By James Windell
As a life-long resident of South Haven and growing up in Ward 1, Samantha Kellum thinks she could effectively represent the people in her ward.
“I think that a lot of things that are important to Ward One get overlooked by the city,” Kellum said in a recent interview. “When the City Council passes ordinances, I don’t think they take into account what’s needed in our neighborhoods. They focus more on the North Side of the city, not on Ward One.”
One of Kellum’s concerns is that the city does not provide year-around activities for full-time residents. “We have trails that are lovely and great parks which are very nice, but there is little here for people who live here all year,” she says.
She points to the popularity of family nights at the Bronson Wellness Center to illustrate her point. “So many families go there, and those family nights are always very crowded,” she says. “That tells you how much of a need there is for more community activities for the families that are here all year. It would be great if there was a place in Ward One so families had a regular place to go.”
Kellum attended South Haven Schools throughout her childhoods, and she was on the swim team and sang in the choir in high school. Following graduation from South Haven High School, she obtained an Associate’s Degree in Hospitality and then earned a B.A. in Business. At present, she works at the Mildred C. Wells Academy in Benton Harbor while she is also going to college to get a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. She plans to obtain a teacher’s certification and to become a school administrator.
As a city council member, Kellum says her greatest priority would be to bring more businesses to South Haven. She contends that the city needs more businesses that are not tourism related. “We need businesses that pay better wages and will help keep families in the city,” she says.
Along with bringing more businesses to the area, Kellum strongly supports more “working class housing” – especially in Ward 1. “We have quite a lot of low-income housing already, but we need more housing for working class people. There should be more housing so people can move into better housing when they are ready.”
Kellum says that she understands the problem because she and her husband are among those people who would like to be able to move into more affordable housing.
Although she says she is not a politician and she doesn’t like talking about herself, running for the city council is important to her. “This is something I want to do because I would do good for South Haven,” she says. “We need changes and Ward One needs a better voice. I would love to be that voice.”
