By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH – People have a better idea of who is running for elected office in Berrien County and Southwest Michigan with the passing of the April 23 filing deadline for partisan and other elected offices. While many people are running without opposition in the August primary, there are a number of primary races at the state, county and local levels.
Two more filing deadlines are coming up in July for people filing without party affiliation, people running for local school boards and people running for village and city elections. The deadline for village and school board elections is July 23. People running for township boards and other offices without party affiliation must file by July 18.
At the local level, there is one primary race in the city of Niles First Ward where three candidates will be winnowed to two.
There are also contested primary races for one or more positions in Baroda Township, Benton Township, Coloma Township, Lake Townships, Lincoln Townships, New Buffalo Township, Niles Township, Sodus Township, Three Oaks Township, Watervliet Township and Weesaw Township.
The full list of county and local candidates filing so far can be found atwww.berriencounty.org/156/elections, while the statewide list can be found www.mielections.us.
The April 23 partisan filing deadline brought into focus the races this year for several county elected posts as well as seats in the Michigan House of Representatives in the state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in the United States Congress.
Countywide seats being contested in the August Republican primary are those for sheriff, treasurer and drain commissioner.
For sheriff, Interim Sheriff Charles Heit of New Buffalo is being challenged by Richard Briand of Niles, Roger Johnson of St. Joseph and Jason Long of Berrien Springs. No Democrat has filed to run.
Incumbent County Treasurer Shelly Weich of Baroda is being challenged by Stevensville resident Margret Fife of Stevensville in the Republican primary. No Democrat has filed to run for that post.
The drain commissioner Republican primary race will feature a race between incumbent Christopher Quattrin of St. Joseph, Mark Krieger of Bridgman and George McManus of Benton Harbor. No Democrat has filed, but Ezra Scott plans to run as an independent.
Other countywide posts will also be on the ballot this year and people can expect to see new people elected to be county clerk, county prosecutor and district judge. Incumbents running without opposition in August or November are Republican Register of Deeds Lora Freehling and Republican County Surveyor John Kamer.
With County Clerk Sharon Tyler retiring from that post and running for county commissioner in Niles, Republican Stacy Loar-Porter of Stevensville will face off with Democrat Jessica Jackson of Niles in November.
For prosecutor, incumbent Steve Pierangeli is resigning in June and will not run for re-election. Current Assistant Prosecutor Amy Byrd is running as a Republican and will face off with former Assistant Prosecutor and current defense attorney Trevor Maveal who is running as a Democrat.
Berrien County Circuit Judges have set a May 17 deadline for those interested in serving as the interim prosecutor. People should submit a resume, a completed questionnaire and a letter of interest to Circuit Court Administrator Carrie Smietanka-Haney, 811 Port St., St. Joseph, MI 49085. Public interviews may be conducted at a later date.
One nonpartisan Fifth District judge position is open with the retirement of Sterling Schrock. Two people have filed to run for that six year term, they are Sherri Cochran Frame and Albert Mais, both of St. Joseph.
In other judge positions up for election are those held by incumbents Angela Pasula in the Second Circuit and Brian Berger in Probate. Those terms are also for six years and they have no opposition.
With county commissioner races, five of 12 seats are being contested in the August primary including the second district seat held by Jon Hinkelman. Four incumbent county commissioners face no opposition in either August or November, including Teri Freehling in the eighth district which covers Baroda and Berrien Springs.
Hinkelman’s district includes Berrien and Pipestone Townships. He is a Watervliet resident and is facing Michelle Tooker of Eau Claire in the August Republican primary. No Democrat has filed for that seat.
Other county commissioners facing primary opposition include Fifth District Commissioner Julie Wuerfel of St. Joseph who is facing Christopher Peddie in August with the winner facing Democrat Alyssa Bell in November.
Also 7th District Commissioner Robert Harrison faces a challenge from Richard McCoy, both of Stevensville, in the Republican primary. The winner will face no opposition in November. In the 10th District, Commissioner McKinley Elliott of Buchanan faces a challenge from Eugene Casto in the August Republican primary with the winner facing no opposition in November.
In the 12th District which covers the city of Niles, incumbent Michael Majerek is being challenged by outgoing County Clerk Sharon Tyler in the August Republican primary. The winner of that contest will face Democrat Jessica Gomez in November.
The terms for the county commissioner seats on the county board are changing this year from two to four years.
Three Democrats and four Republicans have filed to run for the U.S. Senate for the seat currently held by Debbie Stabenow who is not running for re-election. That seat is for six years.
Democrats who have filed to run in the August primary are Nasser Beydoun of Dearborn, Hill Harper of Detroit and Elissa Slotkin of Holly. Republicans running in the August primary are Justin Amash of Grand Rapids, Sherry O’Donnell of Stevensville, Sandy Pensler of Grosse Pointe Park and Mike Rogers of St. Joseph.
Berrien County is split in half when it comes to congressional seats. The congressional seats are for two year terms.
The northern half of the county is in the fourth district, Republican incumbent Bill Huizenga of Zeeland is being challenged by Brendan Muir of Macatawa in the primary with the winner facing the winner of the Democratic primary race between Joseph Alfonso of Holland and Jessica Swartz of Kalamazoo in November.
In the fifth congressional district which includes the southern half of the county, neither Republican incumbent Tim Walberg of Jackson nor Democrat Libbi Urban of Buchanan face opposition in the August primary.
At the state level, incumbents Joey Andrews and Brad Paquette are running for re-election in their respective districts. Neither faces a primary challenger but will face opposition in the November election. Those terms are two years.
Andrews, of St. Joseph, is a Democrat representing the 38th state house district which covers the lakeshore communities, while Paquette, a Niles resident, is a Republican representing the 37th district covering central and southern Berrien County and parts of Cass County.
Andrews will face the winner of the Republican primary race between George Lucas of Harbert and Kevin Whiteford of South Haven. Paquette will face Democrat Angela Jones of Niles.
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