Mid-Michigan voters will head to the polls Tuesday where they will have plenty to decide on. There are several seats for city government open, including the mayoral seat in Jackson and four City Council seats in Mason. Plus, voters in Ingham County will weigh in on a proposal to increase an excise tax on short-term hotel stays and Owosso voters will decide whether to end water shutoffs for nonpayment.
These are some of the biggest election stories WKAR politics reporter Andrew Roth is following in his weekly column What Roth's Watching. You can read his write-up every Sunday on The Signal.
From Andrew:
1. Jackson mayor, Mason City Council
Voters in two cities will select candidates from crowded fields to advance to November’s general election for local offices. Five nonpartisan candidates are running to be the next mayor of Jackson, but only two candidates will make it out of the primary. In Mason, 10 nonpartisan candidates are running for four City Council seats, including three incumbents. Eight of them will compete in November.
2. Ingham County hotel tax
Voters in Ingham County will be asked to increase the excise tax on short-term hotel stays from 5% to 8%. The additional funds would be used to improve convention facilities, modernize the county fairgrounds and promote the arts. A similar proposal failed in 2024.
3. Ending water shutoffs in Owosso
In the city of Owosso, voters will decide the fate of a proposed charter amendment that would end water shutoffs for nonpayment. Unpaid water bills would instead be placed on property tax rolls twice per year rather than once. City analysis recognizes there could be an increased risk of eventual tax foreclosure.
Interview Transcript:
Melorie Begay: Election Day is Tuesday, and mid-Michigan voters will have a lot to consider when they head to the polls. Voters in Jackson will narrow the field of candidates running for mayor, while voters in Mason will do the same for four City Council seats ahead of the November general election. In Ingham County, voters will decide whether to increase the excise tax on short-term hotel stays, and in Owasso, voters will weigh an amendment that would end water shutoffs for non-payment.
These are some of the biggest election stories WKAR Politics reporter Andrew Roth is following as part of his weekly column, What Roth's Watching. You can find it every Sunday in our newsletter, The Signal. Andrew joins me now. Thanks for being here, Andrew.
Andrew Roth: Thanks for having me, Melorie.
Begay: We finally made it. Election Day is in sight. And I want to start with Jackson, where residents will vote to advance just two candidates for mayor who will face off in the November election. There are currently five in the running. What else can you tell us about who's in the race, Andrew?
Roth: Incumbent Mayor Daniel Mahoney is not seeking re-election, but the field does include a former mayor, as well as a former City Council member, a current City Council member, a community activist and a perennial candidate who's run for mayor a few times unsuccessfully in the past. It'll be interesting to see which of these candidates advance to November's election.
Begay: Now over onto Mason, where we have an even more crowded field of 10 candidates running to fill just four City Council seats. Who's running for these seats?
Roth: Like you said, there are 10 candidates running for four seats, so that means eight of them are going to advance to November's general election, while only two get eliminated in this nonpartisan primary. Three of the 10 candidates are incumbents on the Mason City Council, which has really become a hotbed for anti-data center activism over the past few months. Some of the activists have even organized recall efforts against some of the other City Council members. So, it'll be interesting to see if any of these three incumbents are one of the two eliminated in this nonpartisan primary.
Begay: In Ingham County, voters will decide whether to increase the excise tax on short-term hotel stays. Right now, it's sitting at around 5% But if the proposal passes, it will go up to 8%. Andrew, what would that extra money be used for?
Roth: Those additional funds would be used for things like improving convention facilities, modernizing the county fairgrounds and promoting the arts. But a similar proposal failed in 2024, so it'll be interesting to see if it fares better this year.
Begay: And in Owasso, voters will weigh in on a proposal that would end water shutoffs for non-payment. How would this work?
Roth: Rather than shutting water off completely in Owosso, unpaid utility bills would instead be added to the property tax rolls twice a year. Currently, that only happens once a year, so it would increase in frequency. But the city does say in an analysis that there could be an increased risk that doing this leads to eventual tax foreclosure. If you can't afford your water bill, then you might not be able to afford when it's on your property taxes, which eventually can lead to the property being foreclosed. So, there is a risk involved. And the other thing, just to add a little bit of confusion, is the city would still send shut-off notices because those are necessary for residents to access help from the state. So even if they wouldn't be shutting off water anymore, they would still have to send the notices.
Begay: I know we just went over a lot, and you're probably wondering how you're going to keep track of all of the news and updates coming out of this election season. Well, we have some exciting news about a new offering from WKAR to help keep you informed as the midterms take shape. Andrew, tell us about The Signal Plus and what readers can expect.
Roth: Yeah, so The Signal Plus is going to have your midweek update. I'll be contributing to it with a few things that I'm watching that have happened during the week, things that are still coming up during the week, and then we're going to have our Capitol correspondents contributing to it as well, sort of giving you a little bit of a peek behind the curtain. I'm excited to be involved, and we would be thrilled to have you read.
Begay: And you can sign up for The Signal and The Signal Plus; both are free over at wkar.org. You can also check out our Election 2026 page. Andrew is our politics reporter. Thanks for being here, Andrew.
Roth: Always happy to join.
Begay: Again, you can sign up for The Signal and The Signal Plus for free at wkar.org.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
