Republicans Ma
rk Eva
ns and Kevin Travis won the supervisor seats Tuesday in Hopkins and Watson Townships.
Evans, an incumbent seeking his fourth four-year term, received a strong challenge from Cal Tuinstra, who ran under the No Party Affiliation (NPA) banner. Evans received 677 votes to Tuinstra’s 585, showing an advantage of 53.5% to 46.2%.
These statistics had to be less than pleasing to Evans, who ran far below the GOP standard bearer, Donald Trump.
Travis, an attorney who ran as a Republican to challenge incumbent Democrat Pam Brown won by a count of 524 to 415, or by a margin of 55.8% to 44.2%.
Travis, who had served as a law clerk in the office of Allegan County Circuit Judge Kevin Cronin, also had run for state representative in the 80th District in the special primary election in November 2015 to replace the expelled Cindy Gamrat, but lost to Mary Whiteford.
Brown had served one four-year term as supervisor in the customarily Democratic township after she won the 2012 primary over incumbent Candy Adrianson.
The Republican stampede was so profound that Democratic incumbent Treasurer Sue Jones barely edged Kathryn Morris, another NPA candidate, 388 to 367, and Republican Michelle Harris, who got on the ballot as a write-in during during the primary to run as a Republican, won a trustee seat with 546 votes and Democratic incumbent Chuck Andrysiak edged NPA Adrianson 289 to 276, with NPA Jim Lautenschleger also polling 238 votes.
The Township Board now will include three Democrats, Andrysiak, Jones and Clerk Kelli Morris, and Republicans Harris and Travis.
PHOTOS: Mark Evans Kevin Travis
