Leelanau Commissioner Update February 2026

Credit County Building and Grounds employees Duane Flaska and Jordon Kiessel with creating fish habitat for the Kids Fishing Pond in Veronica Valley Park. DNR fisheries biologist Heather Hettinger worked with the County Parks and Recreation Commission to design habitat to improve bluegill survival and fishing. See the story as part of a county park update.

Provided by Alan Campbell

Leelanau County Commissioner

District No. 5 (Leland and Centerville Townships)

Weather is a common opening conversation topic in Leelanau County. I just don’t know which direction to go.

As I write this Leelanau Commissioner Update, temperatures routinely hit the 40s and we’ve seen more sunshine than we had in all of January.

By the time you read the Update, temps will be stuck in the 20s and indications are that we’ll be shoveling — once again.

I want to thank you for reading, and I’d like to encourage you to pass on the information herein. My goal is to share news and thoughts about Leelanau County government. Please forward this email to anyone with an interest in Leelanau. I enjoy and read all feedback (and usually answer). Or give me a call at 231-492-4972. Your input gives me the inspiration and guardrails that help me be a better commissioner in serving the county.

It’s tough culling county government events to those of most interest to residents. I’ve narrowed the scope this month to three stories covering five subject areas. Those are:

• Conflict in the County Building continues;

• Big projects for County Parks;

• And a potpourri story covering the hiring of a new finance director, drainage district complaints, and steps to improve the county’s relationship with the tribe.

Also, please consider turning your attention to three reports I’ve filed with the County Board, available on the leelanaucommissioner.com website under “Reports.” Their headlines might read:

• Only Lansing could classify Leelanau and Wayne counties both as “partially rural”;

• Leelanau takes a back seat in grant awarding;

• County family coordinating group seeks a fiduciary home.

These views are mine; I do not know if they are shared by other county commissioners. I did not contact them for story content.

Alan Campbell

Leelanau County Commissioner

Grants Propel Park Projects

February 20th, 2026

County parks are on the move.

Leelanau’s three parks have been the source of a steady stream of improvements through the years, but it seems like the pace has quickened of late. In particular, construction of an all-accessible Lower Pond Trail has been funded at Veronica Valley County Park, and a $200,000 grant is being sought to create a universally accessible playground at Myles Kimmerly County Park in Kasson Township.

Credit an active Parks and Recreation Commission in general, and the leadership of Commission Chair Charles Godbout in particular. Leelanau County had never previously received or applied for a park improvement grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. In the fall, the county received news that its application to build a $100,000 accessible trail at Veronica Valley had been approved. The County Board on Tuesday hired a firm to submit an MNRTF grant application to help fund the $200,000 playground project at Myles Kimmerly.

The grant or grants will fund one-half of project costs, with the county contributing the remaining funds.

I freely admit that the grant process has been a learning experience, and one of the lessons learned is the amount of paperwork required. I believe I join other county and park commissioners in stating that the Lower Pond Trail project pushed the limit for an acceptable cost-benefit ratio.

But we did get the grant. The knowledge gained will help in attaining a second state grant that will greatly improve recreational opportunities at Myles Kimmerly Park.

Other county park enhancements include:

• At Old Settlers Park, a basketball backboard and rim have been repaired and are ready for action. Also, stairs to Big Glen Lake will be power washed without soap to protect an endangered species living nearby.

• Also at Myles Kimmerly, the Board of Commissioners, at the recommendation of the Kimmerly Park Committee, voted to seek bids to resurface the tennis court area and create pickleball courts. The project is expected to cost less than $15,000.

• Members of the Veronica Valley Committee, including myself, met on site with MDNR fish biologist Heather Hettinger on Feb. 5 to discuss placement of fish shelters in Kids Fishing Pond. Also attending were Duane Flaska and Jordon Kiessel, the men from the County Building and Grounds Department whose work gives us all pride in our county park system.

Heather suggested dropping a couple of trees in the pond and sinking bound hardwood with weighted burlap bags to give bluegills shelter from predators. Within a few days, Duane and Jordon had put their calloused hands to good use, converting woody debris from the park into shelters.

Thanks go to Duane and Jordon, and of course to Heather, for caring about Kids Fishing Pond, which is stocked annually with adult bluegills in anticipation of Kids Fishing Day in late June.

