Election 2024: Candidate Q & A – Isaiah Wunsch

Election season is upon us! I’ve sent out a list of questions to all the candidates running for office in Peninsula Township, and I’ll be publishing them here on the Gazette in the order they’re received. Candidates include:

Supervisor: Kelly J. Clark (R), Maura Sanders (R)
Clerk: Rebecca W. Chown (D)
Treasurer: Katie M. Clark (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): Sheila Johnson (unaffiliated), Kate Jerman (R), Mark Luea (R), J.P. Milliken (R), David K. Sanger (R), Fred Swaffer Jr. (R), Julie Alexander (D), Warner Queeny (D), Armen B. Shanafelt (D), Isaiah S. Wunsch (D)

View all candidate responses here, and read on for thoughts from Isaiah Wunsch, who is running for the position of Township Trustee.

About You

What is your name, party affiliation, and what Peninsula Township office are you running for?

Isaiah Wunsch, Democratic, Township Trustee.

Why are you running for this position, and what qualifications do you bring to the role?

I am running for this position because I have had a lifetime passion for the Old Mission Peninsula, and I believe that I have several qualifications and substantial experience that allow me to serve the residents well.

Have you served on any Peninsula Township committees or boards, and if so, which ones?

Over the course of the past decade, I have served on the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Township Board, and I am currently serving out a term as Township Supervisor.

How long have you lived on the Old Mission Peninsula?

I have maintained my primary residence on the Old Mission Peninsula for 37 years, but split my time between OMP and Ann Arbor, East Lansing, and Lansing during my college years and during the first few years of my career.

What is your vision for Peninsula Township in 10, 20, 50 years? Do you support maintaining the rural character of the Old Mission Peninsula?

I support maintaining the rural character of Peninsula Township, and encourage current and prospective board members to consider the feedback received from residents during elections and the master planning process, as well as best practices for municipal zoning when considering changes to future land use in the township.

For instance, if we are to allow more commercial uses or increase the buildout density of residential areas, I strongly believe that we should do so through planned re-zoning of certain areas, through a transparent public process. I do not believe that the Township Board should add commercial uses to non-commercial properties without carefully considering the legal implications of such actions.

Finally, the Master Plan and the survey data used to develop the Master Plan provide periodic snapshots of where broad resident sentiment on the issue of additional development stands. My interpretation of the current Master Plan is that most residents want Old Mission to be a relatively quiet, rural bedroom community with a thriving agricultural sector and modest commercial activity.

Do you support large scale developments such as “Peninsula Shores,” formerly known as “The 81 on East Bay”?

I believe that the residents have shown through their consistent support of the PDR and Pelizzari millages that there is relatively little appetite for large scale developments in Peninsula Township. However, I support due process and rule of law, and I believe that it is incumbent upon the board to treat any applicant, be they a multigenerational owner of a small lot or a commercial developer, equal protection under the law.

While residents do not want more development, it is important for us to be proactive about using PDR and other market-oriented tools to limit development rather than relying on subjective decision making at the board level.

How will you ensure community transparency in Township finances, meetings and decisions?

I believe that Peninsula Township currently does a good job of communicating its financial status monthly and in discussing our annual budget in detail at public board meetings. Quarterly snapshots or other tools may be helpful to provide residents with more information about the budget.

The board currently operates in strict compliance with the Open Meetings Act, and as Supervisor, I have demanded that board members adhere to the OMA by avoiding ex parte communication outside of board meetings. Part of the reason that our board can be slow to act is that all of our discussions and decisions about project and policy issues occur in our monthly meetings.

How do you plan to make a difference on the Old Mission Peninsula? What are your top priorities?

My top priority is to keep the wineries out of our residents’ pockets in the WOMP (Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula) litigation, and to seek to resolve the policy grievances of the wineries in a way that does not expose the Township and its taxpayers to unbounded legal risk in the way that previous ordinances did. This may require the Township to take a firm stance on some issues—much of the current dispute is about whether the Township had a right to negotiate certain compromises with the wineries, and to hold them to certain limitations that they themselves had agreed to.

In addition, I am cognizant of the growth challenges that our community faces. Peninsula Township needs to mature as a local unit of government in order to face the demands of its future and to maintain the quality of life that its residents aspire to. Whether we look at different structures of government or different prioritization of limited resources, I believe that we need to design our local government to capably address both the challenges of the present and the challenges of the future.

