Downriver voters will have an early decision to make between two familiar faces for their representative on the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners in next month’s Primary Election.
Commission Dave Vandenbossche, a two-term incumbent who’s also assistant fire chief in Marine City and a former sheriff’s official, will take on challenger Tiffany Turke, of China Township, on Aug. 6.
The winner in the Republican race will go on unchallenged by a listed Democrat in November’s election, and ultimately, to serve in the seat for District 7, which encompasses Algonac, Marine City, and China, Clay, and Cottrellville townships.
Moving forward, county commissioners will serve four-year terms.
Turke previously ran for office in China and has served on the township’s parks and recreation and cemetery committees.
However, she has more recently cut her teeth in bolstering opposition against the long-term development of Marine City Highway — a movement that emerged several years ago when county board members weighed using millions in American Rescue Plan Act dollars for infrastructure upgrades to support eventual economic growth along the highway, or 26 Mile Road. She also helped spearhead a referendum in nearby Ira Township, where voters rejected industrial rezoning on the corridor last February.
“I have two young nephews, 7 and almost 2, and I am expecting. I’m due in September. And with the push for development, not only on Marine City Highway but countywide, I felt like it was time. It was time to run,” Turke said. “I want to preserve the area for them so that these little ones have something when they grow up. And that’s what made me decide to run.”
That 11-mile 26 Mile corridor runs from the county line into Marine City in part in District 7.
In an interview last week, Turke admitted much the ire is directed at County Board Chairman Jeff Bohm, a 20-year District 5 official who’s historically advocated for economic development, rather than Vandenbossche.
But she said she wanted to support policies that challenged other sore subjects for some residents born out of the 26 Mile debate, including how officials sign non-disclosure agreements or how much support the Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County receives, and “offer a little bit more transparency when it comes to those things.”
Although the EDA also works with small businesses, Turke said she wanted to put a bigger emphasis on filling local shuttered businesses rather than industrial development and investing in local waterways and infrastructure upgrades where necessary. And she emphasized keeping “an open line of communication with residents,” adding, “I don’t think they have that right now.”
Much of the 26 Mile Road discussion has died down at the county board level more than a year ago, when county board members agreed to instead divvy up remaining ARPA dollars to each district for commissioners to decide best use.
Vandenbossche said he thought that pivot was indicative of commissioners listening to residents’ concerns. “We were trying to be proactive,” he said. “… Some of the groups, they don’t want us to be proactive, they’d rather be reactive, and I think we’ve moved away from working on development of 26.”
And since then, he’s maintained his focus on areas that, he said, he knows well.
“I love serving the community, and I get to work (with) focus on areas that I think I can do a lot of good in, especially like the emergency management and judicial subcommittee that I’m chair of,” he said. “Because it’s a lot of my background.”
Vandenbossche, who was previously mayor of Marine City, ousted former long-time commissioner Bill Gratopp in 2020. In all his time in office, he said he had a good feeling for the community, having worked in “different facets of the downriver area for my whole life,” in public safety, and as a business owner.
On the board, he said commissioners have “made some drastic headway” with issues at the county landfill — an example of something ongoing he hopes to stay involved with. However, he also hoped to keep up the on public safety projects, such as the equipment upgrades, where he’s allocated his share of ARPA funds.
“We’re working on some assistance for Central Dispatch so we can help serve the community,” Vandenbossche said. “We are going to be short Coast Guard assistance for the summer down in the lake, and we need to get our first responder better communications because between the (county sheriff’s) marine division, our dive team, our first responders, Clay Fire, and even our police response down here, we’ve got some radio issues with signal strength.”
Contact reporter Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com.
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