Bala re-elected mayor, GOP dominates county races

Tim Bala

Wayland Mayor Tim Bala won re-election to his sixth two-year term and all City Council candidates won without opposition.

Meanwhile, Democrats filled every one of the seven county commission slots, but lost every one to Republicans.

Allegan County’s results turned out to be very, very red, as Republicans Bill Schuette (governor), John James (U.S. Senate), Tom Leonard (attorney general) and Mary Lange (secretary of state) all carried the county though they lost statewide.

It was so pronounced that even the three ballot

Rick Cain

proposals, including legalizing marijuana and outlawing gerrymandering, all were rejected despit winning handily throughout the state.

Bala defeated challenger Brian Sweebe 952 to 433. Elected to council unopposed were Joe Kramer, Tim Rose and Abe Garcia.

Incumbent Republican Mark DeYoung turned back an aggressive challenge by Mike Salisbury in the Fourth District, 5,107 to 2,338. Gale Dugan did the same to Benjamin Snape in the Sixth District, 2,531 to 1,592 and newcomer Rick Cain won with 3,079 votes to Rachel Collingsworth’s 1,894 in the Seventh District.

Brian Ballard, Greg Buist, Craig Osborn, Jonathan Vanderwall, Terry Weick and Ben Williams won seats on the Hopkins Village Council. Turning the same trick for the Martin Village Council were Jason Dykstra and Donald Flower.

Melanie Conley, Julie Pallett, Rodney Pillars, Vincent Tuinstra and John VandenBerg were winners in the Martin Board of Education race. Re-elected in Wayland were Pete Zondervan, Janell Hott and Tony Ordway, along with Karen Ryan in Hopkins.

The millage request for Martin Township fire equipment and emergency services was approved handily, 733 to 324.

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