Citizen Engagement

How can Peninsula Township encourage citizens to become more involved in Township issues, attend meetings, etc.?

While I don’t love social media, I have felt it important to engage on these platforms in the past few months. A lot of negative sentiment toward the township has accumulated over the course of the past two years because we chose not to engage. Many of our residents do not have the time or the interest in particular issues to engage at meetings, so using platforms to reach out to the community can be a valuable tool.

I have seen this not only from pushing back about misinformation that has been spread about local government issues, but also in the positive feedback received by our community police officers when they have provided periodic updates.

Peninsula Township relies on volunteers to help with public services, such as well-maintained parks and serving on Township committees and boards. How can the Township increase this pool of volunteers?

Peninsula Township is fortunate to have a large population of active residents with a wide range of perspectives and career experiences. As our demographics have shifted over the course of the past decade, I have been more and more impressed with the volunteer pool that we are able to attract to serve on committees and boards.

The implementation of issues-specific standing committees such as the new agricultural committee will give resident volunteers new voice in local government, as well. While we are blessed with volunteers who are able to help with governance, one-off projects, and specific interest areas, we also need to be aware of the limitations of volunteers to help with issues such as large scale parks maintenance.

Do you support holding periodic town hall meetings where citizens can have back-and-forth discussions with Township officials?

Peninsula Township has had three separate law firms and attorneys since I joined the board eight years ago, and all of them have recommended against back and forth with residents during public comment. It is important to me that all residents, and not just the loudest residents, have equal opportunity and rights to engage with the board. I believe that committee meetings and civil one-on-one discussions are more constructive opportunities to weigh in than grandstanding and soapboxing during public comment.

Do you support an open-door policy at the Township where walk-in visits are allowed?

When I took over as Township Supervisor, I recommended that we remove the door locks at the Township offices and was informed that they were not placed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but at the recommendation of the G.T. County Sheriff to ensure the safety of staff from active shooter events. While it is important to me that the public always feels welcome in the Township offices, as a manager, I am also responsible for the physical safety of staff. A renovation of the Township office vestibule could reasonably accomplish both goals, but would cost money that the Township does not have to spend.

Township Administration

The Township has experienced a high level of turnover in the Planning department during the past decade. How can the Township improve staff retention?

Staff need to be supported by board officers who can strike a reasonable balance in managing the time, availability, and priorities of staff in such a way as to optimize workflow for staff. Board officers are frequently asked to push staff to make unethical or illegal decisions by a small handful of residents who do not want to follow process—protecting the integrity of process, and treating all residents equally as a board member is tough in a small community, but I have found it to be helpful in retaining Planning staff during an historically difficult time for the Township.

Which parts of the Township budget do you believe could be cut or eliminated?

I believe that we need to prioritize fulfilling our statutory obligations. As such, I would look to parks and road brining as the first areas of the budget to cut. In my experience, the current demands for services of residents do not line up with funding levels.

Will you adhere to due process, or will you make decisions based on circumstances and relationships?

I believe that due process is integral to Peninsula Township, and will only become more important as development pressure continues to increase. Favoritism, favors, and inconsistent application of policy are dangerous and can lead the Township into costly legal issues.

Do you support or oppose moving to a charter township and why?

I support giving the voters a chance to evaluate and decide on moving to a Charter Township. We are currently unable to execute on a number of resident priorities such as parks improvements and Bluff Road repairs because the Township operating budget does not currently provide a mechanism to fund these sorts of projects.

My gut feeling is that the residents would be comfortable paying an average of $100 or so more per year in exchange for a higher level of service in some of these regards, but I think that it is most appropriate for the community to discuss and decide on the issue as a whole.

Regarding hours at the Township office, do you support moving back to a five-day work week of seven-hour days, 9 to 5 or 8 to 4, with an hour off for lunch?

We are currently able to retain a number of staff at lower salaries than commanded by market because we offer a 4/10 schedule. I support the current schedule, because I support providing the best ratio of cost to service to our residents.

Would you support lowering application permit fees, dropping the cash requirement for escrow funds, and allowing a bond in lieu of cash at applicant’s choosing?

I believe that developers, and not the taxpayers, should pay for development. The costs of permitting, legal and engineering fees, and risk would not go away if the Township eliminated these fees, they would simply be shifted from developers to taxpayers.

