Keri Bertrand

ALPENA — Alpena has a new county clerk after voters elected Keri Bertrand during Tuesday’s primary election.

Bertrand defeated Amber Hess 3,147 to 1,369, all but ensuring she becomes clerk.

It is possible however that someone could challenge her in the November general election by running as a write-in candidate.

Bertrand said as election results began to come in Tuesday she was unaware of how the race with Hess was going.

She said several people called her or mentioned to her that she was doing well, but her responsibilities in the clerk’s office kept her from really paying attention to her vote totals.

“It was all kind of a blur and I didn’t really get the time to look at the results because I was focused on my administrative duties,” she said. “It wasn’t until later in the night that I realized that I had actually won.”

Bertrand was tutored by former County Clerk Bonnie Friedrichs, who worked in the clerk’s office for four decades. Bertrand said she was humbled by the support she received and surprised a little by the high vote total she received.

“I am just so thankful and I owe it all to the people who supported me,” Bertrand said. “I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people voted for me because there aren’t that many people who know me.”

Bertrand will serve a partial term, which ends on Dec. 31 2024 because she replaced Friedrichs in the middle of her term.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.