Newcomer Steve Lanius defeated incumbent Hillsdale County Commissioner Kathleen Schmitt in the Aug. 2 primary election.
In the race for representing District 2, Lanius received nearly 58% of the total votes compared to Schmitt’s 42%.
Lanius said he looks forward to serving on the Board of Commissioners and aims to reduce the tax burden on the Hillsdale County community and ensure transparency in local government.
“If I can get those two things accomplished in any manner I’ll be feeling pretty good,” he said. “There are so many issues that need to be addressed and I don’t know if we can cover them all in this term, but if we don’t start somewhere then we’ll never finish.”
Lanius said transparency is key to bringing the Hillsdale County community together, something he looks forward to addressing when he represents the district in January.
Lanius also said he enjoyed the campaign, and had a good feeling about the primary results based on positive conversations with voters in the district.
“My campaign went very smoothly. I had really really good feedback from constituents around the district,” he said.
Republican candidates Mark Wiley and Brent Leininger won the races to represent their districts on the Board of Commissioners.
Incumbent Road Commissioner Bob Godfrey swept the primary race against challengers Andy Thomas and Lisa Wallace with a 52% majority.
All county commissioner candidates were members of the Republican party since no Democratic candidates ran in the primary election.
Incumbent Mark Wiley won the District 3 race with 65% of votes, compared to challenger Kelley Mapes’ 35% of votes.
Wiley, the current chairman for the Board of Commissioners, called Hillsdale “a great place to live and work” and said he is grateful for another opportunity to serve the community.
“I have raised my family here and am once again afforded the opportunity to give back to the community,” Wiley said. “I put in lots of hours on different boards and committees and enjoy being the voice for the county.”
Wiley said he plans to continue prioritizing relationships with the other county commissioners to more effectively serve members of the Hillsdale community.
“I would hope that my fellow commissioners continue to nominate me to represent them as their chairman in 2023,” Wiley said. “It is an honor and a privilege I look forward to continuing the team approach; we all get more done working as a team.”
District 5 incumbent Brent Leininger defeated challenger Namrata Carolan by the highest margin when he won 66% of votes.
Leininger said he is looking forward to continuing his work with constituents and reflecting their needs and concerns in his work as commissioner.
“I’m extremely grateful for the confidence displayed in me by the citizens of the 5th Commissioner District and giving me the opportunity to continue to serve them and represent their interest within the Hillsdale County government,” he said. “I enjoy meeting with my constituents discussing the issue facing them, then assisting where we can as a commissioner, or work to get them in contact with the appropriate department or agency that can address their needs and concerns.”
Leininger said he specifically hopes to solve issues surrounding the District Court.
“We will have to make a decision as to what is to be done with the housing of the District Court and the appropriate staff,” he said. “This issue has persisted in Hillsdale County for over 20 years now and I truly hope that we can make the appropriate decision and solve the dilemma so that commissioners in 20 years are not dealing with this space issue.”
Incumbents Douglas Ingles and Brad Benzing of Districts 1 and 4 did not face primary challengers.
The Hillsdale County Clerk’s office reported that 9,894 voters came to the polls on Aug. 2, though the county boasts more than 37,000 registered voters.
Due to the passage of recent legislation, the Board of Commissioners who file in 2024 will be serving for a four-year term, according to the Hillsdale County clerk’s office. Those who filed in April 2022 and won their nomination in August will be serving the last two-year term.
Candidates will face the polls yet again during the Nov. 8 general election where they could face write-in candidates.