ESCANABA — Three candidates vying for seats on the Delta County Board of Commissioners were in Escanaba Wednesday for a voter forum sponsored by the Delta County League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women.

Present at the forum were Myra Croasdell (no party affiliation) and Christine Williams (R), who are seeking to represent residents of county District 3. The seat is currently held by Croasdell, after being elected in May to replace Commissioner Bob Barron (R) in a special recall election.

Also present was Kelli van Ginhoven (D), who currently sits on the board representing District 4. Like Croasdell, van Ginhoven was elected to the board in May, replacing recalled Commissioner Dave Moyle (R). Moyle, who did not attend the forum, will also have his name appear on the ballot despite the prior suspension of his campaign.

“I’m on the ballot. I’m not running a campaign. If they put me in, I’ll serve, but I’m not spending any money and I’m not commenting on my opponents,” Moyle told the Daily Press Thursday.

Moyle said he was reversing his plan not to accept the seat if he wins the race at the urging of local Republicans and that advertisements for his candidacy were paid for by the local Republican Party chapter.

Because forums are not debates, Moyle’s absence had no measurable effect on van Ginhoven’s responses or the responses of other candidates Wednesday. Each candidate was given time to introduce themselves, weigh in on questions, and present a closing statement.

One question asked Wednesday was how the candidates felt about Escanaba Township’s recent decision to join with other municipalities across the state in a lawsuit fighting legislation giving control of citing for utility scale solar facilities to the Michigan Public Service Commission. The question was particularly relevant for Croasdell and Williams, as Escanaba Township is located in District 3.

Croasdell said she had just learned of the suit and had not had an opportunity to do research. She did not directly say whether she supported the township’s decision to join the lawsuit but did say the state should have presented the legislation to voters rather then enacting it without their input.

“The state of Michigan does not know the townships. They just are a spot on a map. Even myself, I don’t know everything from one of my townships to the other, but they should have been asked and talked to and had their input rather than the stuff was to come to — the solar or whatever — was to come into their township, because not every township or village is the same,” she said.

Williams took a more direct stance on the law, calling it a “serious overreach by our governor” and that she hoped Escanaba prevailed in the lawsuit.

“The Michigan Public Service Commission is made up of three individuals. There’s absolutely no representation of the U.P. on that commission and yet they’re making decisions about what’s happening in our neck of the woods. I am absolutely opposed to it. So I 100% support Escanaba Township as a part of the lawsuit against that regulation, and I do hope they prevail,” she said.

While the legislation does not have a direct impact on van Ginhoven’s district, which is composed of a portion of the city of Escanaba, she too said she supported Escanaba Township’s participation in the suit.

“I firmly believe and I have always believed that no one knows their township better than the residents themselves. I am also against this governor’s decision and I firmly stand behind Escanaba Township in their stance to do what they believe is right for their citizens and their land,” she said.

The majority of the other questions for the candidates addressed county-wide issues, such as the lack of available housing. While all three candidates agreed there was a housing issue, their opinions on how to address it varied significantly.

“First you have to get the builders. You have to get the things into line. I’m not real familiar with that because there hasn’t been anything going on in Delta County for housing. But I do know that it is needed. It is needed all through the board, from your low-income to medium-income to high-income. I think that is something that needs to be addressed, not only in Escanaba and the neighboring townships, but within the whole of Delta County,” said Croasdell.

Williams said that the county needed to take a hard look at the data to determine what kinds of housing are actually needed and develop a county-wide plan that includes home renovators who can adapt existing buildings to meet the current need.

“When I sat on the city of Escanaba’s planning commission, we had conversations about low income housing, but is that really what we need? I mean, we just don’t have a real solid picture of what kind we really need and where we need it. And I think that needs to happen county-wide, not just in these pockets, but having a plan county-wide of how we’re going to address the housing issue,” she said.

Van Ginhoven said that by 2025 climate change will make people move to Michigan for a better place to live and that the county must plan accordingly to make housing available. Her plan was to repurpose existing structures.

“It’s my goal to be able to work starting from the ground up with our city of Escanaba planning commission, to work with our city of Escanaba, our (Michigan Economic Development Corporation) to make use of old structures that are no longer of use within the city of Escanaba; to provide grant funding to people who would want those opportunities to take those buildings, rehabilitate them for either single family use, condos (or) apartments,” she said.

The candidates also had opportunities to introduce themselves to residents and argue for why they should be given the seats on the board.

“I just want to say that I love being a commissioner. I love it. I wake up everyday looking for the new challenge, the new adventure. I think that in the last five months I’ve shown myself to be a person that shows up, puts up great ideas, and knows how to fight for what I think is right,” van Ginhoven said during her closing statement.

Williams spoke about her skillset throughout the forum, referencing her work with budgets, processes and information technology while employed by Bay College and her current study of forensic accounting.

“I have a whole host of skills and experience that I could offer to the county which would be very beneficial and I am excited to be able to provide those resources and those skills,” she said.

Croasdell pointed to her ongoing work as a commissioner.

“I’ve been only on (the board) for five months. I hit the ground running. I continue to my committee work. I continue to make sure I got to the township meetings; the Township Association meeting. I help out the people of Delta county, be it in my district or not. I love Delta County, that’s why I’ve been here for 55 years and I don’t plan on going anywhere else,” she said.