Bay City Election 2024 Candidate Forums

Editor’s Note:

Bay City has a Commission-Manager form of government. The Mayor, who is elected to a four-year term, is the presiding officer of the City Commission and has the power to appoint some board and commission members, with the approval of the City Commission. The Mayor of Bay City is Kathleen Newsham, who has served in that capacity since January 2016.  City operations are managed by the City Manager, who is chosen by the City Commission. Dana Muscott has been the City Manager for Bay City since 2017.

The City Commission has nine members, one from each of the city's nine wards. City Commissioners as well as the Mayor serve four-year terms and are limited to two consecutive terms. Both the Mayor's seat and the City Commission are nonpartisan. Following the 2017-2019 Charter Commission and subsequent passage of the new charter, the years when Bay City elections are held changed.   Formerly held in off-years (2009, 2013, 2017, etc.) the elections for odd-numbered commission seats are now held during mid-term/Gubernatorial election years, which began in 2022. Mayoral elections and elections for even-numbered commission seats are now held during Presidential election years, formerly being held in off-years (2011, 2015, 2017), this began in 2024.

The following are three Candidate Forums involving pivotal races in Bay City that we hope you find informative and useful.   

- Robert E Martin • Editor & Publisher • REVIEW Magazine

Bay County Prosecuting Attorney’s Race

Bay County Prosecuting Attorney is one of the headline races at the County level election season. Unlike Bay City races, County Races are partisan, with Candidates from both the Democratic and Republican Party.  In addition to its Court Room responsibilities, this position has direct administrative responsibility over the office’s staff and operations. 

This year’s race  features Democrat Nancy Borushko, a multi-time incumbent and Republican Michael  Kanuszewski.  While we made contact with both candidates and their campaigns, only Mr. Kanuszewski accepted our invitation  to participate in this forum.  Below are his answers.

REVIEW: Describe your professional background and educational credentials to our readers.

Kanuszewski: I’ve been a licensed attorney for over 16 years.  I ran my own law practice for the first half of my career primarily focused on criminal defense.  I worked as an Assistant Prosecutor in Saginaw County for over 3 years.  The last 4 years I’ve worked at the Bay County Courthouse doing court appointed work.  My educational background, I graduated from SVSU with a bachelor’s degree and graduated from Cooley Law School. 

REVIEW:   If you were asked by a layman to describe “crime in Bay County in 2024,” how would you answer?   How do the types of crimes and rate of crime compare  regionally and nationally to other  communities?

Kanuszewski: Unfortunately, it seems like there has been an increase in all types of crime the last 3-4 years across Bay County and elsewhere.  Bay County is still a relatively safe community, but all categories of crime have been on the rise, and that is never a good thing.  Bay County is a relatively small community but it’s not immune to the same drug and violence issues plaguing our larger cities. 

REVIEW: What personal traits do you possess that make you a good fit for the role of County Prosecutor?

Kanuszewski:  I believe myself to be a strong fair-minded person.  I tend to be pragmatic in my decision making.  I think a strong fair-minded pragmatic person is a good fit for County Prosecutor. 

REVIEW:  Many of the people who are charged with crimes come from a much different background than you. They may look different, have different levels of education or have personal issues that lead them to run-ins with the law. Can you describe how you can employ empathy and compassion in the role of Prosecutor while still protecting the interests of a largely law-abiding population?

Kanuszewski:  I believe my background and courtroom experiences on both sides of the law have given me the right amount of compassion and empathy to approach every case.  Striking a balance between all interests involved and reaching a fair outcome is a very difficult thing to do,  but that’s the job of the County Prosecutor and I believe I’m up to the challenge. 

2^nd Ward City Commission Race

The 2nd Ward is one of two contested races for a seat on the Bay City Commission.  The 2nd Ward includes much of what is known as “Downtown Bay CIty” and the historic Center Avenue corridor.  We  appreciate that both candidates, Breanna Graczyk and Craig Koklay, responded to our candidate survey.  Here are their answers.

