When released for public comment in March, the ordinance drew stern complaints from residents who were concerned that it over-reached township authority to control land use. Specifically mentioned was a 100-foot set back for lakes and tributaries, regulations over agricultural markets that owners of garden centers said could put them out of business and shoreline access restrictions.

But the township appears to be successfully converting opposition as the most restrictive provisions are examined — and dropped.

“There were a lot of things in that ordinance that were extremely restrictive,” said Mike Morris, owner of Breeze Hill Greenhouse off Harrys Road. He and other business owners directly affected by the new ordinance felt their complaints made to the Planning Commission were getting nowhere.

So what changed? Enter Chris Grobbel, who began last month as Elmwood Township planner and zoning administrator. The Township Board created a new position to fill both duties after former zoning administrator Don Witkowski retired. Former township community planner Bill Swanson applied but was not appointed to the combined position.

Grobbel, who because of previous commitments is working three days a week until July 1, has been doing more than listening to complaints, said Morris. Before Grobbel’s arrival, Morris said complaints were shipped off to a planning firm in Grand Rapids that lately had been responsible for writing most of the new ordinance. The project has been in the works in some form or another since a 2003 referendum vote, spanning two planning consultants, two township boards and several planning commissions.

Now Grobbel has taken on the work of completing the proposal — which in some cases has meant changes to eliminate provisions that residents felt were overly restrictive and Grobbel believes would be difficult to enforce.

“He has been cooperating — which has been a change. If he continues, they’ll end up with an ordinance that will be acceptable to most people,” said Morris. “The Planning Commission, to their defense, has been open to us and our comments.”

Grobbel met last week with five residents who represent the farm market and garden center block of business owners in the township. Their complaints were so numerous that they found it easier to start from scratch than work with the latest proposal, which required extensive landscaping, parking to be expanded and restricted to the rear of buildings, and an emphasis on “local” products at their businesses.

“A really good, engaged group came together of growers and those who had farm market,” said Grobbel. “I think that’s a model of what I hope to do.”

The ordinance also required 100-foot setbacks for buildings not only along shorelines, but also near tributaries. Grobbel’s research determined that if enacted, fully half of the buildings in Elmwood near lakes and running streams would be considered “non-conforming.”

The Planning Commission recently voted 5-0 to reduce the setback to 40 feet, reducing the non-conformity level to 3 percent. A reduction to 50 feet would have reduced non-conformance to 7-8 percent, and failed by a 3-2 vote, Grobbel said.

Commissioners also confined the setback to lakeshores. “I was a little surprised they had included all tributaries and any place you have running water,” he said. “Once we made the setbacks more reasonable, we lost the vast majority of non-conforming uses.”

The changes will demand time to write and incorporate in the ordinance, but not much money with Grobbel handling the project instead of the downstate consultant. Some estimates have placed the cost to rewrite the zoning ordinance since the 2003 referendum at hundreds of thousands of dollars. Grobbel is doing the bulk of the remaining work as part of his salaried position.

Still, Grobbel estimates that another 3-5 months may be required before the ordinance is approved. Because changes have been so broad, Grobbel will suggest holding at least one more public hearing before the township Planning Commission and Leelanau County Planning Commission make recommendations. The Township Board will have the final vote.

Meanwhile, Grobbel is accepting suggestions for changes while working Tuesdays through Thursdays at the township office. Residents may call the office at 946-0921 to reach him. He is available by cell phone on Mondays and Fridays.

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Kyle Trevas, by all accounts a fresh and neutral voice in Elmwood government, sat through five 3-3 votes last Thursday before his name rose to the top of candidates to fill an opening on the 7-member Township Board.

The candidates who failed to be appointed all had a history with one side or the other in the deep divide that has fractured Elmwood decision-making for years, starting with the first candidate in Eric Saxon. He is a former planning commission member who successfully sued the township for revoking his boat slip at the township marina because of his involvement in political activities.

