The Nov. 4 election is approaching, and City of Whitehall voters will have four choices to make.
Voters within the Whitehall school district will be asked to render a decision on its $30 million bond proposal, which would place the district's debt millage back to the five mills last levied in 2024. The five mills, or $5 collected per $1,000 of taxable property value, would be the lowest in Muskegon County; Fruitport's is the second-lowest, at just slightly less than seven mills.
The money would enable the district to install heating, cooling and electrical upgrades in each school building, complete a renovated secured entry at the high school, update classroom technology and cafeterias, and replace some flooring.
Voters in the City of Whitehall will also choose between two mayoral candidates and pick between eight potential candidates for three spots on the city council.
Incumbent mayor Steven Salter is seeking re-election while current council member Tom Ziemer is running against him. Salter has been mayor since being elected in 2021 and defeated Scott Brown in a 2023 re-election campaign. Ziemer was elected to city council in 2023.
Among those running for council are two incumbents - Brown and Jeff Holmstrom. Steve Sikkenga's seat is up for grabs as Sikkenga elected not to seek another term.
Winners of the city council spots will have five-year terms after the city recently approved an election cycle change. Instead of terms ending in 2029 as they previously would have, election winners will be on the council through 2030.
The incumbent candidates are being joined by candidates Billie Conrad, Daniel Hardy, Bryan Mahan, Mark Nienhouse, John Robillard and Roger Squiers.
The Whitehall Social Studies Honor Society recently sent a survey to the eight council candidates about why they are running and what they hope to do if elected.
The incumbents are each retired longtime Whitehall residents; Holmstrom previously worked as a firefighter and paramedic, and Brown worked at Howmet Aerospace. Brown has long focused on transparency in the use of city tax dollars, and Holmstrom said he wants to serve to make "prudent and proper decisions" for the betterment of the community.
Conrad said she served in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Kosovo in 1999 and 2000, and she's now a teacher in the Whitehall district. She also raised her kids in Whitehall. She said she wants to emphasize collaboration, leadership and open dialogue on the council.
Hardy's platform emphasizes being responsive to residents' concerns, reducing tax burden on residents, infrastructure improvements, and being transparent and accountable.
Mahan is a former Whitehall teacher who retired in 2023. He said his family has a community service background, with his grandfather once serving on his city council and his uncle serving on his school board. He believes his experience on committees in education and his empirical thinking background will translate well to the city council.
Nienhouse, an Air Force veteran who unsuccessfully ran for city council in 2023, is a longtime Whitehall resident. His focus is on infrastructure improvements and being good stewards of city tax dollars.
Robillard did not reply to the students' questionnaire, but on his Facebook page, he said in August that he will focus on transparency, fiscal responsibility, roads, and the maintenance of existing city parks.
Squiers recently retired as Whitehall police chief and said several city employees asked him to run for council upon his retirement. He believes his experience working with the Whitehall council will be helpful and said he will focus on the things that make Whitehall special while providing a "thoughtful and civil approach to decision-making."
Voters in Montague and Whitehall, as well as the townships of Blue Lake, Montague, and White River, will choose whether to renew the White Lake Ambulance Authority millage. The WLAA is seeking a renewal of its rate of up to 1.9 mills, which would continue from December of this year through 2030, for operating purposes. Ballot language said if the full 1.9 mills were to be collected, it would produce just shy of $1.075 million annually.
