By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Saugatuck again has a contested city council race, with five candidates seeking three available 2-year seats on Tuesday, Nov. 4. City voting this year will take place at the Saugatuck Woman’s Club, 303 Butler St., rather than city hall.
Meanwhile, neighbor Douglas has three hopefuls — incumbents Cathy North and Matt Balmer, plus newcomer Jeff West — for three open 2-year seats. Current councilman Jerry Donovan is not seeking re-election
Saugatuck Township, by law holds elections for its entire 5-member board once every four years. Its next one will be in November 2028.
Saugatuck Council Race
In Saugatuck, incumbents Holly Anderson, Joe Clark and Russ Gardner are joined by newcomers John Mayer and Sherry Tedaldi seeking office.
Anderson, currently mayor, and Clark, appointed Oct. 17 last year to fill a seat vacated by Logan White, have stressed their continuing support for short-term rental caps in the city’s R-1 Residential district.
The measure passed by a 4-2 vote last summer, with Gardner voting no, joining Gregory Muncey saying an independent economic study should have been conducted first.
At a Sept.25 Holland League of Women Voters candidate forum, Gardner emphasized he was not part of any movement to eliminate STR caps, but regretted that some families are at risk of losing multi-generational homes because of them.
“They’re a done deal,” agreed Tedaldi, who ran for council last year unsuccessfully. “I didn’t think they were a good idea, especially since you can’t pass on property rights through family trusts.”
“It’s the law,” Mayer said of the caps Sept. 25. “It’s been in place for a year.”
“I view myself as positive and pragmatic,” said Anderson. “Some of us want to move forward, others to keep things the way they are.
“We’ve had a busy summer,” she went on. “None of the catastrophes some forecast due to caps have come through. If Joe and I are defeated, our pro-neighborhood majority will be gone.”
Clark concurred, noting keeping the caps plus council investing in parks, trails and public safety has benefitted the community.
“Our economy is doing well,” he added. “Saugatuck is moving in the right direction.”
Gardner, who first served on council here from 1994 to 2004, noted he was part of a generational home and family, emphasized he was not part of any movement to eliminate STR caps.
“Infrastructure would be at the top of my priorities list,” he said. “Fix what matters first. I’m also concerned with divisiveness: lack of respect for other people, eye rolls, negative body language … Our city can do better.”
Mayer said his experience serving on boards and councils in the Chicago area, said, “I’ve found cohesive boards work better than divisive ones do.
“For the record, I’m not anti-STR caps. It’s important to be open-minded and fair to all,” he said.
Tedaldi said her more than 30 years as a banker gave her grounds for concern that the current council is overspending on non-priority items.
“We need to get on topic and look deeper into ethics,” she said. “I don’t think we need to overturn STR caps,” she said. “We just need to make them fairer.
“We need to break up the majority voting bloc that is spending too much,” Tedaldi said.
Polls throughout the area will be open next Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early voting and absentee ballots are available in the township and city halls.