Township supervisor Derith Smith did not vote for Trevas, whose appointment was confirmed on a 5-1 vote, because she believed Saxon to be the best candidate.

“If we can’t agree, why go with the unknown? It places a heavy burden on someone …” she said.

That someone is Trevas, a 27-year-old recent law school graduate who has begun a private practice in Traverse City. He has lived in the Timberlee area for about a year, has never served in a political position, and indeed was just hoping to help his community when applying for a slew of township openings on the planning commission, marina committee, parks & recreation committee — and the township board.

“It had not been my goal to seek a political office,” said Trevas, when reached at his law practice off Lake Street in Traverse City earlier this week. “I had a desire to get involved with my community or my township.”

While he had heard of a division within Elmwood Township, he admits to being “naïve” about its severity prior to the meeting.

“There are always political issues — it’s political. At the meeting, the split became apparent,” he said.

All board members but Smith were apparently ready for a compromise candidate by the time Trevas’ name had come around at the 1¾-hour special meeting. Former trustee Jim O’Rourke, who had often sided with treasurer Debbie Street, clerk Connie Preston and trustee Terry Lautner, resigned earlier this year after accepting a position with the Transportation Security Administration. They might be considered a “conservative” block of voters, although in township government issues rarely fall within party platforms. Generally, the four have supported less stringent land use regulation, while Smith and trustees Paul Walter and Jeff Howell have opposed them in zoning issues.

But the divisions have cropped up in many issues, ranging from marina operations to choosing an auditor.

Before his appointment, all candidates were asked if they have made public statements that would bind them in the latest controversial issue in Elmwood — approval of an electrical substation application. The township board recently approved changes to its zoning ordinance that opponents want the board to enforce against the substation.

Trevas had not committed himself. “I have an open mind. It’s not a simple issue … I think a resolution is what we should be working on, and not causing more little lawsuits,” he said.

How neutral is Trevas? He has yet to choose a party affiliation, but said he might become a Democrat or a Republican to avoid taking on the difficult task of being elected as an “independent” — his first choice.

“I’d like to run as an independent. I was put in because I was an independent,” he said.

Candidates nominated for the trustee position but whose bids failed on 3-3 votes were Saxon, Nancy Doughty, Jack Kelly, Don Gallagher and Dave Darga.

Trevas was named on the sixth vote. Chuck Lessard was not nominated, while an eighth candidate did not attend the meeting.

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CHERRY BLOSSOMS are nearing full bloom
around the county, like the ones shown in an
orchard off Lincoln Road Tuesday afternoon.

Blossoms may take on a more pragmatic role at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station, but director Nikki Rothwell nonetheless is volunteering to be a tour guide Saturday at the Leelanau Cherry Blossom Tour.

Rothwell was called to fill a request from a Virginia company that plans to bring a bus with 40-some blossom gazers to Leelanau County for the tour, which is being resurrected by local bloom enthusiasts after a decades-long hiatus.

Cherry blossoms seem right up the tour company’s niche.

“They’ve even been on a peanut tour. She said if you can make peanuts interesting, cherries should be easy,” said Rothwell.

Buses provided by the Bay Area Transportation Authority will begin leaving the Connie Binsfeld Building in Lake Leelanau at 11 a.m., with the last bus scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. There will be no charge for any of the activities offered by the tour, including grilled cherry brats and those famous Cherry Republic cherry-chocolate cookies while supplies last.

The one-hour bus tour will include stops at St. Wenceslaus Church, which features stunning views across the countryside, and Cherry Bay Orchards, owned by Bob and Don Gregory. Participants can exit one bus at the stops, and pick up the next bus along the route in about 20 minutes.

Maps stating the importance of the cherry industry to Leelanau County and the names of farm families along the tour route who have maintained cherry orchards in most cases for decades will be offered free at the Binsfeld Center. One option: Pick up a map, and take the tour in your own vehicle.

Factors beyond the control of organizers appear to be setting up nicely for the regenerated blossom tour. The National Weather Service as of yesterday was predicting mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-50s.

