Benzie County Democrats

06/25/2026

Did you miss the Monthly Meeting - in June?

Not to fear; you can watch it on our Youtube page here: https://bit.ly/4al8QCy .

There was quite a bit of info on our upcoming events-- 4th of July Parades in Frankfort & Beulah; ICE Protest #5 in Baldwin; announcement that we raised $11,000 for future scholarships(!); our Thompsonville pop-up booth at SummerFest; the Visibility Brigade's rally at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshorewith 50-some people, and their future events; info about upcoming canvassing opportunities; updates about candidates Rebecca Amidon for State Senate and Mitch for Michigan.

We heard from Kyle Blomquist for Congress, who is running in the primary to be the candidate to run against Rep. Jack Bergman.

Lastly, we heard from Bonnie & Cliff Demos, who have been helping detainees with the ICE detention facility in Baldwin; they've been on the ground doing the good work, and they had a lot of great information for us!

This was our 6th meeting of 2026, and we had about 31 people on Zoom and 50 in the room--great turn out!

Kyle is running against Callie Barr in our Congressional primary, a...

06/25/2026

WOW!!!

We had another great turn-out for our Monthly Meeting last Saturday -- around 31 of y'all participated via Zoom + about 50 in-person!

Thanks so much to our guest speakers: Candidate Kyle Blomquist for Congress, as well as Bonnie & Cliff Demos, who have been helping detainees with the ICE detention facility in Baldwin; they've been on the ground doing the good work, and they had a lot of great information for us!

As well as big thanks to those who gave us short presentations about the wonderful things that our Benzie Dems are doing locally -- ways to get involved with our upcoming 4th of July parades in Beulah and Frankfort, as well as ICE Protest in Baldwin #5; follow-up about our scholarship party in May, when we raised $11,000 for future scholarships(!); our Thompsonville pop-up booth at SummerFest; the Visibility Brigade's rally at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with 50-some people, and their future events; info about upcoming canvassing opportunities; updates about candidates Rebecca Amidon for State Senate and Mitch for Michigan; our billboards and Benzie County Record Patriot banner ad campaign.

This was our 6th meeting of 2026, and the future is bright!

06/25/2026

Make sure to "like," "comment," and "share" this post to get more eyes on it!

(This is modified from an ad that we recently ran on the front page of the Benzie County Record Patriot.)

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Contact the offices of our elected officials to let them know what you think about this.

Rep. Jack Bergman (R) 202-225-4735
Senator Elissa Slotkin (D) 202-224-4822
Senator Gary Peters (D) 202-224-6221
White House Comment Line 202-456-1111

06/24/2026

To the Editor of the Benzie County Record Patriot:

It’s complicated. Yet it isn’t.

That is, the mechanics of Michigan’s Headlee Amendment that has caused funding capacity to decline almost 40% since 1982 can seem really complicated!

Meanwhile, our opportunity, on Aug. 4, for voters to restore the millage to the 1982 rate, seems simple to me.

Here’s why:

We will restore a rate we already agreed to. And, we’ll be agreeing to pay our fair share for services our community values. While some county services are mandated (such as courts), others are at risk if we don’t vote “yes.”

Isn’t voting to keep an animal shelter, 24-hour road patrols, 4-H and drug enforcement a no-brainer? Especially since it’s not a tax increase but a return to a rate we’ve OK'd before?

Even if you don’t like animals, don’t use roads and don’t know any kids who could benefit from 4-H, you probably know someone who, like me, has lost a loved one to drugs.

Or, maybe you know someone who was a victim of a crime related to drugs.

Or, maybe you already celebrate broader taxpayer-funded political efforts ostensibly designed to curb drug traffic.

If so, it wouldn’t make sense to say “no” to funding your own county’s participation in the Traverse Narcotics Team, charged with stopping the trafficking of illegal substances.

If you care about and value these services, but plan to use “no” to register your dissatisfaction with the specific ways that these efforts have been managed, please reconsider.

You can still vote “yes” for the service and stay in the conversation to keep shaping it. This is what democracy looks like. You can find out more at benzierenewal.org and benzieco.gov.

I’m voting yes because I believe in community and I believe in paying my fair share. I hope you do too.

Diane Miller
Honor
https://bit.ly/3Stz1kn

06/24/2026

To the Editor of the Benzie County Record Patriot:

On August 4, we have a chance to give beautiful Benzie County and everyone who lives here a brighter future.

