggest challenge Michigan faces is its languishing economy.

"I believe Michigan is at a tipping point right now. We have to be proactive and build consensus from both sides to address the problems with our state's economy," McCraner said.

Franz said the way to address state budget issues is by reducing spending, not increasing taxes and fees. His comments were similar to those made by McManus and McCraner.

“We need to change our state’s attitude toward business. We need to attract business to Michigan, not drive them away,” McManus said.

The three GOP candidates will face off in the Aug. 5 Primary with the winner facing Scripps in the Nov. 4 General Election.