REVIEW: Describe your professional background and educational credentials to our readers.

Graczyk:  I am employed with a National Non-profit that puts me in the heart of Bay City working with residents of all ages. I was the vice-chair of the Downtown Management Board, and currently sit on the boards for 3 Bay City non-profits. I have a strong retail sales background and worked for the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce in a position that connected me to the business community. I was enlisted with the Army Reserves, and still work with local veterans and veteran owned businesses.

Kokaly:  I studied business at Albion College and Saginaw Valley. This January, I will have 35 years with Aunt Millie’s Bakeries, during which I have received five internal promotions. I started out hourly, delivered out of a truck, and have now climbed to branch manager, in charge of most of mid-Michigan. My duties include distribution, sales, logistics, scheduling, hiring, and budgeting, among others. I also own or part own two small businesses.

REVIEW:  What do you see as the role of a City Commissioner?

Kokaly:  A City Commissioner serves as a liaison for the citizens of not only the ward, but for the city as a whole. City Commissioners should work for positive growth, as well as make sure the budget is kept well and used for the entire city. Also, we must do our part to keep our workforce armed with the tools and funds they need to keep the city moving and safe.

Graczyk:  To be the voice of my ward. A commissioner needs to put the priorities of the ward over personal beliefs, all while looking forward at the consequences of the decisions being made. A commissioner also needs to be visible, and in the community to connect with the people where they are to have honest and open conversations.

REVIEW:  What do you think are the biggest priorities in this election cycle to the citizens of your Ward?

Graczyk: We have work to do! Roads, sidewalks, housing initiatives, but we have to find a way to pay for what we want. We must look at our population and how to grow it, to gain the tax dollars we desperately need. We need to have better forms of communication from our local government so that more people are getting the current information.

Kokaly: The biggest concerns I have heard are infrastructure, unkept properties and responsible spending. Roads are a priority, but the hard realization is we have way too many roads to repair and not near enough money. It will take time, but progress is imperative.

We have a lot of properties that are run down or abandoned. This is an issue. It drives down both the fiscal and social value of the neighborhoods. Owners need to be held responsible and find pride in their homes. Finally, we need to earmark our spending on priorities, such as upgrading Bay City’s electric to minimize outages. More funds should also be allocated to the upkeep of the fire stations, as well as our many parks that hold such potential for our community’s families.

REVIEW: What inspired you to run for office?

Kokaly: We have a lot of turnover this year on the commission, and I feel my experience and passion for our city would be an asset to it. I would like to bring my common sense and hard work attitude to the seat. On a personal note, I have grandchildren that live in the city and county. I want to try and make it a better place for them. We need to do what we can to provide our youth with the childhood experiences they deserve, and make every attempt to keep them here, thriving in our city, well into adulthood.

Graczyk: There is so much negativity in regard to recent decisions, but we have to look forward. We have a beautiful city, and that seems to be forgotten at times. I haven’t forgotten it and want to see Bay City succeed. We can’t move forward while looking backwards. I am willing to put in the extra work, to find new ways to make it easier for residents and business owners to live and operate in Bay City.

6th Ward City Commission Race

Bay  CIty’s 6th  Ward is geographically  one of its largest, covering much of what is considered  the “South End” of town.  The candidates  vying for the open Commission Seat representing this area are  Alexander Dewitt and Bruce Eckhart. Here are their answers to our Candidate  Survey.

REVIEW: Describe your professional background and educational credentials to our readers.

Dewitt: I am currently the Finance Manager at Saginaw-Shiawassee Habitat for Humanity, and have a Bachelors of Accounting from Northwood. I run Get Accountable Bay City and was on the Bay City Charter Commission from 2017-2019.

Eckhart:  I have a diverse professional background with leadership and hard work being the cornerstone of my personality. I am a long term resident of the 6th ward and am aware of the concerns in my area.  I am good at listening to people and getting things done. 