Personal vs. Political Disagreements

February 20th, 2026

Back in the early 1980s, as I was figuring out which end of a pencil was meant for note taking, I covered Cleveland Township, whose board met monthly and rarely conducted any serious business. That’s because there wasn’t any. The treasurer was Bessie Musil, now sadly passed, who kept track of every last penny the township had.

Those were simpler times. I recall Bessie as a rock-steady public servant. I appreciated the brevity of her treasurer reports. They were a staple of township agendas, and I duly reported them. When her time arose, Bessie was ready with a single sheet of paper. She would announce confidently something like, “Treasurer’s report. $23,455.56.”

And that was it.

As I said, simpler times.

Fast forward to today and minutes prepared by County Clerk Michelle Crocker or her staff after each of our meetings. At our last executive committee meeting, which lasted nearly five hours, commissioners were given a 180-page packet of information for preparation.

The minutes of that meeting, which were tabled last week, ran 28 pages. I appreciate the effort that went into their preparation. Other commissioners, speaking at our Feb. 17 meeting, took an opposite approach. They pushed for a watered-down version and may seek to change the county minutes policy.

I hope not.

And I hope one motive doesn’t fall into a category I see far too often as a commissioner. It divides people in county government into two camps: for the clerk or against the clerk.

I expected political discourse when signing up to run for county commissioner. Instead, true political disagreement has been rare during the first year or so of this board’s four-year term.

Instead, many disagreements seem personal in nature. They represent an undercurrent at many meetings that even carries into media coverage.

What can you do about that?

To be sure, there are other conflicts that go beyond professional relationships throughout county government. I know and hear of them. Some of that can be expected in any working environment or at a family dinner table.

But it’s the clerk’s office that keeps being brought up. Digs are at times subtle and at other times obvious. It’s a bone some won’t let go. Certainly Administrator Jim Dyer has fielded his share of disgruntlement, but typically from the public during public comment.

To me, Leelanau County should take pride in having the longest-serving county clerk in all of Michigan. She will have held the position for 30 years this month, representing a rare streak of stability in county government anywhere.

I’m writing on this topic because it’s fresh on my mind after recent meetings. I’m leaving out the names of county officers involved because I don’t want this writing to slip into a personal attack about personal attacks.

That’s not my intent. But I do want to give constituents a view from my seat.

Keep in mind that the office of county clerk works mostly independent of county boards. Clerks have statutory responsibilities separate from commissioners, whose role is based on setting salaries, writing budgets, and establishing certain workplace policies for the staffs of elected officials such as the treasurer, sheriff, and clerk.

Constituents hire and fire clerks and commissioners. County boards do not hire, fire, or even discipline clerks or their employees. It’s clerks who directly oversee personnel in their offices.

I interpreted the minutes comments as a subtle jab at the clerk.

The county’s one-page policy states, “Minutes are recorded to provide an accurate written history of the proceedings of the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners …,” then requires that minutes adhere to certain minimal requirements stated in the state Open Meetings Act.

I must say that the clerk can be exacting in preparing minutes. The 28 pages produced from our Feb. 10 meeting might be a county record. Included are exact quotes and movement observations as people advanced from the audience to speak at a table before the board. I made the minutes once for excusing myself to use the restroom. At my age, I had no choice.

Leelanau County has the most extensive minutes I’ve encountered. And frankly, I appreciate rather than question the effort. The minutes represent the only permanent source for reviewing the history of and business handled by the County Board. In their present form, they inform the public about commissioner nuances beyond official motions and votes.

They’re important. And they’re accurate. Only occasionally will a commissioner catch a mistake and ask for a correction. I see no reason to alter a 30-year tradition in minute taking or change a 13-year-old county policy.

Constituents are better served by having more, not less, information available to them about what their County Board is doing. If changes are needed, they can be done via board votes at meetings, with or without the clerk’s blessing.

The more obvious proposal affecting the clerk came in the form of a resolution to remove nonstatutory duties from the clerk’s office and place them with the county administrator or offices he oversees such as finance and Human Resources.

The resolution is toothless. Most, perhaps all, of the actions called for have already been done. Unfortunately, the motion was worded to leave an impression that the clerk has been unresponsive or even defiant to the board’s action taken years ago.

