Library, seniors, and incumbent commissioners all make it through; Posen fire truck fails by 10 vote
Incumbents and proposals were looked upon favorably on election night Tuesday in Presque Isle County. The only proposal to not receive approval was the millage request by Posen Area Fire & Rescue to purchase a new fire truck. The measure needed approval in four precincts, and even though it received an Al Gore-like majority, tiny Pulawski Township defeated the proposal by 10 votes, 42 to 32. Three county-wide millage requests did receive voter support. Voters said ?yes? to an additional millage for the Presque Isle District Library (1,302 to 1,094), the Presque Isle County Council on Aging/Rogers City Area Senior Center renewal (1,683 to 738), along with the separate tax limitations proposal (1,458 to 840). There were three contested races for seats on the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners with all three incumbents surviving primary night.
District 1 commissioner Bob Schell received 23 more votes than former commissioner Wayne Vermilya (156 to 133). In another close race on the Democratic side, District 3 commissioner Michael Darga edged Rogers City councilman Gary Nowak by 23 votes, 178 to 155. Darga will receive another challenge in November from Republican Milt Very, who received 146 votes. The only commissioner with a comfortable margin was Republican chairman Allan H. Bruder who defeated Marlowe Paul 194 to 120. Bruder and Schell will be unchallenged on the ballot in November, unless a write-in candidate submits his or her name. Incumbent Gary L. Wozniak commissioner received 198 votes on the Democratic side, while former commissioner Carl L. Altman garnered 139 on the Republican side. They will meet up in November to see who claims the District 4 seat for the next two years.
District 5 commissioner Stephen Lang is unchallenged in 2006 and brought in 225 votes. The emergency services millage renewal requests in Bearinger (82 to 24) and Ocqueoc (112 to 44) townships easily received approval by voters in their respective precincts. Road maintenance/operational renewals got the nod in Metz Township (39-17) and Moltke Township (61 to 10). OVERALL, VOTERS approved the proposition for a new fire truck 218 to 158, but because Pulawski Township said ?no? 42 to 32, the measure was defeated. Sixty-three percent of the voters in the largest precinct, Posen Township, were in favor of the request. Krakow Township said, ?yes? 61 to 47, as did Metz Township, 37 to 19. With the close vote total, members of the Posen Fire board may consider going back to voters in November. They will have to act quickly as the deadline to submit a petition for the ballot is August 15. The Presque Isle District Library can give a big tip of the hat to voters in the City of Onaway and Rogers City precinct No. 1 for helping to get the additional millage money through. Six of the eighteen precincts voted down the library measure — led by Krakow (77 to 35) and Presque Isle (194 to 147) townships. Case, Belknap, Pulawski, and Metz townships also voted it down.
While voter approval was strong in Rogers City Precinct No. 1 (195 to 105), the proposal was received overwhelmingly well in Onaway, with 77-pecent of the voters saying ?yes? (87 to 26). The millage is for an additional one-quarter mill. The senior millage renewal of a half mill for four years received approval in all precincts, including Pulawski Township, 43 to 33. Again, the City of Onaway was extremely supportive of this proposal as well, 100 to 15. IN LOOKING
Democrat Sharon Unger won the county vote in Presque Isle County for the 37th State Sen. seat, 620 to 401, over Donald Collier. She will try to unseat Republican Jason Allen in a few months. All voting results were unofficial until certified by the county board of canvassers.