Master Plan, Ordinance and Enforcement

How will you address residents/applicants who refuse to follow the ordinance? How will enforcement take place?

First, I always strive to follow the ordinance myself. I have several residential properties in the township that I could short-term rent, for instance, but have turned them into nice long-term rentals for working families. It is important that Township Board members themselves set a good example for the community.

In the 2024 budget, we have increased funding for enforcement activities. The process that we currently adhere to is to respond to complaints (we do not proactively look for violations), to have the code enforcement officer discuss compliance with the property owner first, to issue a written citation if they refuse to comply, and to use the circuit courts as our last option if they still refuse to comply. Most residents want to follow the rules, and I am only aware of a couple of situations where we have had to bring the issue before a court.

In areas where the Township’s operational budget is already strained, how can the Township address more resident complaints, allegations of non-compliance, and public nuisance issues?

We found money in the budget to fund enforcement at 20 rather than eight hours per week for the next fiscal year.

Have you read the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, and do you understand the procedures for adopting a Master Plan and amending a zoning ordinance?

Yes.

Will you follow the zoning ordinance as written, or will you make exceptions where convenient?

My dogged refusal to make exceptions to the zoning ordinance for certain members of the community has made me substantially less popular in some quarters since I took over as Supervisor.

What elements of the Master Plan do you feel are lacking most?

I believe that the current draft of the Master Plan is a fair representation of the work that we did when I served on the Master Plan committee and of the community sentiment expressed in the 2019 Master Plan survey, which nearly a quarter of our residents responded to.

Wineries and Winery Lawsuit

Had you been on the Township Board during the WOMP v Peninsula Township settlement discussions, how much Township money would you have given up to the wineries?

I was on the Township Board during the WOMP litigation, and I believe that the decisions handed down shortly before the trial show the excellent ROI of our investment in vigorously defending the ordinance.

If Township insurance does not cover all the damages claimed by the wineries in the winery lawsuit, how do you feel about OMP residents having to personally pay for those damages?

As a resident and taxpayer, I would be furious if I had to pay damages to wineries who are disputing rules that they themselves participated in writing before I was a taxpayer in the township.

Regarding the Wineries:

• Should they be allowed to have unlimited weddings? No.
• Should they be allowed to operate full-service restaurants? No.
• Should they be allowed to be open until 2 a.m.? No.
• Should they be required to support OMP farmers via collaborations and/or using locally-grown produce? Yes.

Overall, what are your thoughts on the winery lawsuit?

We appointed a winery representative to the Township Planning Commission two years before WOMP decided to sue the township. In his interview, he was candid about his top priority being to advocate for the interests of “his business.” Instead of bringing to the Planning Commission, our legislative body, the grievances of his industry, he actively worked to bring a federal lawsuit against the Township.

I am glad to see that the wineries are finally testing their own policy preferences at the ballot box, but it is a shame that they had to waste millions of dollars of their own money and the taxpayers’ money before realizing that they should have attempted to avail themselves of the democratic process.

OMP Farmers

Do you support ordinances that help OMP farmers thrive, such as food processing kitchens, workshops, cooking classes, farm tours, larger roadside stands and more?

I participated in the drafting of and voted for a new farm market ordinance that allowed many of these new uses. I am strongly supportive of authentic agricultural uses that are primarily focused on adding value to agricultural products, but am skeptical of both the policy merits and the legal defensibility of more tourism forward agritourism issues such as on farm yoga, sauna and spa businesses on ag land, etc., where such uses do not have a demonstrable connection to agriculture.

How will you assist young farmers looking to start their business or sustain existing farms for young farmers?

As a young farmer myself, I am passionate about supporting agricultural entrepreneurs in my personal and professional life. I am excited to see what ideas surface at the agriculture committee meetings over the course of the next year. Our current policy environment has created a bifurcated environment where ag development has trended toward either highly capital-intensive processing and retail ventures with high potential to disrupt residential neighbors or lower value commodity production that limits profit opportunities for farmers.

I believe that there is a missing middle of policy options that the Township can explore that will allow farmers to make a decent living without allowing de facto night clubs adjacent to residential neighborhoods.

Do you believe in the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program? Do you believe that a PDR conservation easement should place limitations on the future commercial use of a property?

