City commission government

West Michigan voters head to the polls Nov. 3 for local races and ballot proposals alongside the statewide Michigan contests. Key races include the 30th Senate District, pitting incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Huizenga against Democratic Rep. Carol Glanville, and the open 31st Senate District race between Democrat Chris Kleinjans and Republican John Wetzel. State House contests include the 84th, 89th and 90th districts, while Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten seeks a third term in the 3rd Congressional District against Republican Terri DeBoer.

Local ballot items include a Kent County jail millage renewal and increase, an East Grand Rapids parking deck bond, Grand Rapids City Commission races in the 1st and 2nd wards, and a crowded field for the Grand Rapids Board of Education.

Kalamazoo County, Michigan voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, with statewide, congressional and local races on the ballot alongside several funding proposals. Top contests include governor (Jocelyn Benson vs. John James), U.S. Senate (Abdul El-Sayed vs. Mike Rogers), two U.S. House districts, Michigan Supreme Court seats, and numerous school board, library and community college races.

Statewide proposals address a possible constitutional convention and new campaign-finance restrictions on utilities and large government contractors. Local measures include healthcare advisory committees in Kalamazoo and Portage, law enforcement and fire millages in two townships, and school bond and millage renewals across several districts. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A rental property at 718 S. Park Avenue in Apopka, Florida, has accrued roughly $5.6 million in code enforcement fines since 2017 over issues including broken windows, damaged roofs, trash accumulation and an unauthorized vehicle-detailing operation. Owner Smart Services LLC previously agreed to a $30,000 settlement, which city commissioners rejected in October. Officials now say a revised 5%-of-property-value guideline could lower the settlement to about $22,000, even less than the rejected offer.

Mayor Nick Nesta says the case will return to commissioners as his administration reviews how prior enforcement was handled, calling some earlier procedures flawed. The city deemed the property compliant in August, though residents and a lien foreclosure case filed in 2023 remain unresolved. A final settlement has not been approved.

Kalamazoo's City Commission approved a $450,000 grant to the Continuum of Care to support winter shelter services, marking the second year of this partnership with the United Way of South Central Michigan. The program, running November through March, offers day and overnight shelter for single adults at sites including Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, plus wraparound services like meals and case management. The total project budget is $979,398, with contributions from Kalamazoo County, Portage, and the Continuum of Care, along with unspent funds from last year. Officials say more beds will be available than last season. This is also the first winter for The Landing Place, a new family homeless shelter that opened in April.

The city of Kalamazoo, Michigan has resumed private "small group" meetings between the city manager and city commissioners, a practice the Commission had unanimously ended in 2021 over transparency concerns, replacing it with public Committee of the Whole sessions. The meetings restarted in November 2025 under interim City Manager Patsy Moore and continued under current City Manager Malcolm Hankins, reportedly kept below the four-member quorum required by Michigan's Open Meetings Act. Topics have included budget, utility rates, zoning and call-in public comment rules. Legal observers note the practice, while not clearly illegal, raises "round-the-horn" deliberation concerns. Commissioners are divided, with some defending the sessions as informational and others questioning their transparency and public trust implications.

Kalamazoo city commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a resolution opposing a ballot proposal from Community Action Michigan that would create a seven-member citizen-led health advisory board tasked with recommending ways to address healthcare costs and access in the city. Commissioners, including Jae Slaby and Mayor David Anderson, argue the city lacks authority to address healthcare directly and that the board would divert resources without binding power, producing only advisory reports. They are urging voters to carefully review the measure before the election, now two weeks away. Residents who already voted in favor but wish to change their decision can spoil their ballot by contacting the City Clerk's Office, though officials recommend doing so in person given the time constraints.

The Kalamazoo City Commission unanimously passed a resolution opposing a Nov. 3 ballot measure that would amend the city charter to create a seven-member Citizens' Advisory Healthcare Action Board. Officials argue the city has no authority over health policy and the board would produce reports without power to enact change, creating ongoing costs for residents. The measure, also on ballots in Portage, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Lansing and East Lansing, is backed by Community Action Michigan, which raised $1.4 million and has run ads targeting two Republican congressmen. A GOP consultant says the effort is really aimed at influencing a congressional race, which organizers dispute. Voters can still spoil submitted ballots this week.

Tallahassee voters will choose a new mayor in the Nov. 3 general election, a nonpartisan race for City Commission Seat 4 that pays $99,167 annually. The winner is sworn in Nov. 16.

Two candidates are competing: Loranne Ausley, 62, an attorney and small business owner who spent more than 20 years as a Florida state senator and representative and founded Whole Child Leon and the South City Foundation; and Jeremy Matlow, 41, the lone sitting City Commissioner in the race, a co-owner of Gaines Street Pies with eight years of local government experience.

Both candidates say restoring public trust in City Hall is a top priority, though they frame the city's challenges differently. Ausley emphasizes unifying a divided commission and addressing housing costs and growth while protecting neighborhoods. Matlow casts himself as a break from entrenched political and developer interests, pledging affordable housing units, permitting reform and neighborhood reinvestment. The race will test voter appetite for continuity versus change in city leadership.