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PRESQUE ISLE COUNTY — Rogers City and Onaway voters have several choices to make next month.

Rogers City Mayor Scott McLennan is being challenged by Jenny Urban for a two-year term.

In a Rogers City City Council race, Ken Bielas, Timeen Adair, and Brittany VanderWall are vying for two seats with four-year terms.

In a race for Onaway city commissioner, Ronald Horrocks, Larry Knerr, Lester Kooman, and Dave Trafelet are running for two seats with two-year terms.

ROGERS CITY

MAYORAL RACE

McLennan, 68, has been the mayor of Rogers City for six years and on the city council for a year before that. He has lived in Rogers City the majority of his life and retired as a health care administrator nine years ago.

As mayor, he wants to see the city continue moving forward.

“I think that we’ve had some good, positive momentum in Rogers City,” McLennan said. “We’ve been expanding areas of employment to include tourism opportunities, as well as supporting local businesses, and I just think that’s essential, to continue that forward progress.”

He said keeping businesses thriving is vital to that progress.

“We’re looking to support businesses that are currently in Rogers City — that’s critical — but also looking at adding to our inventory of businesses, so that Rogers City becomes more of a destination,” McLennan said, “and provides adequate employment for our young workforce.”

He has been focused on bringing the state’s Main Street economic development program to Rogers City. He said that and the Redevelopment Ready Community status have been critical in helping the city move forward.

“That’s been the focus since I’ve been on the council,” McLennan said. “We were able to achieve both of those designations last year.”

He also said the city needs to continue to focus on developing a better high-speed internet network to encourage work-at-home professionals to move to or stay in the area.

He said the city has been working with Alpena Community College about vocational training to expand the skilled trade opportunities in the Rogers City area, as well.

Urban and her husband own two businesses in town, neither of which is within the Main Street district. She would like to see more support for businesses all over town, including the U.S.-23 corridor. They own the Rogers City Motel and the Dry Dock Sporting Goods.

“My husband and I have been in business for 32 years, and I’m just not happy with the way Rogers City is going,” said Urban, 51. “My husband and I were born and raised here, we’ve raised all four of our kids here.”

She said all the focus on downtown does not help the existing businesses that are not located downtown, and they deserve support, too.

“I just don’t feel that that’s going to create jobs, so our kids can stay here and work,” Urban said.

She expects that her children won’t be able to stay here because they can’t find jobs that provide decent income.

“I really feel we need to push some sort of industry,” Urban said. “I think we need to expand our horizons a little bit.”

She said the city needs to be more welcoming to new businesses.

“When a business comes into town, we need to welcome them with open arms, and say, ‘What can I do to help you?’ I don’t feel we’re a very welcoming community, in general, for businesses,” Urban said. “I feel, right now, they’re picking and choosing what businesses they want, and I don’t think that’s a good way to go about it.”

She said she would bring a fresh perspective to the city council.

“It’s a great community, it’s a safe community, it’s a clean community,” Urban said. “But there’s absolutely no reason for the young people to stay here. We have nothing to offer them. And it breaks my heart. I would love to have my kids stay here and work. We need to change our views a little bit.”

Urban and her husband in May filed a federal lawsuit against Rogers City and several city officials contesting the arrest of Urban’s husband, Theodore Urban, and accusing the city of interfering with a business the couple runs by blocking access to it.

ROGERS CITY CITY COUNCIL

Bielas has served on the Rogers City City Council since he retired a little over eight years ago. He was in law enforcement for over 38 years — serving with the Presque Isle County Sheriff’s Office and the Rogers City Police Department.

“I enjoy it. I enjoy people. I enjoy trying to make my community better,” Bielas said of why he is running again. “I just love Rogers City.”

Bielas, 72, has lived in Rogers City since the 1970s.

“We need, naturally, more housing,” Bielas said. “I sure would like to see more business. Our crime rate here is low, which is good. We’ve got a wonderful police department.”

He said he knows a lot of people in the community, and he is ready to listen.

“I talk to them on the street, daily,” he said. “If a major issue comes up, depending on what it is, believe it or not, I’ll ask people, ‘What would you do?’ And then I take the majority of people I ask, and … I vote the way they want, not the way I think I want. That’s the only fair way to do it.”

Adair is running for Rogers City Council for the first time.

