HOUGHTON — Both in August and November, District 2 will have the only contested Houghton County board race.

Incumbent Joel Keranen is running against challenger Betsy Baril in the Republican primary. The winner of the race will face Casey Verberkmoes, who is running uncontested in the Democratic primary.

This will be the first board election conducted since a new state law expanding county commissioners’ terms from two years to four.

Betsy Baril

A Lake Linden native, Baril has been in local law enforcement for the past 15 years, including the past 13 with Lake Linden’s police department. She has been its chief since 2023.

“I think that I can bring the concerns and the needs of our community and citizens forward to the county level and make good decisions based on what their needs are,” she said.

Public safety, economic development and oversight of county spending would be top priorities if elected, Baril said.

One of the biggest concerns people have brought to her is feeling safe where they live, Baril said. The county purchased the First Apostolic Lutheran Church property on Sharon Avenue, which will come before the Houghton City Council for annexation into the city in August. For a new jail, Baril said she wanted to see a more modern facility that would help the county avert the overcrowding and liability issues posed by the current jail.

“That facility just isn’t designed to meet the needs of today,” she said. “The staff need to be safe, the inmates need to be safe and so does the public. They’ve done extensive studies there to show that that need is there to at the very least modernize. It just does not accommodate anymore.”

Baril said another focus would be preserving the beauty and history of the area, including attractions.

“I think that economic development is key to keeping that going, because our businesses thrive from tourism, and that’s what keeps us able to remain thriving in this area as well,” she said.

Bouncing back from the pandemic will be one of the county’s biggest challenges, on multiple levels, she said. The shutdowns affected economic development, while it also put strains on public safety and mental health.

“There is a growing mental health crisis that needs to be addressed, but we need more people employed in those industries,” she said. “I think Houghton County’s getting back on track, as is everybody nationwide, but it’s still going to be a challenge to accomplish those.”

Baril said her background will help her be the best choice to represent her constituents at the county level. She said she would stay in good communication with township boards, business owners, agencies like Copper Country Mental Health, and residents.

“I have experience and background with being in the community almost daily for the past few years,” she said. “I’m a good listener. I’m speaking with people about what those needs are just by being out there.”

Joel Keranen

Keranen, owner of the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home in Calumet, is running for his second term on the board. Before joining the board, he was supervisor of Schoolcraft Township.

“I feel like it’s taken two years to get up to speed on everything and get into the departments and learn the inner workings of the county,” he said. “So I feel it makes sense to keep going, and there’s a lot more work to be done at the county level.”

Keranen’s top priority for another term would be the justice center complex on the Sharon Avenue site.

The county is looking at building a jail on the site and potentially housing other county functions on the property as well. Keranen said a new jail is needed to be functional and safe for both county employees and inmates.

Along with the jail, Keranen said he would like all offices of the county courthouse moved to the site. The courthouse, built in 1887, lacks sufficient space and other resources.

To help defray the cost of construction, he would support selling off surplus county properties, including the current courthouse, which would have deed restrictions attached.

“Our jail is really subpar,” he said. “Everyone talks about that, but I’ve seen it firsthand. We need a new jail. The courthouse is beautiful, historic. Other than that, it’s not really functional. I feel like we need to move the whole works up to Sharon Avenue and make the tax burden as little to the taxpayers as possible.”

The county board is still in the preliminary stages of determining what the county’s proposal will look like. A county task force has begun meeting to go over the county’s needs, such as how large the facility should be.

Keranen is optimistic about getting voter approval for a new facility. Several previous proposals have been voted down, most recently a jail expansion behind the courthouse that was narrowly defeated in 2018.

“It’s getting closer and closer to where it should be,” he said. “Our jail is 60 years old. We definitely need a new one.”

Along with the jail, Keranen said the county should be prepared for a downturn in the amount of money coming in from the state and federal level.

“We need to be responsible with every tax dollar we take in in Houghton County and make it meaningful and make it go as far as we can,” he said. “And I think if we don’t have that mindset, we’ll be in trouble.”

Keranen said he believes government should stay as small and as local as possible. As county board member, he’s able to respond to constituents more quickly than state or federal officials, he said.

“I don’t want the counties telling the cities, villages and townships what to do, because local politics and local government is the best place for politics and government,” he said. “If I’m doing something people don’t like, guess what? They get ahold of me. They have gotten ahold of me, they told me how they felt. Sometimes I agree with them. Sometimes I didn’t. And that’s just the nature of this.”

He praised the job being done by new prosecutor Dan Helmer, along with the district court’s work with the treatment court, which provides rehabilitation for nonviolent drug offenders.

“That’s what we should do, as small government, as local government, is help our citizens, and we’re doing a good job of that,” he said.

Keranen welcomed being in a competitive race, which he said helps keep elected officials responsive. He said he was the best choice for the position because of his experience and willingness to learn from people.

“I’m a people person and I’m approachable and reachable, I’ll give you my honest opinion, and I will answer your questions,” he said. “A lot of politicians talk and talk and talk and you get done and you say, what did he say? And they said nothing. You may not like what I have to say, but I’m going to tell you what I feel like and what my perspective is. And I can be swayed, We’re representing our people in our districts.”