And even the blossoms seem to be cooperating, according to Rothwell.

Sweet cherries should be at or near peak blossom by Saturday, and even some tarts might be showing touches of white, Rothwell believes.

She keeps charts to follow the progress of cherry varieties through bloom - think of blossoms as a biological phase necessary for pollination rather than simply a beautiful hillside - that indicate sightseers will have plenty to gaze at.

Napoleon sweets are now at 100 percent bloom at the research station, located in Bingham Township a few miles south of the blossom tour headquarters. Hedelsingen varieties are at 80 percent, and even Golds, termed a “light sweet’ variety, are at first bloom. Quick to follow: popular Montmorency and Balaton varieties.

The bulk of the Leelanau County cherry crop appears to have escaped one of its most vulnerable stages with little frost damage, Rothwell said, while buds in southern Michigan and Washington were nipped by frosty temperatures.

“We‘re really happy right now,” said Rothwell.

Cherry blossoms were starting to pop this week
at an orchard on top of Herman Road in Suttons
Bay Township.

While tart cherry blossoms won’t be out in mass by Saturday, Rothwell said Leelanau’s sweet cherry sites should be primed for the tour. Sweets are considered more vulnerable to the weather than tarts, and consequently are only grown on prime orchard land.

Leelanau County arguably has more prime cherry sites than any other place in the United States, Rothwell believes. That adds up to a lot of sweet cherries.

“I think we’ll be at some stage of bloom for all sweet cherries, and tarts (at the research station) will start to open by the weekend,” she said.

Don Gregory said his family and farm operation are preparing for visitors, who will be treated to a stop in an orchard in full bloom. He or his brother, Bob, will be available to answer questions about the cherry industry.

And there may be props. “I am tentatively planning to put a shaker out wherever we’re at,” he said.

But most of the hard work for the cherry blossom tour was done years ago, when Leelanau’s hundreds of orchards were planted. They should be show-ready by Saturday.

“We might even see some white on the tarts. We always say Mother’s Day is a good time for bloom,” he said.

Sponsors for the tour include the Leelanau Enterprise, Leelanau Conservation District and Leelanau Conservancy.

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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.

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Cradduck said there will be lane closures while work is taking place with flag control to alternate the direction of traffic. “People who drive 633 should expect delays between Otto and 618,” he said. Drivers are encouraged to use County Road 641 or M-22 as direct through routes. Work is scheduled to be completed by May 30, if not before.

In other road work news, Cradduck said work will begin on filling cracks on County Roads 669 and 667 sometime this week. He has also assembled a partial list of roads that will receive seal coating this summer. He expects to have a full list ready to go by the Road Commission’s next meeting, May 20.

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It will, according to Ulrich. After first presenting a proposed update to the 20-year general management plan in 2004 that was soundly rejected by the public and members of Congress, Sleeping Bear officials held a series of public input sessions to better learn what the public would like to see. From those sessions and from their own reviews. National Park Service officials came up with four versions for the GMP: the Preferred Alternative, and Alternatives A, B, and C. In all four plans, Ulrich said, existing county road rights-of-way are shown as being under control of the local county road commission. “We do not include any existing county road rights-of-way as part of our proposed wilderness designation areas with in the Lakeshore,” he said.

Shultz said the deadline for final public comment on the four alternatives is June 13. There will be three public hearings to take input on June 3, 4 and 5. The hearings will run from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the following locations: June 3, Platte River Elementary School, Benzie County; June 4, Hagerty Center in Traverse City; and June 5, the Glen Arbor Township Hall..

Ulrich said all public comment is welcomed. To ensure everyone who comments is heard, there will be two court reporters taking notes. “One is for the people who want to get up at the microphone and speak. There will be another court reporter there for people who want to offer comment, put don’t want to speak in front of everyone,” he said.

For people who can’t attend any of the public comment meetings, the entire proposed GMP update may be reviewed and commented upon at www.nps.gov/slbe.

