Subject: Who Has the Right to Influence Our Community?
One concern centers around who should have the right to vote on issues that affect the property they own or the city they consider home—even if only part of the year.
Let’s take a closer look at the reality in our community:
- Renters are welcomed as valued voices, even though they don’t hold long-term financial investments beyond rent and utilities, and may leave if circumstances change.
- Downtown Development Authority (DDA) members who do not live in Harbor Springs but may or may not have a store down town are allowed to influence how downtown develops—shaping spending priorities, guiding master plans, and determining the kind of business district we all experience because of business and property ownership.
- Store owners and maybe more than half do not live in Harbor Springs and they take money earned from Harbor Springs back to where they live. Their choice of goods to be sold in their stores influence the town.
- School Board members, many of whom don’t reside in Harbor Springs, make critical decisions about our public schools—despite the fact that all property owners, including non-homesteaded ones, shoulder a $42 million bond debt to fund them. Non-homesteaded property owners may even pay twice the tax rate.
- City staff, with the exception of one individual, live outside of town, yet they manage vital systems: parks, zoning, utilities, streets, budgets, and more. Their professional qualifications are seen as outweighing their residency.
So let’s ask: why is it acceptable for so many to play important roles in our community’s daily functioning and long-term planning, even without living or voting here—yet property owners who do spend time here, pay taxes here, contribute generously, and swear an oath to register here under State Law, are questioned or dismissed?
If we accept guidance and decision-making from those without residency—business owners, city staff, school officials, renters—why then do we scrutinize or diminish the voice of registered voters who’ve legally declared Harbor Springs their voting home?
Is the real issue the number of nights someone spends here, or should we instead acknowledge that home is defined by more than sleep? It’s about where one invests time, money, energy, and care. It’s about connection, commitment, and contribution.
Let’s be consistent. If we embrace outside influence when it benefits the city, we should also respect the rights of those who choose to call Harbor Springs their voting home—especially when they’ve met legal standards and demonstrated a sincere financial and emotional commitment to this place.
Let’s not create two classes of stakeholders: those whose voice we trust and those whose motives we question—based solely on how often they’re seen at the grocery store.
WLHS 5.16.25
An Antidote to Assumptions: On Who Can Vote and Why Our Stories Matter
Recently, Former City Mayor Al Dika commented on the rant, reflecting on a time when City Council knew their voters personally—suggesting they once checked who was truly “of” Harbor Springs and who was not. He implied today’s voters may be less trustworthy and even referenced past efforts to interfere with voter rolls.
But I want to ask this: when our lights aren’t always on, does that mean we’re not valid registered voters?
We are Americans.
It is our civic duty to vote.
My family votes from Harbor Springs because it is our only U.S. address. That’s not a loophole—it’s a requirement. My children are U.S. passport holders, born overseas. They were originally registered to vote in Bear Creek Township, where I first registered when I turned 18, and where their grandparents lived.
After my father passed away and that home went on the market in 2024, the kids’ legal “voting home” changed. That’s not just emotional—it’s factual. They’ve spent their summers in Harbor Springs since 2017, have longstanding ties here, and when the Bear Creek home was no longer available, Harbor Springs became their single U.S. address and, therefore, their legal voting residence.
To be clear: the U.S. government requires a domestic address in order to receive a ballot. And while the law is clear, its application depends heavily on circumstances. Voting home and tax home can be different. There are many valid scenarios: retirement, living or filing separately, overseas employment, military service, or simply being born abroad. These are not exotic cases—they’re entirely lawful and common.
The girls spoke directly with Nick at the Harbor Springs Clerk’s office, and together they consulted with both the Emmet County Clerk and the Bear Creek Township Clerk before changing registrations. The process was open, honest, and transparent.
To suggest that my daughters or I have acted unlawfully is not just false—it’s defamatory. In a small town, that kind of implication damages real reputations.
Personally, I consulted with Jeff Grimm when establishing my status as “married living separately” and explored what it means to change a second home to a principal residence. Here’s the truth: if you only have one U.S. address, it is your principal residence—and it is your voting home.
If we took the time to speak with each of Harbor Springs’ 1,274 registered voters, we’d uncover 1,274 unique stories. We’d learn why some don’t vote at all, how people arrived here, what ties them to this place, and why they stay.
More talking. More listening. More trust. That’s the antidote to suspicion.
The alternative—scrutinizing the lives of our neighbors through legal investigation—feels ugly, unnecessary, and deeply unkind.
Let’s choose conversation over conspiracy. Let’s trust in each other’s good faith and civic responsibility.
WLHS 5.18.25