By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH – Berrien County Commissioners handled election matters at their meeting last week and also heard about the future plans of outgoing County Clerk Sharon Tyler.
Tyler, a Niles resident, announced earlier this year that she would not be running for re-election for county clerk. She has endorsed Lincoln Township Clerk Stacy Loar-Porter to be her successor.
Last week, Tyler spoke at the end of the county board meeting to announce she is running for the 12th district seat on the county board. That seat covers the city of Niles and is currently held by Michael Majerek. Tyler did not mention Majerek by name in her statement but she will face him in the August Republican primary.
Tyler said that spending the last 12 years as county clerk has given her great insight into county government. She also credited her experiences with state county clerk and county officers organizations in teaching her more about county government and how different counties conduct their work.
“I take the minutes at county board meetings; unfortunately I am not allowed to participate in the discussions that take place,” she said. “I could have shed a lot of light on many of the topics discussed and even on decisions directly impacting my office and staff.”
“Unfortunately it seems like the board doesn’t want the input of those of us who work in the different departments,” she added. “I am a true believer in what President Reagan said, to listen, learn, and then legislate. I plan on listening, learning and leading in this new position.”
Tyler said she is determined to win in what she believes will be a challenging election. “I look forward to working with this board in coming years and wish you all the best,” she said.
In other election related matters, county commissioners voted to place three county millage renewals on the August ballot. The deadline to place proposals on the August ballot is May 14.
Commissioners approved placing the law enforcement public safety millage, the 911 emergency system millage and the senior citizen centers millages on the Aug. 6 ballot. In a change from the past, the county will be asking the public to renew the public safety and 9-1-1 millage levies for six years rather than four. The senior center proposal will remain at 4 years.
Commissioners did not talk about the length of the levy proposals last week but had discussed the matter at the previous week’s board meeting. Those in favor of going to the six year term for the two millages said it would get those two off the same rotation as other millages.
Commissioners have acknowledged that they know this is not the time to ask for a public safety millage increase, which had been proposed in 2022 but defeated by voters.
The current county millage rates for those levies are .4495 mill for 9-1-1 service, .3496 mill for law enforcement, and .2997 mill for senior citizen centers. The other county millage levies are 4.7680 mills for general operations, .and .0999 mill for parks.
The candidate filing deadline for partisan offices on the Aug. 6 ballot was last Tuesday. All county elected positions are on the ballot this year as are all township board positions. Non-partisan village and city offices are also on the ballot but their deadline to file is July 23. Those running without party affiliation must file by July 18.
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