Shultz and Ulrich said they have received mostly favorable comments from the public and community groups for the proposed preferred alternative. “The new preferred alternative came from a lot of what we heard in public comment last spring and summer. We took bits of the other three alternatives and put them into the preferred,” Shultz said.

In addition to recognition of local authority over county road rights-of-way, Road Commissioners were pleased with proposed changes to allow motor vehicle access to the Valley of the Giant Cedar on S. Manitou Island. As part of the preferred alternative, the concessionaire offering motor vehicle tours of the island, Manitou Island Transit, will be able to take visitors nearly the entire length of Shefler Road to the popular destination. Currently, people wanting to see the large cedar trees at the end of Shefler Road have to walk a entire seven-mile round trip to reach the area from the main dock area on the island.

Member Glen M. Noonan said he was happy that Park Service officials recognized the need for getting people, especially the elderly and those with special needs, close to the Valley of the Giants. “There are a lot of older residents here in the county who would enjoy visiting the site, but it was just too far for most to walk,” he said.

Ulrich said while the concessionaire will be able to bring people much closer, visitors will still have about a half-mile walk to reach the site.

Other possible developments for trails in the Lakeshore that the Road Commission supported include transforming a railroad grade that runs from the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb to Glen Lake and a Bay-to-Bay footpath that would run from the southern border of the Lakeshore in Benzie County up to Good Harbor Bay. Ulrich said the Bay-to-Bay trail would be similar to the Appalachian Trail with small, primitive campsites along the way.

In a related Lakeshore matter, the Road Commission reviewed a request from the Park Service to abandon portions of M-209 in Glen Haven around eight existing structures to help redevelopment of those buildings. Ulrich said the chief concern is adding a 15-foot buffer around each building to allow for repairs to structures. Also, the Park Service would like to set up a long-term lease for the Sleeping Bear Inn, but can’t do so until the Road Commission relinquishes more of the 209 right-of-way.

The Road Commission asked Ulrich and Shultz to talk with Park Service attorneys to see if an easement could be used as opposed to an outright abandonment.

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HEAVY EQUIPMENT operators begin work at
the County 651 road end last week.

County Road Commission manager/supervisor Herb Cradduck said the National Park Service awarded the bid last fall and let him know work would start two weeks ago. The county Road Commission has set aside $25,000 to pave 651 from M-22 to where the Park Service improvement project begins. Cradduck said Tuesday that after talking with Park Service project coordinator Lee Jameson, commission workers could start work on preparing the existing 651 road bed for paving as soon as next week.

Both the road-end parking area and the remainder of 651 will be paved at the same time, and both should be done well before Memorial Day weekend.

Road Commission chairman Lee A. Bowen said the commission has funds available for the project and never believed there was any doubt the road would be paved as part of the improvement. Vice-chairman John Popa said there was a concern on his part about having enough money for other, more important county road improvements this year, and added he is concerned that people will be upset by the changes paving all of 651 and most of the road ends will bring.

One of the people who is already upset is Barb Merica of Lake Leelanau, a longtime county resident.

“It pains me to see what they are doing down there,” she said, reflecting on using the 651 road end to take her children swimming or go for a walk on the beach. She said she there seems to be a “disconnect” between Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s policy of wanting to preserve the natural resources of the area, and the project.

“I’m disappointed at what is happening down there. We are catering to the visitors and leaving the locals behind,” she added.

Jameson said the Park Service wanted to improve the two popular road-end beaches in the Lakeshore to accommodate the high levels of travel both areas receive each summer. The $240,000 project will pave both road ends, creating 25 standard parking spaces for 651 and 23 for 669, as well as two parking spaces for over-sized vehicles. Jameson said the new parking areas will have a drop-off at the trail that leads to the beach at both road ends, and handicap parking spots. In addition to the better defined parking areas, the improvements include picnic areas and a foot-washing station.

General contractor for the project is Rock Industries of Pontiac. Jameson said Rock is using Rieth Riley Construction for most of the work.

