Deiters, Reenders fall short in city primary
Aug. 4—The two seats on both the Board of Light & Power and the Grand Haven City Council up for election this year each had five candidates until Tuesday's primary, when city voters were asked to pick two.
The top four vote-getters for each race will be moving on to the general election on Nov. 2.
For the BLP, Dale Reenders will not be moving forward to the November election. Out of 3,636 votes cast Tuesday, Reenders received 491, or 13.5 percent.
Andrea Hendrick, Michael Westbrook, Geri McCaleb and Andy Cawthon will be advancing in the BLP directors race.
"Thank you to each person who has supported me, and those who took time to vote in this primary," Reenders said. "I would also like to thank the people of Grand Haven who have spent time talking to me and helping me learn more about your concerns of the BLP proposed issues.
"I challenge the new candidates and elected officials to look at all the options for Harbor Island and define the ice-melt issues," he added. "The future electrical needs of my hometown need to move forward and stay strong. Thank you again for letting me have a platform for the last few months. I have sincerely enjoyed meeting so many of you. I will stay engaged as a citizen of Grand Haven."
Hendrick received the most votes in the primary, with 1,202, or 33.1 percent. She was followed by Westbrook, who received 718 votes, or 19.7 percent. Cawthon was third with 17 percent and former Grand Haven Mayor Geri McCaleb was fourth with 16.7 percent.
"I'm truly thankful to the Grand Haven citizens that trusted me enough to vote for me," Hendrick said. "This has been a humbling and eye-opening experience. I've walked all over this community and experienced Grand Haven in a unique and intimate way. I've learned so much and I want to keep learning. This community is more engaged and more informed than I've ever seen in the almost 20 years I've lived in Grand Haven and you deserve to have elected officials that truly listen.
"We now have months before the next vote is cast, but only weeks before the current City Council is set to vote on the bonds for Harbor Island," Hendrick added. "Please stay engaged and show up to the community meetings on Aug. 9 at the Grand Haven Community Center and Aug. 11 at St. Patrick's Family Center. Your voice matters."
For the City Council race, incumbents Dennis Scott and Mike Dora will be challenged in November by Karen Lowe and Kevin McLaughlin.
Timothy Deiters will not move on. He received 288 votes, or 7.7 percent of 3,761 total votes cast Tuesday.
"Thank you to all of the voters that came out today," he said Tuesday. "I'm proud that you exercised your rights and voted the way you did."
The two who topped the council primary, Lowe and McLaughlin, are not natives to the Grand Haven area. Lowe received the most votes, with 1,189, or 31.6 percent. McLaughlin received 931 votes, or 24.8 percent.
Dora was third with 21.5 percent of the vote and Scott was fourth with 14.5 percent.
Prior to retirement, Lowe worked as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and was a general manager at IBM. McLaughlin is a retired community and economic development professional who has worked with both Dick's Sporting Goods and the New York Mets.
"I am so very grateful for this overwhelming show of support from our community," Lowe said. "Thank you to all who voted for me and congratulations to the other three candidates who will be moving forward to the general election in November.
"I would also like to acknowledge and thank Mr. Timothy Dieters for his willingness to step forward and offer to serve our community," Lowe added. "It takes both bravery and selflessness to put oneself out there in an election such as this, and, as someone told me recently, willingness to serve should always be celebrated."
The Ottawa County elections office said 2,081 city voters cast ballots in Tuesday's primary, a 22.4 percent turnout.
To view the results, visit: https://tinyurl.com/5fyjdpey.
