Campaigning intensifies, misinformation persists for Charlevoix's ballot initiatives

CHARLEVOIX — In the final days before the election, the group promoting a ballot initiative for possible year-round housing on a vacant piece of city-owned property is reaching out to voters at full force in strategic fashion.

The coordinated effort has, among other things, included two mail drops sent to every resident in the city, digital advertisements purchased for online news sources and other websites, social media posts including videos from community leaders professing their support, and a question-and-answer forum hosted at the Charlevoix Public Library.

The outreach marks the last chapter in a months-long effort to decide the fate of public land located at 229 Stover Road. The piece of vacant property is across the street from Ferry Beach with valuable views of Lake Charlevoix.

More: Questions about Charlevoix's housing vs. park ballot initiatives? Here are some answers

In opposition to the housing proposal, and armed with their own competing ballot initiative, is a group proposing the property's annexation into the city's Ferry Beach public park.

In terms of campaigning, the park group has sent out three mailers to registered voters over the past months. Both groups have disseminated numerous yard signs supporting their cause across the city.

In the midst of all the messaging, each side has criticized the other for spreading misinformation.

In a recently published opinion column written by Charlevoix City Council member Aaron Hagen in support of the housing initiative, Hagen states the city has an excess of park space and claims “the city already has more parks than other communities its size in the region with a surplus of 135 acres of park per capita.”

When asked to confirm the data in Hagen’s statement, Charlevoix City Manager Mark Heydlauff said the acreage assessment was incorrect.

"We have about 184 acres of parkland in the city," Heydlauff said. "There is no possible way that we have 135 acres of surplus or anything else. Furthermore, the question of a surplus is a subjective decision, one that the city staff is not able to make."

Hagen stood by his column when questioned by the Charlevoix Courier, maintaining his position that Charlevoix has more park land than needed.

At the forum held at the Charlevoix Public Library on Oct. 23, the housing group was called out for using a city logo on one of their campaign mailers, creating an appearance that their initiative was sanctioned by the city.

"I want to know who gave you permission to use the city logo on this private initiative? That is not cool," said Charlevoix resident and property owner Leilani Durbin as she held up one of the flyers she had received in the mail.

Luther Kurtz, leader of the housing initiative and former Charlevoix mayor, responded he was unaware the city logo had been used on the group's behalf.

When asked about the logo use, Heydlauff said the housing group did not have permission to use the symbol and the city attorney has been tasked with looking into any potential copyright violations.

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In the Courier's recently published Q&A with the Charlevoix City Council candidates, all three council members running for reelection — Hagen, Richard Spring and Shane Cole — stated their support for the housing initiative and claimed "misinformation" on the part of the park group.

When asked to further elaborate on this claim, Hagen told the Courier in a separate conversation that he was referring directly to the yard signs that read "Save Ferry Beach."

"I've got more calls on that from my constituents than anything thinking that Ferry Beach is at risk, and many of those that called with questions were told that we were trying to sell part of Ferry Beach," Hagen said.

During the public forum on Oct. 23, some audience members also conveyed their distrust of Kurtz’s motives surrounding the potential development project on the vacant piece of city property. Kurtz has denied having a financial stake in the vote.

After some attendees commented about financial gain or possible hidden agendas, Kurtz replied, “There definitely is an agenda. We want our grandchildren to be able to live here — it is making housing available and affordable to live in year round.”

The park group claims the housing advocates are misrepresenting the impact the proposed deed restrictions would have on a potential buyer. They contend the requirement proposed in the housing proposal — that only year-round residents could purchase the housing — would limit potential buyers and thus impact terms of a bank's mortgage, causing the buyer to need at least 40 percent for a down payment, as opposed to the usual 20 percent.

They also state the claim that the housing group makes on their yard sign — that a proposed park would cost $2 million — is an inflated inaccuracy and not based on facts.

The housing group says the number comes from an estimate provided by an independent consultant hired by the city to design a park in that location. The consultant estimated the cost at over $1 million and inflation costs were added.

The park group also pointed to a study conducted by the city in 2022 where a majority of the respondents wanted a park in that location.

The housing proponents cite the prevalent need for housing in the Charlevoix community at all levels as the key reason to support their initiative.

Election day is on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Campaigning intensifies, misinformation persists for Charlevoix's ballot initiatives