Yes and yes. I have sold conservation easements on my properties, and I accept the restrictions that the taxpayers and donors who purchased those easements placed on my land. As a beginning farmer, I would not have been able to purchase my farms without a local conservation easement program.

Do you support an OMP farmer’s market and/or a local artists/artisan market?

I support a conversation about it. My first business was a farmer’s market stand, and I am not confident that we would have the population density to support a farmer’s or artisan market, but I would be open to evaluating such a proposal if it was cost neutral to the Township.

Taxes

In your view, what will Township governance look like if the AxMiTax ballot initiative passes?

Dysfunctional. Planning, zoning, assessing, and elections would grind to a halt, and the Township would fail to perform on its legal duties. We would have no legal budget, and special interest groups like WOMP would be able to coerce the Township Board into giving in on a wide variety of policy issues due to lack of legal resources.

Parks maintenance would cease. Public safety funding would be questionable for fire, ambulance and police services. The PDR program would go away. While I am rather fiscally conservative, I feel that the AxMiTax proposal is feckless and irresponsible, and that anyone who supports it should not be trusted to manage taxpayer money.

Do you support a Parks Millage to maintain and improve Township parks?

Parks funding needs for the Township tend to be tied to grant opportunities or other one-off needs for funding. A parks millage could make sense for a baseline of parks funding, but increased general fund revenue through a Headlee Rollback or Charter Township would allow the Township to pursue a wider range of capital budget priorities. I could see putting this question to the voters, but I think that it would make more sense to encourage a conversation on Charter or Headlee first.

What are your thoughts on the Headlee Rollback?

I feel that it would be fiscally responsible to put either the Headlee Rollback or the Charter question to the voters within the next four years in order for the Township to maintain a balanced budget while keeping up with increasing demand for services. If residents do not want to pay more taxes for more services, that is fine, but there has been a significant uptick in calls for the Township to invest resources that a General Law township will never have. As an elected official, I serve the voters and will respect their decisions.

Other Township Issues

Should there be a public vetting of candidates as to whether they are each in compliance with the Township?

Sure.

Do you think Bluff Road should be fixed and re-opened? How would you go about making that happen?

Bluff Road will not be fixed without private or public dollars going toward the project from the Township. I worked diligently with Bluff Road residents to develop a cooperative agreement with the Grand Traverse County Road Commission to cost share a repair of Bluff Road, but funding for such repair from the Township side would have been contingent on the passage of Charter or a Headlee rollback, which will not occur for at least two years. In the interim, residents could raise funds for the repair, but I do not believe that to be a feasible solution.

What is your opinion of short-term rentals on the OMP? Should they be allowed? Do you operate a short-term rental on the OMP?

I believe that our residents generally do not want to live amongst STRs. I don’t believe that short term rentals should be allowed in Peninsula Township based on the public feedback received in an STR and Bed and Breakfast committee that I chaired several years ago. While I own several rental properties on OMP, I do not short term rent any of them, because so doing would violate the zoning ordinance.

What is your opinion on additional residential buildout on the OMP?

I respect the rights of property owners, but also am a firm believer in the PDR program as a tool to limit buildout on Old Mission. I believe that the current lot coverage requirements are about right, and do not believe that the Township should substantially change policy to allow larger structures on small waterfront lots.

How would you address the desire for more commercial activity by some residents and the lack of commercially-zoned property?

This should be addressed first through a survey, and if survey results support it, we might look to add a small community center or commercial zone somewhere along M37. I do not support large scale commercial rezoning or permissive rules that would allow substantial commercial activity outside of the commercial zone.

Do you support a non-motorized pathway similar to the TART Trail throughout the Old Mission Peninsula? How would you make that happen when a trail cannot cross farmland due to farming rules and regulations?

As a significant landowner and farmer, I would support trail development and believe that TART has provided a good template for how trail development can work well adjacent to agricultural land. The Township could be a non-financial partner in trail development, but the development of a multimillion-dollar trail system would require the establishment of a third party, private nonprofit entity to fundraise for and build a trail.

Should Peninsula Township seek collaboration with our regional partners such as the Michigan Department of Transportation, Grand Traverse County Road Commission, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE)?

Absolutely—it is important to foster and build these relationships.

Do you support the proposal of a new fire station to replace Fire Station #1 in Mapleton?

We definitely need a new fire station to replace the aging Station #1.

Would you support a new community center?

I have not considered this question, but am always open to evaluating proposals.

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