Many of those responsibilities were transferred soon after a hasty board motion passed in 2022 that stripped finance, payroll, and other responsibilities away from the clerk. But finance and human resources departments had not been trained or even created.

I agreed with the intent of the transition, as eventually county constituents are bound to elect a clerk with no desire to handle duties beyond those required by statute. Actually, so did Clerk Crocker, should a smooth transition have been instituted.

Emotional decisions often are easier made than consummated. Both finance and HR departments stumbled. At one time finance duties were placed back under the clerk, and later the clerk’s office was asked to train a finance director while essentially overseeing her duties.

Stipends of $25 per hour were paid to the clerk or her staff, who put in extra hours to keep county finances afloat. The stipends upset some commissioners and grew controversial.

The stipends ended last summer when Finance Director Cathy Hartesvelt was deemed knowledgeable and equipped to handle the department. She was fired earlier this month by the county administrator.

An attorney from the county-hired law firm has been asked to review the resolution to create more appropriate wording reflecting that most goals mentioned have been accomplished.

Hopefully, the attorney will work with both the administrator and the clerk toward a resolution that acknowledges the current state of transfers.

How does this affect taxpayers? Commissioners were notified on Feb. 3 that a payroll specialist who works with our new auditing company was contracted on an as-needed basis for a fee of $150 per hour. In a world where everyone got along, payroll responsibility would have been temporarily placed back in the clerk’s office as a cost-saving move while the finance department was once again reconstructed.

It’s been a rough go even though people in county government are doing their best. A mistake in payroll made after Hartesvelt was suspended caused hundreds of dollars to be withdrawn from checks of employees who had already fulfilled their deductibles. The employees were shortchanged for two weeks.

I don’t mean to leave the impression that all of county government is toxic. To the contrary, the overwhelming majority work hard. They love Leelanau County and represent the salt of the earth.

But I’ve seen too much angst. And we’ve wasted too much time on things that won’t improve the lives of Leelanau residents.

I’d rather discuss politics than personality conflicts, even though I don’t enjoy either.

County Tidbits, from a New Hire to Tribal Thoughts

February 20th, 2026

There has been lots of county government news over the past few weeks. Following are some of the developments that might be of interest to residents.

Introducing our new director

• Commissioners met new finance director Sean Cowan, who attended the County Board meeting on Tuesday evening, Feb. 19. Actually, “new” may not be an appropriate description, as Sean served four months as county finance director before resigning in September 2023. Commissioners and Administrator Deb Allen must have been impressed with his work, as he was asked to return and did under a different title. Rather than report to Allen, he was named CFO of the county and reported directly to the Board of Commissioners. But alas, his second stint lasted just a few days before he again resigned by email.

Finance Director Cowan came across as friendly and accommodating. Commissioners share the hope of Administrator Jim Dyer that he will fill the position in a permanent role, lifting the Finance Department into a fully staffed operation capable of handling the books without personnel subcontracted from the county auditing firm or borrowed from other departments.

So far, Sean has only committed verbally to staying two months in county employ, but Administrator Dyer has hopes of keeping him on board much longer. The finance director serves under the administrator.

As I wrote, his first impression is excellent. His resume suggests that he has the knowledge to serve the county well.

Previous finance director Cathy Hartesvelt was suspended with pay by Mr. Dyer for a conversation she had in the hallway of the County Building with Treasurer John Gallagher. Ms. Hartesvelt and Treasurer Gallagher differ on the content of that conversation, which Mr. Dyer said rose to the level of insubordination. She was fired on Feb. 11 by the administrator for the same reason.

Through her attorney, Ms. Hartesvelt appealed her dismissal to the County Board as allowed under policy. However, after meeting in closed session with our attorney Tuesday evening, commissioners came back into open session to deny investigation of the appeal due to a technicality in the appeal request.

Hearing from our Drain Commissioner

• The words of engineer Brian Cenci of GEI Consultants stick with me. Mr. Cenci and County Drain Commissioner Tim O’Non provided an overview of county drain projects during our regular meeting.

Mr. Cenci has been surprised at the attention drains have been given by drainage district residents, saying that his work in other counties receives very little, if any, scrutiny. In Leelanau, residents seek documents to oversee his billing, question routine decisions such as how often to clean out drains, and are constantly calling to have their questions answered.

