Local election results

Mecosta County votes are in

Local elections took the spotlight this week all across the nation and the results are in.

According to the official Election Summary Report for the General Election in Mecosta County, the number of registered voters in all six precincts totals 9,576, however, only 2,125, or 22.19 percent, voted.

Thomas J. Hogenson was elected as the mayor of the city of Big Rapids. Hogenson was the only candidate and therefore received all 638 votes.

Voters re-elected Lorraine James and elected Jonathan Eppley to the City Commission board. James received 470 votes, Eppley received 412 votes and candidate Chris O’Neil received 289 votes.

A proposal for the city of Big Rapids was passed with 428 votes in favor and 296 votes against. The proposal, called the Charter Amendment, allows the City Commission to bypass the requirement of formal sealed bids under certain circumstances, according to the City Commission notes from January 2017.

Finally, the Big Rapids Public Schools $26 million Bond Proposal failed, with 1,106 votes in favor and 1,113 votes against, according to the report.

The Big Rapids Public Schools website indicates that the $26 million generated by the proposal would have been mainly spent on investments in infrastructure: upgrades for health, safety and security divisions, classroom furniture and technology.

For more information on the Charter Amendment, please visit cityofbr.org/document_center/ and for more information on the Bond Proposal, please visit brps.org/district-info/2017-bond-proposal/.