CADILLAC — Election Day is next Tuesday, and people in Cadillac will be heading to the polls to choose new leadership.
The current mayor, Tiyi Schippers, said she’s not seeking re-election after serving 16 years on the council to focus on her husband, who’s battling throat cancer.
Schippers took over for Carla Filkins after Filkins abruptly resigned back in February.
The mayor’s race is in the final stretch with familiar and new faces vying for the top spot.
“I love my city. And I’ve said this before. Anybody. The main reason anybody should run for mayor is because they love their city and the people in it and care about it,” said Filkins.
Current council member Bryan Elenbaas said he’s been a city council member for six years, and what he brings to the table is experience-he’ll be able to hit the ground running.
“Oh, there’s a definite learning curve. You’re not going to walk into this job and take over immediately if you don’t know anything. It’s not as simple as it seems.”
While Elenbaas sees that as a pro-other, candidates said we need some new blood in the city council.
David Powell said he decided to run because of a lack of transparency and a community divided.
“Change. Like I said earlier, if you want to be the change or if you want to see the change, you’ve got to be the change and the trust value. A lot of people have lost trust in a few of the current members. So that’s why I wanted to throw my hat in the ring,” said Powell.
He said that many people are distrustful, especially after the PFAS contamination came to light; he hopes to bring the divided community back together.
“I think if they involve the community, even more than what is already there, I think there is more opportunity to have more transparent information out there,” said Powell.
RJ Larkin also said he hopes to help heal the divide and bring the city back to its glory days.
“Everyone is opinionated. But this town used to agree on a lot of things. And now it is. This town is torn apart, ripped apart. And it’s almost disgusting. And I want to get rid of that,” said
All three candidates said the biggest issues facing Cadillac are the housing shortage and clean water.
Elenbaas acknowledges that the council dropped the ball in the beginning when the PFAS contamination was first discovered in private wells of some homeowners but said the council sprang into action as soon as they knew.
While Larkin said they should have done more to be transparent and it starts at the top.
“All of them, they’re all crooked. They’re all corrupt. You know, having conversations behind locked closed doors, that’s not what the city council should be doing, especially in times like this. We should not be segregated from the city council from the people of this town. Everyone should be able to hear what is being said,’ Larkin said.
