Pictured is the absentee ballot drop box in front of Three Rivers City Hall. Three Rivers’ city commission races are the big-ticket items on the ballot Nov. 7, but there are three other proposals that voters in other areas will vote on.
By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — Voters in Three Rivers, Constantine Township and Burr Oak will be making vital decisions at the ballot box during the Tuesday, Nov. 7 general election.
Three Rivers residents will be voting in four City Commission elections, voting for Mayor, First District Commissioner, Third District Commissioner, and At-Large Commissioner. As for ballot proposals, Constantine Township will be asking its voters to approve a road improvement millage, while residents in the Burr Oak Community Schools district will vote on a renewal of the school district’s sinking fund millage.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Election locations are in the following places in St. Joseph County:
- City of Three Rivers: Riverside Church, 207 E. Michigan Ave.
- Constantine Township: Township Hall at 165 Canaris St.
- Burr Oak Township: Township Hall at 208 Front St.
- Colon Township: Township Hall at 132 N. Blackstone Ave.
- Sherman Township: Township Hall at 64962 Balk Rd.
Following are brief previews of each race on the ballot.
Three Rivers City Commission
In Three Rivers, the biggest of the four city commission elections on the docket is the mayoral election, with incumbent Tom Lowry and challenger Vernis Mims squaring off. Lowry and Mims were the top two vote-getters in the August primary election, with Lowry receiving 53 percent of the primary vote (342 votes) and Mims receiving 33.6 percent (217 votes).
Lowry, the owner of Lowry’s Books and More who has been the mayor for 26 non-consecutive years, told the Commercial-News back earlier this year that his experience dealing with city issues over the years is the big reason why he believes he is the best candidate for the job.
“I can offer experience, I can offer stability, I can offer knowledge and know far more about so many city issues than I ever thought possible,” Lowry said. “I’m an independent, and I believe that I’m doing the best I can do for the city.”
Lowry said his biggest concerns facing the city are the water, lead line replacement, and finding workers at the city level.
Mims is currently a tutor at Glen Oaks Community College and a substitute teacher who is also on the city’s Housing Development Corporation board. In an interview earlier this year, Mims said he would put an emphasis on fixing city streets and finding alternative ways to fund mandatory lead line replacement in the city.
“I’m very solution-based and a problem solver, and that’s what I’m planning on bringing to Three Rivers, solving some of the problems the people feel like they’ve had in this town for a long time,” Mims said. “I want to be the new blood into the city of Three Rivers. I’m not saying the system has been run wrong; our city has been growing still. The city manager has done a great job, and even Mayor Lowry has been in his position a long time. The thing for me is, if I’m not going to be the person, then who will be.”
Mims said his biggest priorities if he is elected is finding alternative avenues to lead pipe removal funding, community policing, and helping to fix streets in the city.
Of the other three races for city commission, two will have more than one candidate to choose from, as incumbent Christopher Abel is the lone person running for Third District Commissioner.
In the First District race, incumbent Pat Dane will be challenged by current Planning Commission Chair John Kish. Dane has been on the city commission for the past seven years, while Kish has been on the planning commission for the same amount of time.
Dane said she hopes her experience as a leader in the city will help her get re-elected to the post.
“I’ve lived here all my life, the city is my life, my husband has been involved in a lot of things in the city for the youth. I know what’s going on in the city, and I love the town and community and I love being a part of the commission,” Dane said.
Kish said a big part of his platform is communicating with constituents, and said he would communicate frequently with those he represents if he gets elected.
“I’m that one that supports the city. I’m out at the functions of the city, I love it. I let them know my thoughts, here’s what I’m seeing, why aren’t we doing this,” Kish said. “I’m that one that’s going to be out there. I want to communicate to people, I want people to call me, text me, whatever, fill my email inbox. Let me know what you’re thinking, are we doing this right.”
In the At-Large race, incumbent Torrey Brown faces off against challenger Jason Reeves. Brown, a community organizer in the city and a woodshop teacher at Constantine schools, has been on the commission since winning election in 2021. Reeves has worked in the home repair and dock removal business for a few years.
Brown said continuing to help the residents of Three Rivers was the main reason he’s running for re-election, and is hoping to be re-elected because of that.
“I want this to be a thriving community for everyone,” Brown said. “I think there’s more for me to do in this community. I think we’re getting there and moving in the right direction, but I think there’s more to be done in this community from me. I think I owe this community more than I’ve been able to give it so far.”
Reeves said he also wants to see the community thrive, and would be in favor of more subsidized and affordable housing in the city.
“I’m a friendly face, you can talk to me any time you need to, you can show up to my house, and I’ve always been a people person. I hope to make everyone happy, and that’s really it,” Reeves said.
Each seat is a two-year term, which expires in 2025.
Constantine Township Road Millage and Fire/Ambulance Special Assessment District Proposal
Over in Constantine Township, voters will be deciding on two issues: whether or not to approve a new road improvement millage for the township and village, and whether or not to approve a fire protection and ambulance services special assessment district for the township.