“I’ve always been interested in politics, and in doing good for the city,” said Adair, 61. “I really like the direction the city is going right now, as far as what we’re trying to achieve with our downtown and Main Street.”

She was born and raised in Rogers City, and moved back about 10 years ago. She works in retail.

Adair would like to see the downtown continue to progress.

“In my experience, throughout my travels and where I’ve lived, the more vibrant the downtown area was, the more people wanted to be in that town,” Adair said. “We’ve also really started pushing our marina and parks, and I think that attracts people to Rogers City.”

She said that applies to tourists and potential residents, because tourists are potential residents.

“This is a great place to be,” she added. “It should be a great place to live and work and shop and have fun … I know it can still be the kind of vibrant city it was when I was growing up.”

Adair said she will hear what people have to say and consider all points when making decisions.

“I’m definitely a people person, and I’m a person who will listen,” she said.

VanderWall, 30, has held leadership roles on boards, but this is her first run at City Council. She has lived in Rogers City for a little over eight years. She is senior forestry manager for the Midwest Family Forest Carbon Program with the American Forest Foundation. Prior to that, she worked for the county Conservation District for nearly eight years.

“I’ve watched the progression and growth of the town,” she said, adding that she was involved in getting Rogers City into the Michigan Main Street Program. “I wanted to have a direct hand in making sure that’s super successful here.”

She said Rogers City has a lot of history and culture.

“I think that we can take what’s already here, and what’s already fantastic, and refine it, make it a little better, make it more inclusive, so that more diverse people can move here, businesses can set up shop here,” VanderWall said. “That would just add to Rogers City and make it shine a little brighter.”

She said keeping Northeast Michigan’s beauty a secret is not the best idea.

“We need to attract something different and new here, in addition to what we already have, and improve upon that,” she said. “I really love this place … I think voters on either side of the aisle can get behind what I’m doing. It’s all about progress and growth, while respecting the local culture, and understanding the history.”

ONAWAY CITY

COMMISSIONER

Trafelet has been on the Onaway City Commission for about three months. He took over after one of his best friends, who was a city commissioner, Jerome Bischer, died.

“I just felt it was my duty to step up,” Trafelet said.

He added that his friend had been trying to get him involved for a while before he died unexpectedly.

Trafelet, 54, noted what the city needs to focus on currently.

“Right now, we just got a 100%-funded grant to redo all the water lines in town,” Trafelet said. “So, for the next two years, we’re going to be tearing up the town and redoing everything. Our main priority is keeping the town running while that’s going on.”

He is a produce manager at Tom’s Family Market and hears from customers about things going on around town.

“I just know a lot of people, and I listen to people, and I hear a lot of things going on in town,” he said.

He was born in Onaway, lived in Alpena for about 10 years, then moved back to Onaway.

“I’m going to do whatever is best for the city, and my personal opinion does not matter,” Trafelet said of why people should vote for him. “I’m just trying to help everybody out in town.”

Knerr, 66, retired as an E-9 in the Coast Guard, and he was in charge of all 825 damage controlmen in Washington. He served in the Coast Guard for 22-and-a-half years.

“It’s time for me to serve my community,” Knerr said. “I’m already serving the community because I’m the post commander of the American Legion Post 317 in Onaway.”

He said he’d like to see the city move in a positive economic direction.

“I hear rumblings … that the city doesn’t want to allow new businesses to move into the city, and I think that’s wrong,” Knerr said. “How are you supposed to grow as a city when you don’t allow new businesses in?”

Knerr said his background would help him be a good commissioner.

“With all my leadership experience, I think I could be a very good leader,” Knerr said. “And talk to the people in the city, and see which way they want me to support them.”

Horrocks, 76, has served as city commissioner for “quite a few” years, he said.

“I think we have a very positive board,” Horrocks said. “One of the main things is right now, we just got a grant for the lead pipe replacement — we got $5 million, which was really a great shot in the arm. So, we can start that project, and it’s going to be a two-year project.”

He said they are also working on a trailhead project that still needs to be completed.

“With COVID, everything got set back,” Horrocks said. “It’s almost like starting over again. So that’ll be a great asset, not only to Onaway, but to the whole community around us.”

He looks forward to continuing on the board, to “keep accomplishing things that are really difficult. I think we work together well as a team.”

He retired after 41 years at Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-op. He has lived in Onaway his whole life.

Kooman could not be reached for comment.