November election to shape local school boards

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Among the items on the November ballot are a variety of contested and uncontested school board races in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties.

Ironwood Area Schools

Three names appear in the school board race, with voters in the district able to cast their ballots for no more than three of the candidates in the race. Incumbents Amanda Sprague and Marilyn Carey are joined by newcomer Adam Graser, who is running for the seat held by Steve Thomas after Thomas announced he won’t be seeking another term on the board.

Bessemer

Voters in the Bessemer Area Schools district will fill two full-term seats on the school board, as well as a partial term. Eric Stanislawski and James Partanen are each running for a four-year term. As voters can vote for no more than two candidates in the race, both are expected to win seats on the board.

In the race for the other seat on the board, Bill McDonald and incumbent Richard Matrella are facing off to fill a partial term that ends Dec. 31, 2022. Gogebic County Clerk Gerry Pelissero said the position was originally a four-year term that started Jan. 1, 2019, but a resignation this year forced an election to fill the remaining years.

A proposal to reduce the Bessemer school board from seven to five members that was approved in 2019 will take effect Jan. 1, according to Pelissero.

Wakefield-Marenisco

The Wakefield-Marenisco Board of Education soon will have two new faces after trustees Marg Lynott and Dan Obradovich announced they wouldn’t be seeking reelection. The two will be replaced by newcomers Melissa Wakefield and Jennifer Bressette, both of Wakefield. Incumbent Micki Sorensen also is running to retain her seat.

Watersmeet

In Watersmeet, four candidates appear on the ballot for four seats. Incumbents Tara Pallin and Toni Lynn Edwards-Williams are both seeking another term. They are expected to be joined by newcomers Michelle Hazen and Mitchell McGeshick, who are looking to fill the seats held by George Zelinski and Nicklas Christ.

Ewen-Trout Creek

While four seats are up for election on the E-TC school board, the November ballot only has two names on it. Incumbent Samantha Schutz is the only member of the board seeking reelection after John Pinkerton, Holly Driesenga and Carol Maki chose not to run again. Heather Borseth joins Schutz on the ballot as she seeks one of the available four-year terms. The other two spots on the ballot are blank.

Ontonagon

There’s a contested race in Ontonagon as four residents have filed for three four-year slots on the board. Incumbents Tayna Weisinger and Stacy Bangogullari are seeking reelection, while Kelsey Kemppanen and Natalie Morgan are looking to join the board.

Along with the four-year terms on the ballot, Jim Jessup and Renee Pantti are looking to fill the pair of two-year seats on the board.

GOISD

Along with the local school districts, there is also a race for two seats on the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District’s board. Incumbent Bill Steiger is facing off against Carol Allen Yakovich and Brian Amos for two seats. Each seat would serve a six-year term. Current board member James Ojala is running unopposed for a seat that expires Dec. 31, 2022.

GCC

There are two seats on the Gogebic Community College Board of Trustees on the ballot as incumbents Tom Brown and John Lupino each seek another term.

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The Nov. 3 ballot also features races for the state board of education, as well as the Board of Regents for the University of Michigan, Board of Trustees of Michigan State University and the Board of Governors for Wayne State University.

The state board of education race features: Democrats Ellen Cogen Lipton and Jason Strayhorn, Republicans Tami Carlone and Michelle Frederick, Libertarians Bill Hall and Richard Hewer, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidates Karen Adams and Douglas Levesque, Working Class Party candidates Mary Anne Hering and Hali McEachern and Green Party candidate Tom Mair.

The race for U of M regents includes: Democrats Mark Bernstein and Shauna Ryder Diggs, Republicans Sarah Hubbard and Carl Meyers, Libertarians James Hudler and Eric Larson, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidates Ronald Graeser and Crystal Van Sickle, Green Party candidate Michael Mawilai and Natural Law Party candidate Keith Butkovich.

The MSU Trustees race features: Democrats Brian Mosallam and Rema Ella Vassar, Republicans Pat O’Keefe and Tonya Schuitmaker, Libertarian Will Tyler White, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidates Janet Sanger and John Paul Sanger, Green Party candidates Brandon Hu and Robin Lea Laurain and Natural Law Party candidate Bridgette Abraham-Guzman.

The Wayne State race includes: Democrats Eva Garza Dewaelsche and Shirley Stancato, Republicans Don Gates and Terri Lynn Land, Libertarian Jon Elgas, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Christine Schwartz and Green Party candidate Susan Odgers.

Editor’s Note: Daily Globe staff contributed to this story.