“The weather we’ve had put us about one day behind schedule, but we’re still on target to get both road ends done before Memorial Day weekend,” he said.

Bowen said permits issued by the road commission include language that vehicles parked within the county road right-of-way at either road-end are not to be ticketed if they don’t have a Park Service pass.

The Park Service requires the purchase of a park pass for people who use any part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Passes may be purchased at the Lakeshore visitor center in Empire and at different locations around the Lakeshore.

Jameson said as part of the road-end improvement project, the Park Service will install machines outside of the road right-of-way at each beach so people may purchase a park passes on site.

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MICHAEL MARTENS and Ashley Bronson
stand on the front porch of their Habitat
for Humanity home in Maple City that's
currently under construction.

When Michael Martens and Ashley Bronson were selected to participate in the Leelanau Habitat for Humanity home now under construction in Maple City, they embraced the opportunity.

Martens and Bronson, both employed at Leelanau Sands Casino, said they are pleased to be participating in the program that makes homes available to working families who don’t qualify for conventional or other government-assisted mortgage loan programs.

“When we began working on it about a month ago, it was just a skeleton,” said Martens of the home, which is located on Olivia Street just off West Burdickville Road. Martens works security at the Peshawbestown casino, while Bronson is a member of the wait staff. “It’s really coming along.”

Both currently live in Traverse City.

The program relies greatly on the efforts of volunteers, and in this case a number of people from the southwestern part of the county. The task force is made up of volunteers from St. Philip Neri in Empire, Empire United Methodist Church, Glen Lake New Life Church of the Nazarene, and Glen Lake Community Reformed Church. Among those working on the project are John Barker and Bill Merserve of Glen Arbor, Emery Blanksma, and Traverse City carpenter Tom Keith.

Merserve and his wife, Suzanne, serve as mentors to the partner couple, who must contribute 275 hours apiece in “sweat equity” before they move into the home.

“It gives you a great sense of satisfaction knowing that your helped build your home yourself,” said Martens, whose been living with his 3-year-old son with his grandmother in Traverse City.

Four principal criteria are used to identify partners, including a need for adequate shelter, ability to pay, willingness to partner, and residency.

Applicants must have the financial ability to meet total debt obligation. The total of all the monthly debt payments (including approximately $400 to $500 a month to Habitat for mortgage payments, taxes and insurance) should not exceed 40 percent of gross income.
Applicants must also have a satisfactory credit history and references.

Martens has worked for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for three of his six years in the area.

“You’re working on a home that you’ll own, versus just renting,” Martens said. “You’re vested.”

Martens, Bronson and Martens’ son, Zachary, are scheduled to move in when the home is completed, possibly as soon as next month.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity, call 941-4663.

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The 100-foot-wide corridor totals 22.5 acres of land that traverses a number of properties just south of the reservation – in most cases crossing driveways and landscaped areas comprising residential front yards.

The corridor was used for many decades by railroad companies operating a line between Traverse City and Northport. In the 1990s the Leelanau Trail Association sought to purchase much of the railroad corridor between Traverse City and Suttons Bay for use as a recreational trail.

Court battles between the trail association, local property owners and local municipalities dragged on for years in Circuit Court with the latest case, involving Bingham Township, finally resolved following hearings by the Michigan Supreme Court in 2001.

In one of the longest-running and most contentious court cases, the trail association sued a number of property owners to prove that the association actually owned the corridor, and that the property had not “reverted” to local property owners after the railroad companies abandoned the corridor.

Among those sued in the 1996 case was Suttons Bay property owner Judy Belanger, who is now one of the plaintiffs in the federal court case filed last month against the BIA and its parent agency, the federal Department of Interior.

Belanger could not be reached for comment. The attorney representing her and other property owners suing the federal agencies, William Davison of Traverse City, did not return a reporter’s phone call.

Tribal attorney William Rastetter said his assumption was that Belanger “has duped her neighbors into a fruitless (and unnecessary, expensive) battle” with the federal government. “Apparently she ‘has a thing’ about the railroad corridor,” Rastetter added.

