The Daily News provided questionnaires to candidates in Montcalm County and surrounding area for contested races only.

The election filing deadline has passed and the candidates are finalized for Ionia and Montcalm counties. The filing deadline was May 15 via the county clerk’s office.

Anyone wishing to file for August and November elections in Montcalm County has about two weeks left to do so. All Montcalm County offices will be up for election, as well as city and township offices.

When it comes to deciding what to do with Crystal Township dock and boat ordinance 15-A , everything seems to revolve around one single question. “The big question to me is, how are we going to enforce this?” Crystal Township Board Supervisor Charlie Braman asked at Wednesday night’s township board meeting.

The idea of enforcing an ethical code of conduct for the Crystal Township Board to operate by won’t be happening anytime soon after the board voted to not consider pursuing the idea. Spearheaded by Trustee Jerry Stone, the ethics policy would have required the board to act under five main principles.

A recent public hearing about hiring a new Carson City-Crystal Area Schools superintendent was short and sweet — because no one was there. The CC-C school board is searching for a new superintendent. Bob Swanson retired last August and Duane Ellis is currently serving as interim superintendent. A public hearing was scheduled for March 29 to hear thoughts and opinions of local residents about what skills and qualities the next school leader should have. But no one attended the meeting.

Montcalm County sheriff’s officials were in a somber mood Tuesday night as a law enforcement millage was narrowly shot down by voters. A 1 mill property tax increase request lost 4,205 to 4,085 – a difference of only 120 votes. The millage passed in Belvidere, Cato, Eureka, Home and Sidney townships, the city of Carson City, the city of Stanton and three of four precincts in the city of Greenville. The millage failed in Bloomer, Bushnell, Crystal, Douglass, Fairplains, Ferris, Maple Valley, Montcalm, Pierson, Pine, Reynolds, Richland and Winfield townships. The millage passed in one Evergreen Township precinct and failed in another. It tied in Day Township.

Montcalm County Brownfield Authority members are preparing to meet and review engineering firm documents one week from today after several members failed to properly do so last month. Montcalm County was awarded a $400,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cooperative Assistance Agreement grant last year to assess local Brownfield sites for hazardous substances and petroleum. Six statements of qualification to administer the assessment were submitted to the county.

The Montcalm County Transportation Authority is more than $11,000 in debt and local officials are worried the needed funds don’t exist. A proposed countywide public transportation system millage vote failed Nov. 8. Three months later, the Transportation Authority still hasn’t paid for election costs.

Michael Huckleberry announced his candidacy Saturday with support from local government officials and Sen. Carl Levin. Huckleberry, 63, said he would be running for State Representative in Michigan’s 70th District.