REVIEW:  What do you see as the role of a City Commissioner?

Eckhart:   I believe the role of a commissioner is to protect and address citizen concerns as well as growing the city.  My communication style is an open door policy.  We need to fix things together and not just rely on a few people at city hall making decisions for all of us.  Involving and listening to the community and their needs is something that is missing within the current Bay City Commission culture.

Dewitt:  The biggest role of a City Commissioner is being a voice for what people are concerned about and bringing it to the City to get solutions. As our City is a “weak mayor” system with part-time commissioners we rely a lot on City staff to do the day-to-day operations, so ensuring those people understand the issues people have can help get things solved.

It should also be a major role of a City Commissioner to ensure that actions being taken are communicated as widely as possible. With the lack of a full time paper and State requirements on publishing being stuck in the last Century it’s on the City Commission to put pressure on the City to publish items on as many channels as possible for people to see.

REVIEW: What do you think are the biggest priorities in this election cycle to the citizens of your Ward?

Dewitt:   It’s going to sound cliche but it’s going to be keeping the sixth ward stable with our bridge closed for the next 2.5 years. Businesses throughout the south ends are going to be stressed by this closure and it’ll be imperative to support the districts through the closure and traffic decrease. I remember when they rebuilt Broadway in the mid 00s and how that affected the businesses down here, and we need to ensure that businesses are given every opportunity to thrive while ensuring our citizens can keep access to the amenities and shops they expect when living in a City.

The next priority I have is for infrastructure, it was recently noted that the City will have about $8m of infrastructure funds available next year as a one-time shot that we could use to improve roads and I want to fight to get projects that benefit us in the Sixth Ward.

The third priority is something a lot less flashy but equally important, understanding the budget. Over the course of my time attending meetings the disclosures during budget season have slowly improved, partially at my pushing, but for most people it is still very difficult to understand what money is being spent where.

Eckhart:  The citizens in the 6th Ward are concerned about many things.  Blight, bridge tolls, recent business closures, high utility and tax rates, the recent fire station closure and increase in crime are what I hear the most.

Many people are on the fence about staying or leaving Bay City.  We need to turn our neighborhoods around by increasing stable jobs, the tax base and family atmosphere.  Public safety is an ongoing and increasing problem. I intend to add to our police force roster to patrol our neighborhoods.  Young families searching for a community to live in are reluctant to purchase houses that have 3-4 pot shops in the area. It is not a good look for Bay City. Tax paying families will move away or to outlying communities which are safer and have more opportunities for their growing families. 

We need to bring back a family feeling and activities.  As I walk and drive around Bay City, I see blighted homes and poor upkeep of the homes.  These homes were decent only a few years back. This is concerning as many of them have turned into mostly rentals.  Cities with mostly rentals usually have increased problems.  The large number of rentals also limits home ownership and good home maintenance.  We need to address the number of rentals allowed within the city.  Current home owners should have an incentive program to improve their homes to encourage overall upkeep. 

Additionally, I feel that reducing utilities and capping taxes for home owners will allow them to have some breathing room to invest in their property. 

REVIEW:  What inspired you to run for office?

Eckhart:  I was inspired to run for office by my neighbors as well as my belief that Bay City can return to a safe, family friendly community.  The recent decisions being made by the current commissioners do not seem to reflect what the people want for Bay City.  We need leadership changes now or our city will continue to decline. If you elect me as your 6th ward commissioner I will do all I can to help Bay City continue on the right path to thrive.

Dewitt: For me it’s been a lot about ensuring accountability from the City. I’ve been attending meetings for the City for 8 years and have been constantly asking for more transparency in communication and accountability for actions made. There are way too many instances of questions being asked at City meetings and not getting answers back at City meetings, some of the questions being ones that should be known.

I want to run so that I can be the one asking those questions and helping push out the answers while also helping our citizens understand processes so we can be more effective in improving communication and results.