A yes vote for the Headlee Reset is essential. Benzie is one of only a handful of Michigan counties that has never done a Headlee reset to keep pace with growing needs and costs.

For years, I’ve gone about my life assuming that basic services would always be here when I needed them. But the truth is, our county’s general operating millage has been quietly shrinking for more than 40 years.

Yes, you heard that right. The things we count on — like our parks, our safety and protection, and a long list of other highly valued services — will be jeopardized unless we restore our ability to fund them adequately.

Our quality of life is literally on the ballot.

Michigan’s 1982 Headlee Amendment effectively rolled back Benzie millage rates from 5.29 mills to 3.24 mills over 40 years’ time — not because the county was careless with money — but because state law kept chipping away at our funding.
Voters now have a chance to restore our general operating millage to 4.44 mills, still lower than the rate approved in 1982.

Stakes are high. If this measure fails, our county stands to lose key services, including 24-hour sheriff road patrol, drug enforcement services, Animal Control and Shelter, and School Resource Officers. To learn more about what is at stake, visit benzierenewal.org.

One of the greatest things about living in a democracy is pride of ownership, because as taxpayers we are the investors in our quality of life. Let’s all do the right thing on Aug. 4 and ask others to do the same.

Betsy Alles
Frankfort
https://bit.ly/4oJnKZ8

06/24/2026

To the Editor of the Benzie County Record Patriot:

Northern Michigan drivers: Welcome to summer.

Here’s a news flash: Neither snow, ice, rain, or dead of night impact traffic safety as much as too many people in great big vehicles going too fast.

The facts: about one-third of all traffic fatalities are caused, at least in part, by excessive speed.

How many times have I been passed by a roaring pick-up truck only to be sitting right next to them at the traffic light that they so urgently needed to get to?

Is it really worth wrecking your car, hurting or killing someone, or being dead or disabled yourself to get to that light 10 seconds sooner?

Same goes for pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. If the approaching driver has to brake, you pulled out too soon. Period.
Then there’s tailgating — another affliction caused by self-important drivers in a great big hurry.

One rule is for every 10 miles of speed, allow one car length between you and the driver ahead of you--At 70 MPH, that’s seven car lengths.

The air inside my own car is blue from yelling at the offenders.

Slow down and show some respect for human life, please!

Greta Bolger
Thompsonville
https://bit.ly/4xOFTZL

06/24/2026

SAVE THE DATE: Our friends in Traverse City are hosting an event on Sunday, July 12, from 12-1:30pm for Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist. If you want to participate, RSVP online.

06/24/2026

To the Traverse City Record-Eagle:

"If it doesn't walk or quack like a duck, it is not a duck." The "duck test" is a reality check. The infamous settlement contract in Trump v. United States is not a duck. It calls for a dismissal of Trump's lawsuit without approval by a federal court judge in exchange for our government's agreement to pay $1.7 billion to Trump and his MAGA allies' for their attack on Congress on January 6, 2021. A "rider" to the settlement prohibits those engaged in the attack from the audit, investigation, or prosecution. Consider:

1. In a contract between two parties, the people signing the agreement are supposed to give up something for what they are getting -- it's called consideration. Without it, the contract is illusory and unenforceable. Moving $1.7 billion from the right pocket to the left is not a contract.

2. A settlement contract of a pending lawsuit that is filed with a court for dismissal is not approved by the court, thus does not have the force of the law.

3. In any event, a settlement contract in a civil action cannot prohibit criminal investigations and prosecutions by government authorities.

The Trump settlement agreement is not a duck. It is unenforceable.

James Olson
Beulah

06/13/2026

CHECK IT OUT: Did you see our billboard that is now up for the month of June, located along US-31 when you are heading out of Honor toward Traverse City?

Thanks to a wonderful donation, we will have billboards up in Benzie County during THE ENTIRE ELECTION YEAR OF 2026.

What topics do you think we should put on our billboards this year? Let us know in the comments!

06/11/2026

We love this bit of little-known history about our democracy from The Betsie Current... read here: https://bit.ly/4ewSGbA .

A few months ago, the folks at WUWU 100.1 Community Radio/Elberta Heritage Center approached us, asking if we wanted to "partner" with them on a few America250 events that they were planning to host this summer.

What would that look like?

In this case, it meant publishing a piece about Thomas Paine.

Who was Thomas Paine?

Read more in this historical feature by Ed Hoogterp: https://bit.ly/4ewSGbA .

And/or attend one of the three Thomas Paine events going on this month in Benzie County.