Testing the new voting equipment at Little Bear East Arena in St. Ignace Monday, April 18, in preparation for the May 3 election are Mackinac Island City Clerk Karen Lennard (left) and Brevort Township Clerk Susan Stelzer. In two weeks, voters in Mackinac County will head to the polls for a county-wide millage election for Mackinac Straits Hospital and Health Center, road, fire department, and community services millages in Brevort Township, and school millages at St. Ignace Area Schools, Les Cheneaux Community Schools, and Moran Township School. The elections will be held Tuesday, May 3, with polls at each township office open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Several municipal elections will also be held. In the City of Mackinac Island, three candidates will vie for two seats on the city council and two candidates are running for the city treasurer post. Other city seats are uncontested, as are two seats for the school board.

All area school boards changed their elections from June to May under the state’s election consolidation mandates that took effect this year. Contests at St. Ignace, Engadine, Les Cheneaux, Moran Township, Pickford, DeTour, and Mackinaw City are uncontested, however.

Township offices and the City of St. Ignace will continue to hold elections in November.

This week, The St. Ignace News begins election coverage with the millages. The candidates for school and city offices will be featured next week.

At the request of The St. Ignace News , St. Ignace Area Schools Superintendent Pete Everson has explained why a conflict in Proposal A (the school financing laws) and the Headlee Amendment (originally designed to protect taxpayers from run-away tax increases) is unintentionally hurting many of the schools in the area.

Millage stories begin on page six.