Seven running for Hudson Council

The Annual City Election is next Tuesday, and unlike in some previous years there are a number of seats on Council open and several candidates running for most of them.

One year term: The only unopposed seat is a one-year term. Ed Engle Jr., who currently holds the seat, came onto Council in the last year and is running to fill out the rest of the regular term. Engle is the President of Rima Manufacturing  Company and has proven to be a valuable addition to the Council.

Two year term: Two people are running for a single two year term on Council, again to fill out a regular term of a seat that was vacated by resignation.

The seat is currently held by Lee Ann Minton, a retired teacher that still likes to take cookies to school. She is a previous Council member and is currently filling the seat until the election. She has also served on many other boards and commissions. "In spite of M&S closing I see a bright future for my town," she said. "I would like to help work on it. There are going to be some hard decisions with the upcoming budget."

Also running for the two year seat is Jeremy Davis, a worker at Rima. A newcomer to the ballot, he takes an interest in the direction the city is going. "There have been a lot of good things happening here over the years," he said.  I want to be a voice for the younger generation in the community. The budget is the biggest challenge facing the community. We need to be able to offer incentives to new business without gouging our budget.

Three Year Term: Four people are running for two available three year term seats.

Lamont C. "Lonnie" Applegate is a recently retired state employee who wants to turn his interest toward the community. A resident here since 1993, he wants to serve the community as a representative of the community. "Because of the Big Three and the state budget troubles revenues are going to be a major problem," he said. "Even though we may have to cut spending we need to work to be sure that services are not cut."

Retiree Lee Daugherty currently holds the seat he's running for. A council member for 17 years and Mayor for several of them, he is the senior council member. "We have a new city manager and we need to help him with the responsibilities he has taken on. I can't believe how involved I have been since he has been here, "he says." The Downtown Development Association projects are an exciting thing."

Roslyn Gerkin is a former council member who currently works part time as a record keeper at the Hudson Police Department. "We have a great many problems because of M&S," she said. "We also need to beef up the Waste Water Treatment Plant and buy new equipment. I found out that I really do like city politics. I'm interested in the town and what happens to the town."

Dennis Smoke is a truck driver,  former Council Member and former Mayor who came back onto Council last year to fill out the term of a member who had retired. "I would like to stay involved with the city," he said. "One of the biggest things we're looking at is how to maintain a balanced budget while keeping our services intact. We don't know what the next year or two is going to bring us."

The election will be Tuesday, November 6. The polls will be open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the First Department Addition at 121 N. Church Street.

Due to a recent court ruling, every Michigan voter wishing to vote in the polls must provide picture identification or sign an affidavit attesting that he or she is not in possession of picture identification.  Acceptable forms of picture identification are:  Driver’s license or personal identification card; federal or state government-issued photo identification; U.S. passport; military identification card with photo; student identification with photo from a high school or an accredited institution of higher learning; or a tribal identification card with photo.

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