Rastetter said that both the state and federal courts have concluded that the 100-foot former railroad corridor was not simply an easement that may have reverted upon abandonment of the railroad service, but is owned in “fee title” – in this case by the tribe.

The Tribal Council has already agreed to provide permanent easements for the plaintiffs’ driveways, Rastetter said, “but it wouldn’t surprise me if she (Belanger) has misrepresented the situation to others.”

The Grand Traverse Band has long been a staunch supporter of the Leelanau Trail and other trails in the region, according to Bob Otwell, executive director of Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. The tribe helped fund the campaign for paving much of the Leelanau Trail up to the Village of Suttons Bay; TART now has easements to extend the trail as far north as Dumas Road in Suttons Bay Township.

“We’ve had discussions with the tribe in the past about trails on the reservation and about connecting them with the Leelanau Trail,” Otwell said. “Of course, the route north has not been worked out, but it would roughly parallel M-22.”

Trail officials have noted in the past that the former railroad corridors are being preserved not just for bicyclists, cross-country skiers and hikers – but for other possible modes of transportation in the future. They point out that, 100 years ago, no one fully envisioned the decline of railroads and the rise of automobiles.

Otwell said the tribe is not only a supporter of the Leelanau Trail, but was also instrumental in helping to preserve the TART trail leading roughly west from Traverse City toward the tribe’s Turtle Creek Casino in Grand Traverse County’s Whitewater Township.

“You never know what will happen five to 10 years from now,” Otwell said, “And it’s nice to have those corridors available.”

The current lawsuit is not expected to have an impact on the Leelanau Trail as it is now configured.

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The primary narrowed a field of candidates for the Tribal Chairman’s seat from three to two, and a field of 20 candidates running for three seats on the Tribal Council to six.

A vote certification process that took more than three weeks to complete resulted in the Election Board releasing the same slate of candidates garnering the same number of votes as shown in unofficial results reported immediately following the April 9 Primary.

In the Tribal Chairman’s race, incumbent Robert Kewaygoshkum garnered the most votes, 224. Also advancing with 199 votes was incumbent Tribal Councilor Derek Bailey. A former Tribal Councilor running for the Tribal Chairman’s seat, Thurlow “Sam” McClellan, lost his bid with 185 votes.

Two incumbent Tribal Councilors running for re-election won the most votes in the 20-way race on April 9: David Arroyo and Sandra Witherspoon. Brian Napont took third, followed by Thomas Peters, Suzanne McSawby and Steven Feringa.

Voter turnout in the Primary was nearly 53 percent, with 457 tribal voters casting ballots at three polling places or as absentees. Although tribal membership numbers around 4,000, only adults residing in the tribe’s six-county service area in northwestern lower Michigan are eligible to vote in tribal elections.

The GTB Tribal Council controls the largest government operation in Leelanau County, with an annual budget of more than $50 million. In addition, the Tribal Council comprises the board of the tribe’s Economic Development Corporation. The tribe is the largest single employer in Leelanau County and one of the largest in the entire Traverse Bay area, with a total gross payroll of some $23 million and annual gross revenues of more than $100 million.

Although tribal Election Board chairman Sam Evans declined to provide comment on why it took more than three weeks to certify the election, minutes of an April 21 Election Board hearing obtained by the Enterprise may provide some insight.

The hearing addressed concerns raised by tribal member Richard Yannott who alleged that some eligible tribal members were prevented from registering to vote, that some candidates had engaged in improper campaign practices, that some “slanderous” campaign materials had been distributed, and that there were “rumors” of candidates “buying votes” during the election.

A report of the April 21 hearing, signed by Evans and election board secretary KaryAnn Waukazoo, indicated that Yannott’s allegations were unsubstantiated and that he had not met a burden of proof sufficient for the Election Board to take any action.

Evans subsequently announced on Friday that the board certified the election on May 1.

The deadline for tribal members to register to vote in the May 21 Regular Election is Wednesday, May 14.

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