ELECTION REMINDER: Write-in candidates vying for St. Clair County drain commissioner

There were no official candidates who filed last spring to run for St. Clair County drain commissioner, but for Tuesday’s local primary election, voters can consider any one of three write-in candidates.

And that is just one of many decisions they’ll have to make.

Bob Wiley, the county’s incumbent drain commissioner since 2008, is running as a Republican write-in along with Eileen Tesch, a former Algonac council member known more recently for working with Blue Water Healthy Living — the two vying to move on to November’s general election.

Mark W. Smith, a former Burtchville Township clerk and deputy drain commissioner under Fred Fuller , is running as a Democratic write-in candidate and would move on to November.

“The fact that (Wiley) had not (appeared to file) was an opportunity because he was a long-term incumbent,” Smith said on Friday. “I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to file as a Democrat,’ and he’d already filed as a write-in as a Republican. … Politics aside, I vote for the person, (though) of course in a primary, it’s all by party.”

Smith has previously run unsuccessfully for treasurer in Burtchville and for St. Clair County. He said he considered himself a fiscally conservative Democrat and wanted to run as drain commissioner, citing things he thought were missing from the office now, such as keeping assessments low for good drainage.

“I loved it, helping people with drainage problems and flooding and property values and easements. The list goes on and on,” Smith said. “It’s all public service, and that’s a big part of what the drain office is all about.”

Tesch was an elected council member and appointed mayor in Algonac before her departure after a recall . A former attorney — her law license is listed as suspended for non-payment with the state bar — she also had an unsuccessful run for Oakland County executive as Eileen Ambrose two decades ago.

When asked, Tesch said she thought someone who could watch the money and be transparent administratively as drain commissioner was needed, “building a great team” of engineers and other experts while protecting natural resources.

In addition to drain commissioner, she’s also a candidate for Algonac school board in November.

“I was very surprised that it was blank when I looked at the sample ballot. I know what a powerful and important position that is, particularly when it comes to assessments and taxes,” Tesch said Friday. She also cited common complaints about the condition of county drains “because we’ve had so much flooding.”

Wiley said a clerical error on his application to file to run kept his name off the regular primary ballot. Running as a write-in candidate instead, this year marks the fourth time he’s sought re-election.

In 16 years on the job, he said he’s understood his office gets a lot of complaints about costly assessments, but that he thought there was still a lot of good he could do with another four years. He compared it to individual landowners paying a couple of grand for a contractor to take down a single tree, adding, “Now, imagine having drains that haven’t been worked on in 40, 50 years, and not one tree but a hundred trees.”

“I’m not done yet,” Wiley said. “… I’m predevelopment, but working at trying to save wetlands in the process, it’s amazing the wetlands that are under conservation since I’ve been in office. Plus, I’m out there actually working and getting the drains dug out and flowing. … I just feel there’s more I can do in another four years. I want to serve the community as best I can.”

What else is on the local ballots this election?

For St. Clair County voters, voters will be choosing between incumbent Sheriff Mat King and challenger Warren Head , Yale police chief, both Republicans. Debbie Rhein is also challenging Republican incumbent County Clerk Angie Waters in her first re-election bid since she was appointed to replace Jay DeBoyer.

St. Clair County Prosecutor Michael Wendling, Treasurer Kelly Roberts-Burnett, and Surveyor Justin Rhein have no Republican primary challengers, and no Democrats are listed as running.

Similarly, County Commissioners Steve Simasko and Dave Rushing have no challengers in the county board of commissioners District 1 and 6, respectively.

Ken Cummings, David Hoffman, Steve Tebay, and Kerry Ange are running for the Republican nod in District 2 to replace Jorja Baldwin. There was no listed Democrat.

Incumbent Commissioner Lisa Beedon is facing Darrin Rushing in the Democratic primary for District 3 with the winner slated to face Republican Cliff Schrader in November.

Commissioner Joi Torello is facing Harry “Duke” Dunn, a Marysville councilman she ousted two years ago, in the District 4 Republican primary ; Republican Robert Fielitz is challenging longtime County Board Chairman Jeff Bohm for District 5 ; and Tiffany Turke is challenging Commissioner Dave Vandenbossche in District 7 . All three districts had no Democratic candidate listed.

There were county proposals for the veterans affairs millage, millage renewals for road improvements and the drug task force, and an additional millage for county parks and recreation .

St. Clair County Community College also had a millage restoration proposal.

Multiple townships had contested races for local office, including Clay , Clyde, China, and Fort Gratiot .

China Township’s ballot had a new millage request for road and ditch improvements. Clyde Township had proposals for fire department operating expenses and a fire millage increase. Fort Gratiot’s ballot will have a police protection millage, while Port Huron Township had transportation and road improvement millage renewals.

What about state legislative races?

To replace the departing state Rep. Andrew Beeler, R-Port Huron, in the 64th District for the Michigan House of Representatives , both Democratic and Republican primaries had several candidates.

John Anter, Mathew Castillo, and Ken Heuvelman were running as Democrats, while County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin, former state lawmaker Gary Eisen, Dan Geiersbach, Ryan Maxon, and Joe Pavlov were running as Republicans.

Cottrellville resident Michale Zoran was challenging state Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township, for the 63rd District, while Democrat Robert E. Kelly-McFarland was running unchallenged in his primary.

Incumbent Rep. Jaime Greene, R-Richmond, was running as a Republican and Democrat Shirley Tomczak, both unchallenged in the primary, in the 65th District.

For more information about local elections, https://stclaircountyclerk.org/Page/Elections or your local clerk’s office. You can check candidates’ campaign finance information at https://campaignfinance.us/stclair.mi . Local ballots can be previewed at Michigan.gov/vote.

Contact reporter Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: ELECTION REMINDER: Write-in candidates vying for St. Clair County drain commissioner