By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
One of the items that surprised Dan Burrill while seeking election to the Kent County Board of Commissioners was the fact that the seat was only for two terms.
“So basically, I had a year and then I am already back into campaigning,” said Burrill who won his bid to be the District 8 commissioner representing the City of Wyoming in 2020.
Michigan in fact was one of about five states in the United States that still had its county commission terms at two years. Note the “was” because in December Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed bills into law that would extend the terms of county commissioners from two to four years. The change will begin with the fall 2024 election.
“People have asked me ‘What do I get out of it?’” said Kent County Commissioner Stan Ponstein, who is the first vice president for the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC), the organization that worked to get the county commissioner term lengths changed. “And, well, for me personally, nothing as I am at the end of my political career.
“It will be a big help to those counties in the north, mostly the knuckle area and beyond, and in the U.P. (upper peninsula), where they have had problems finding people to serve on the county board of commissions.”
For the lower half of the state, the issue has been more on the cost of running a campaign.
“There have been people who have spent $30,000 to $40,000,” Ponstein said. “That is a lot of money just to be a county commissioner and then have to spend it about every two years.”
Up until 1963, county commission seats were four-year terms. At the time, the group was referred to as the Board of Supervisors. With the development of townships, which became supervisors, the county boards were changed to Board of Commissioners, serving two-year terms, Ponstein said. Besides county commissioners, all other county- and township-elected officials are elected to terms of at least four years. This includes county clerk and treasurer. U.S. and state house of representatives are now the only government-elected offices that have two-year terms in Michigan.
The change, according to Burrill, gives newer commissioners like himself a chance to learn the ins and outs of county government, which includes representing county interests at the state and federal government, participating in long-range planning and managing the county budget and finances. Much of the Kent County budget covers the sheriff’s office, the courts, the prosecutor, the treasurer and other independently elected county officials.
“Having the four years allows you to work together more on a local level while forming relationships and concentrating on the needs of the county,” Burrill said.
The change will not impact the upcoming county election, which is set for this fall. “This will be the last year Kent County commissioners will run for two years,” Ponstein said.
Also, all county commission seats will be up for election at the same time unlike in some city and township elections where seats are staggered for consistency. This is not a change for Kent County as currently all county commission seats are up at the same time.
Ponstein, who will become the president of MAC this year, said the effort behind getting the commission terms changed does demonstrate the efforts of what MAC does to help county commissions boards. Currently, the organization is working on several issues such as mental health and protecting revenue sharing on the county level.