All I can say is welcome to Leelanau, where people love their county and make it their business to closely follow government’s progress and efficiency. I believe the inquisitive nature of residents and their willingness to get involved in local issues is one of our greatest assets.

Tim and especially Mr. Cenci were under the microscope. Commissioners, including myself, relayed complaints we’ve fielded about poor communication and high fees charged by GEI, all of which are paid by drainage district residents and local governments. A constituent relayed to me concerns that I passed on to Tim and Mr. Cenci, asking them to improve the website, quickly answer phone messages, emails, and texts, and open engineering work to a bidding process.

Several people spoke candidly about their dissatisfaction during public comment.

In fairness to Tim, the job of Leelanau drain commissioner is part time and pays accordingly. He inherited a busy workload because drainage districts were approved through the previous drain commissioner, who retired. That left an increased workload for his replacement with no extra pay. Then Tim, a good and mild-mannered man by nature, stepped in.

The office of drain commissioner is independent of the County Board. Commissioners have no direct role in the administration of drainage districts. Still, a message was sent that the present system isn’t working in Leelanau County, where residents have their eyes wide open.

A Tribal revelation

• Leelanau County government and nonprofits benefited from grants awarded by the Grand Traverse Band as required by a casino agreement with the state, but county government dropped the ball in showing our appreciation.

In a report at our executive board meeting held Feb. 10, I told of my disappointment when attending a grant award ceremony at the Grand Traverse Resort. Other governments and organizations were present and accounted for as they stepped to the microphone to explain how the funds being awarded would benefit their communities.

I attended with Commander Greg Mikowski and our wives of the Lake Leelanau VFW Post, who accepted $24,000 toward a major ongoing renovation of the VFW Hall in Lake Leelanau. The Leland Township Board backed the grant application and funneled the funds back to the VFW construction fund.

Leelanau County received several grants, although no one walked forward when the first two were announced. I had spotted board chair Steve Yoder earlier, so I assumed he would speak. He thought other Leelanau County representatives were in attendance. As I was about to stand on the third grant announcement, Steve was approaching the podium. He apologized profusely as we locked eyes under a common thought: We have to do this better.

And we have.

The ceremony was held on a Friday. On Monday, I called a member of the Tribal Council to express disappointment in myself and pledge a better effort. He said, “Your ears must have been burning. I’ve been hearing all morning how Leelanau didn’t show up. Do you want to tell everyone? I can put you on speakerphone.”

So I got to share the message Steve and I held with all Tribal Council members. They were appreciative.

Commissioners then went another step by all signing at our Feb. 17 meeting a letter of appreciation that we sent to the Tribe. Commissioner Rick Robbins came up with the idea, and we all quickly agreed.

Attending the award ceremony and watching the many governments share gaming funds set aside for local communities in lieu of property taxes helped me realize that Leelanau County has been too passive in the process. I also realized that we should be working more closely with the Tribe toward the many common interests we share that benefit our people.

Yes, our people.

Concern over audit clause

• I had strong disagreement with a provision in the contract with our new auditing firm. Commissioners did not see the contract before it was enacted. I asked for and received a copy.

The clause states:

“The Leelanau County Administrator shall have the right to have any of the auditor’s personnel performing services under this agreement removed from the performance of such services upon demand. The auditor shall replace personnel so removed with comparable personnel acceptable to the Leelanau County Administrator.”

To me, the clause also breaks our audit policy, which states:

“Therefore, the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners directs the County Administrator and County Clerk, subject to Board authorization of periodic engagement agreements, to arrange for and monitor an annual, external, independent audit for all of the books and accounts of the several officers, agents and departments of the County, and the public issuance of the resulting financial findings and opinions.”

Such a clause was not part of our past auditing contracts. I discussed this provision with a municipal auditor and another county administrator. Neither had ever heard of such a contract requirement. The auditor I talked with said he would walk away rather than sign.

When the contract was signed, the administrator was also serving as the finance director. That gave the finance director authority to fire the person auditing county books. And then he held authority to control the replacement.

How can you have an independent audit if the county can, without stating a reason, remove the person auditing our books?

My motion to negotiate with the firm to remove the clause failed 5-2, with Commissioner Will Bunek sharing my concern. These are the things that keep me awake at night.