HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – Election Day results from Tuesday along the Lakeshore saw Allegan County voters overwhelmingly go with Mary Whiteford as the Republican nominee for the vacant 80th State House District. The South Haven area activist secured over half of the vote, more than doubling the amount of runner up Jim Storey, the Allegan County Commissioner from Holland. Cindy Gamrat of Plainwell, whose expulsion in September from the House set up this primary and subsequent March 8th special general election, managed just around 10 percent of the vote in third. Whiteford will now face David Gamrat, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the March election.
Holland voters opted to make Nancy DeBoer the first female mayor in Tulip City history. The At-Large Councilwoman edged Bob Vande Vusse by 139 votes to win a two-year term. Vande Vusse, the Mayor Pro Tem under Kurt Dykstra, was elevated to Mayor in July when Dykstra stepped down for a college presidency in Illinois. In two other contested City Council races, Wayne Klomparens retained his At-Large seat by 72 percent over Matthew Hefko, while Bryan Lynn took over the vacant 4th Ward spot with a 60 percent victory over Donald Martin.
In Douglas, Lisa Greenwood (23 percent), Katheryn Mooradian (22 percent) and Greg Harvath (15 percent) won election to the City Council. Mark Northrup (68 percent) beat John Carter O’Brien for the Hudsonville mayor’s race.
Among the proposals, Fennville’s operating millage passed with 72 percent of the vote while Ferrysburg’s animal zoning proposal went down to defeat at 57 percent, Martin schools’ non-homestead millage renewal passed at 71 percent, Coopersville’s library millage was approved at 64 percent.
Voter turnout was at 17 percent in Allegan County and 15 percent in Ottawa County, although there were some municipalities in Ottawa County (most notably Park, Holland & Georgetown townships) that didn’t have elections.
