Don?t forget to vote: Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday

Residents of Presque Isle County will be heading to the polls Tuesday to vote for a wide range of offices at the county, state and national levels. The polls of the August 3 primary election will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. The voting precincts are broken down into the cities and townships within Presque Isle County. Rogers City residents in all three precincts will vote at the high school gymnasium. City of Onaway residents are scheduled to vote at the VFW Hall in Onaway. Residents of the county townships — Presque Isle, Bearinger, Ocqueoc, Posen, Bismarck, Belknap, Moltke, Pulawski, Rogers, Case, Krakow, Metz, Allis and North Allis — will vote at their respective township hall.

THERE ARE some interesting races at the county board level. District 5, which covers Posen 1A, Krakow, and Presque Isle townships, has four candidates looking to fill the county commission seat. Democrats Mary Field and Michael A. Rivenburgh, and Republicans Sally Goupell and former commissioner Stephen Lang have filed for the position. The incumbents in District 3 and 1 will face familiar challengers for their seats. Michael A. Darga seeks another two-year term, but has competition from Rogers City councilman Gary Nowak, a former county commissioner, in the Democratic primary. District 3 covers the city of Rogers City (precincts one and two) lying east of US-23, except the portion bounded by Linden Street on the east, Larke Avenue on the south, and Third Street on the north. Robert Schell is seeking re-election in District 1, which covers Bearinger, North Allis, and Allis townships, as well as the city of Onaway.

Former commissioner Wayne Vermilya will attempt to defeat Schell Tuesday. Both ran as incumbents following reapportionment of the districts in the last election. Vermilya was defeated but ran against Schell in November that year as a write-in and didn’t garner enough support to unseat the Onaway businessman. Nowak also ran as a write-in against Darga and came up short.

THE OTHER race for commissioner Tuesday is in District 4 between Democrats Laura A. Mertz and incumbent vice chairman Gary L. Wozniak. District 4 includes the remaining part of Rogers City (precinct three) and Rogers Township (Posen 1B), Metz, Belknap, and Pulawski townships, and that portion of Posen Township (Posen 1A) bounded on the east by M-65 and on the south by County Road 634 Highway (includes village of Posen). The winner will run unopposed in the general election. Chairman Allan Bruder, Republican, will be opposed in District 2 by former assistant prosecutor Gerald R. Gray, Jr., a Democrat, in November.

District 2 consists of Ocqqueoc, Case, Bismarck, and Moltke townships, as well as the portion of Rogers Township north of M-68. All of the county elected officials will be unopposed Tuesday. With Terry Lynn Basel withdrawing from the race (see letter to the editor on page four) for treasurer, it leaves only one office to be decided in November. Sheriff Terry D. Flewelling, Republican, will be opposed by Scott Witkowski, who is running with no party affiliation, November 2. Democrat Susan M. Rhode is running for clerk; Republican Patricia J. Cornett, treasurer; Republican Cathy I. Idalski, register of deeds; Republican Donald J. McLennan, prosecutor; and Republican Norman J. Quaine, Jr., surveyor.

Republican Charles Lyon of Rogers City filed as a write-in candidate for drain commissioner. The only ballot issue is a road improvement millage proposal in Posen Township. The request is for one mill for five years which would generate $19,096.32.

AT THE TOWNSHIP level, candidates for trustee will be eliminated from the race following Tuesday’s vote. Each township will elect two trustees. Pulawski Township has four candidates for trustee, three run

ning as Democrats: Roger A. Chojnacki, Philip T. Kroll, and Bonnie Strzelecki. Two of the Democrats will survive and move on to November. Ralph Chappa is the Republican candidate. There are three Republicans running for trustee positions in Moltke Township. The candidates include Gary Lee Klein, Merlin E. Little, and Marlowe Paul. One of the candidates will be eliminated from the race. Judy Bancroft, Democrat, has filed as a write-in for clerk in Allis Township and will have to clear a voter threshhold to stay in the race, according to county clerk Sue Rhode. Jeff Kala is the only other candidate for that position.

U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, Democrat, also seeks another term. Republican Don Hooper is running unopposed on the Republican ticket Tuesday, and will face the incumbent for the two-year term in November. State Rep. Matt Gillard, Democrat, will face Republican Richard Fortier in the November general election.