A St. Ignace school millage proposal was defeated in the May 4 election, and several incumbents were replaced, while voter turnout ranged from about 8.5% in Rudyard and Pickford to 47.4% on Mackinac Island. Following is a summary of the election restults.

St. Ignace Area Schools

Voters narrowly defeated the package of proposals that would collect 0.7 mills for 11 years to fund a biomass wood-chip heating plant at the school, replace the district's eight busses over 11 years, and buy new educational technology that would place laptops in the hands of every student from grades five through 12, among other equipment. In total, 329 votes were against the package while 318 were in favor.

Approval was strongest in the City of St. Ignace, where 200 voters supported the measure and 197 voted against it. Voters in St. Ignace Township and Brevort Township were against it, St. Ignace Township turning it down, 48 to 46, and Brevort Township rejecting it, 94 to 72.

Superintendent Mike Springsteen said that while he is disappointed the millage didn't pass, he is encouraged by the fact that the vote was close. In his view, new technology, buses, and a wood chip heating plant, which were packaged together in one ballot proposal for this election, are all needed by the school district.

“Those are the things that we are going to need in the community to stay competitive in the future,” he said.

He said the school board will discuss the issue and decide if it will be proposed again for election in November, which will allow the school district time to qualify for a lower bond rating from the Michigan Department of Treasury. The three components in the millage could be voted on separately this time, he speculated.

“As far as options, we could split it into parts and pass them separately, go for a combination, or we could go for the whole thing again,” he said.

Five candidates sought three seats in the St. Ignace school board election, with incumbent Ronn Farr securing a sound win with 479 votes. Candidate Michael Emery and write-in candidate Chris Marshall were elected to the board with 249 and 161 votes, respectively. Mr. Emery and Mr. Marshall will take the seats of former board members David Latva and Ann Massey, who did not seek re-election. Writein candidates Stacy McNamara received 79 votes and Patti O'Brien received 47.

Among the two townships and the city, 3,275 people were registered to vote. Of that number, 675 voted, for a turnout of 20.6%.

Les Cheneaux

Community Schools

Newcomers took the place of incumbents in the Cedarville district. Luke Jaroche and Stuart Spencer will now sit on the Les Cheneaux Community Schools board. Two four-year seats were up for election Tuesday.

Mr. Spencer received 260 votes, while Mr. Jaroche obtained 244. Both candidates defeated incumbents Carl McIntire and Marianne Coyne, who received 76 and 110 votes, respectively.

The schools' operating millage renewal passed soundly, with 301 votes in favor and 47 against.

In Clark and Marquette townships, 2,193 people are registered to vote and 361 people voted, for a turnout of 16.5%.

Brevort Township

Every issue in Brevort Township passed overwhelmingly. The township's 2.9 road millage renewal passed, 137 votes to 36, and its 1.9 mills for the fire department, a renewal, was accepted, 142 to 35. Voters also passed the township's proposal to split its existing one mill for community center operations in half to pay for up to $300,000 in bonds to construct a new community center.

Voters approved the 0.5 community center operating and capital expense millage, 134 to 43. They also approved the township hall, library, and community center proposal, which will devote 0.5 mills to pay for bonds up to $300,000, 145 votes to 45.

Casting ballots were 193 of the township's 520 registered voters, a 37.1% turnout.

Mackinaw City Public Schools

With three candidates running for two four-year seats, incumbent David Valot was re-elected with 102 votes while Michael Zynewicz took the remaining seat with 79 votes. Wendy Krueger-Bell received 70 votes.

Going to the polls were 158 of the village's 1,047 registered voters, a 15.1% turnout.

Moran Township

Helen Graichen and Nicole Brown, both of whom ran unopposed for the two, two-year seats on the Gros Cap School board, were reelected. Ms. Graichen received 124 votes and Mrs. Brown received 136.

Gros Cap School's 16.8734 mill operational levy renewal passed, 132 to 44. The millage is for three years.

In the Moran Township election, 900 people were registered and 177 voted, a turnout of 19.7%.

DeTour Area Schools

The renewal of DeTour Area Schools' 18 operational mills passed, with 534 voting in favor and 125 voting against.

The election for two seats on the school board determined Susan Schultz and James Bias will serve, with 400 votes and 321 votes, respectively. Incumbent Charlotte Moser Goudreau received 280 votes and write-in candidate John Orr received 87.

Of the 2,041 registered voters, 683 went to the polls, a 33.5% turnout.

Pickford Schools

Both millages at Pickford Public Schools passed comfortably. The proposition to levy 0.65 mills over four years to replace two buses, one from 1992 and another from 1997, passed with 125 in favor and 54 against. The district's one-year renewal of 18 mills for operation passed, 146 to 33.

Incumbents Julia Kronemeyer, who received 136 votes, and Frederick Raden, who received 141 votes, ran for re-election for two four-year terms on the board of education.

Of the 1,666 people registered to vote, 144 participated, an 8.6% turnout.

Rudyard Area Schools

Three candidates ran for two four-year seats on the Rudyard Area Schools board. Incumbent JoDiane Cornwell received 384 votes, writein candidate Robin Sexton received 257, and write-in candidate Becky Davis received 128 votes.

The district's operations millage was renewed, 283 to 264. It's building improvement fund, or sinking fund, was voted down, 300 to 240.

At Rudyard, 317 of 3,711 registered voters went to the polls, 8.5%.

Mackinac Island

Newcomer Sam Barnwell, with 170 votes, and incumbent Dan Wightman, with 232 votes, were elected to the two city council seats on Mackinac Island. Incumbent Armand “Smi” Horn received 148 votes and will step down after 24 years of service.

Jennifer Bloswick was elected to the Mackinac Island Board of Education with 179 votes, beating Jack Armstrong, who had 146 votes.

Of the Island's 677 registered voters, 326 residents cast ballots, a 47.4% turnout.

In other city elections, candidates ran unopposed. They tallied the following votes: Mayor Margaret Doud 240 votes, City Clerk Karen Lennard 265 votes, Treasurer Rick Linn 278 votes, Supervisor Ron Dufina 197 votes, Assessor Bob Benser 229.