For the road improvement millage, the township is seeking to levy 0.5 mills, or 50 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, for five years, 2023 through 2027 on all taxable real and personal property in the township and the Village of Constantine, for the purpose of local road repairs, upgrades, construction, improvement and maintenance purposes. The millage is expected to raise an estimated $63,888 in the first year the millage is levied.
Township Supervisor Erin Arnett said in an interview Tuesday the rising cost of roadwork was the main reason the township is going for a millage.
“We’ve paid for roads all this time through the township, and never asked for anything extra. But the expense of everything has gone up so high – the roads are high, the fire department’s high, everything’s so high – we decided that maybe now is the time for us to act,” Arnett said.
if the millage passes, Arnett said the township, in partnership with the St. Joseph County Road Commission, would be able to complete projects on Shafer Road and Dickinson Road next year.
“It would depend on if this passes or not. If it doesn’t, we may only be able to do part of one of those. But we can’t just do it all anymore,” Arnett said. “We did Brick Chapel [Road] this year, and we used our ARP [American Rescue Plan] money to do that, it was $75,000 our cost.”
One caveat with the millage, Arnett added, is that it would not be levied if the township decides to not do any road work in a certain year. They would determine that following their annual November meeting with the road commission.
A “yes” vote approves the millage, while a “no” vote would be to reject the millage. If passed, they would become the fourth township in St. Joseph County to have a road millage on the books, following the likes of White Pigeon Township, Nottawa Township and Park Township. The money raised from the millage would go only toward roads, and would go toward its own line item in the township’s budget.
For the fire protection/ambulance service proposal, the township is seeking the authority to implement a special assessment for the purpose of fire protection and ambulance services in the township. Arnett noted that this special assessment would be just for the township, and would not affect the village of Constantine, which recently passed its own measure for fire and ambulance.
“You can do [a special assessment] without asking the constituents, but we didn’t want to do that,” Arnett said.
Arnett said the reasoning behind going for this special assessment was an increase in costs in both ambulance and fire protection, while putting the blame for most of the increase on crashes that occur on the U.S. 131 bypass, specifically at its intersection with North River Road.
“Because of the bypass and North River Road, our fire budget has come in double, and our ambulance budget has tripled. That’s the only reason we’re doing that,” Arnett said. “The fire budget came in at $96,000 this year, and the ambulance came to $32,000, and it used to be $8,000. The fire is for our township, and most of it is because of how much time they spend on 131. It was half of it before.”
Constantine Township will hold a special meeting Friday, Nov. 3 to determine the details of the special assessment and set the price. If it does pass, a public hearing will occur at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Arnett did not give any hints or suggestions as to how much could be assessed under such a special assessment.
A “yes” vote approves giving the township the authority to implement the special assessment district, while a “no” vote rejects doing so.
Burr Oak Community Schools Sinking Fund Millage Renewal
In Burr Oak Township and parts of Colon Township and Sherman Township, voters will decide on whether to renew the Burr Oak Community Schools sinking fund for another five years, from 2025 to 2029.
The millage rate is currently at 2.9712 mills, equivalent to just over $2.97 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, and would stay as such if approved by voters. The text of the proposal states it would “continue to provide for a sinking fund for the purchase of real estate for sites for, and the construction or repair of, school buildings, for school security improvements, for the acquisition or upgrading of technology and all other purposes authorized by law.”
A “yes” vote would approve the renewal of the fund, while a “no” vote would reject it. The millage is expected to raise $162,639 in the first year if approved.
Burr Oak Community Schools Superintendent Kristina Owens stressed the importance of the sinking fund’s renewal in an interview Monday, saying it has helped out a recent roof project in the school district, and can help out more in the future.
“We were finally able to put a new roof on with some general fund dollars added to it, but we have a lot of projects and old buildings that need a lot of work,” Owens said. “We need a new parking lot, new insulation and metal roofing on our gymnasium, which has leaks in it. We’re looking at HVAC for the gym, playground equipment, signage, possibly bleachers. There’s some new flooring needed in the older building in the gymnasium – it’s not a gym floor but it’s around the edges that needs redone, and then just upgrades to what sinking funds allow to classrooms as needed.”
In terms of classrooms, Owens noted that they’re looking at replacing windows, floors and more to make the rooms more “weather friendly” with upgrades. She said their school board will be prioritizing what projects to go for first if voters approve it.
“This will allow us to continue to pay our teachers out of the general fund with general fund money, and allows us to be competitive with teaching,” Owens said. “The support of the community helps us upgrade buildings that haven’t been upgraded in a long time. We live in a four-season state, and it’d be nice to have all the rooms equally weatherproofed.”
A “yes” vote would approve the renewal of the sinking fund, while a “no” vote would reject it.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@threeriversnews.com.