Hawley ousted; Leland bond issue OK'’d.

An apparent call for change was expressed in the Glen Lake school district when a longtime board member was voted out and two new members elected Tuesday in the annual school election.

Incumbent Joan Hawley had the lowest vote total of three candidates seeking two 4-year terms available on the Glen Lake Board of Education. Glen Lake alumnus Ross Hazelton garnered 613 votes, and retired businessman and longtime resident Ken Fosmore had 528. Hawley finished with 354.

Hawley, the sitting board president, has served on the board for the past 12 years. The Enterprise was unable to reach Hawley for comment Wednesday morning.

“I think we have a big job ahead of us,” said Fosmore, whose wife and daughter-in-law are both employed by the school district. Fosmore thanked the community for supporting him in the election and vowed to follow through on statements made during the campaign. The goals are to keep children “No. 1,” be accountable to constituents, and be fiscally responsible.

Hazelton, who has one child enrolled in the district, is also excited to be moving forward when he takes office in July.

“Financially, it’s going to be a challenge to spend (a $1.7 million award in federal impact aid) prudently and making it go as far as we can,” Hazelton said, adding he believes a review of the math curriculum is also warranted. “I’ll sit quietly and listen for the first six months and learn how the board works.”

Frank Skrocki, the only candidate for the one year remaining in the unexpired term of David Harris, was also elected. Election of the three will result in men outnumbering women on the school board, 6-1. Longtime board member Virginia Trago is the only female serving on the board. That fact was not lost on Hazelton.

“There will be three openings on the board next year. I encourage anybody with an interest in the school to run for those positions,” he said.

No seats were available in the Leland school district, which has opted to move its annual school board election to November. However, voters did support a $600,000 bond issue for the purchase of new classroom equipment, installing technological improvement and the purchase of new buses.

“I’m extremely grateful to the voters and the community who continue to provide a quality education for its youth,” Leland Superintendent Mike Hartigan said.

Initial plans are to place a secondary mathematics textbook series and an elementary series—both which are 10 or more years old.

“This will help us keep pace with the new Michigan Merit Exam and (high school) graduation requirements,” he said.

A .25-mill levy is expected to pay off the bonds over a 5-year period.

There was a 5-candidate race for two 4-year seats available on the Suttons Bay Board of Education. Incumbent David Buffum was the top vote-getter with 254. Kenneth (Kim) Eike won the second board seat with the support of 196 voters. Colleen Makin, a member of the District Advisory Committee and technology committee, had 142; parent and middle school coach A. Brooks Darling had 136; and mother and school booster Chris DeJong had 86.

“There was no way we could lose in this election,” Superintendent Mike Murray said. “We had some great candidates.”

Jeffrey Dyer, appointed last year to serve the last year remaining in an unexpired term, was elected to a 4-year seat on the Northport Board of Education. He and Thomas Wetherbee of Northport were the only candidates for two seats.