The Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce asked each of the six city council and mayor candidates to send us a picture and a short statement about their background and reasons for running in the November 3rd election. Those statements and pictures are printed below, along with their email addresses.

The chamber also organized a one-hour City Candidates Forum that was held online via Zoom on September 28th. Click here if you'd like to watch the forum. All of the candidates participated except Mike Naturkas, who was out of town at the time.

Bill Mulder believes his background will be helpful for Harbor Springs as we work through some tough issues in 2021 and 2022. He is retired from a business career in the telecom and technology industries including 25 years with AT&T. Experience leading groups, managing budgets, building consensus and making decisions on complex issues are directly transferable to the mayor’s role. Bill is active with Harbor Inc, the local nonprofit organization. He was a founder of Harbor Springs’ downtown coworking space, the Loft and worked to expand broadband Internet access in the area. Bill and his wife Dana live on Summit Street. They have 3 adult children also in Michigan. Candidate page on Facebook.

> Bill Mulder’s email is wmulder1@gmail.com. His campaign page is facebook.com/MulderforMayor/

I’m Alan Dika and I’m running for City Council again. I was first elected to City Council in 1987 and served for 12 years off and on until 2016. I was first elected as Mayor of the City in 1999 when Jean Jardine was term-limited out. I was Mayor off and on for 12 years. I have served as the chairman of the Historical Commission, as a member of the ZBA, the sewer authority, the Harbor Commission (36 years) and am now serving on the Planning Commission. I like working for this City I love.

> Alan Dika’s email is al@alandika.com.

An important value I hold is community involvement and have had the honor of serving on City Council twice. My first term was from 2010-2012 and second term, which I currently hold. In addition to City Council, I’ve volunteered at the Petoskey Friendship Center, served on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity, Board of the Harbor Springs Friendship Center, was appointed and served on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and Downtown Development Authority (DDA). In addition to my current term with City Council, I serve on the Tree Board. What an honor it’s been to serve in such a special community.

> Cece Johnston’s email is cecehj@gmail.com.

My first two years with City Council has been an amazing learning experience involving choosing our new city manager and many other challenging decisions. My wife and I spend a great deal of time in Harbor Springs, as we have businesses here, and children in school who use all the amenities of town. We are in the middle of several decisions changing our parks, cityscape, and infrastructure. These decisions must be made with our locals in mind, as the folks that come to our city come because of the charm, history, parks, and resources. We must be careful that this balance continues moving forward.

> Mike Naturkas’s email - whistler.mike@gmail.com.

My name is Nancy Rondel and I am running for Harbor Spring City Council. I have been a resident of Harbor Springs for over 40 years . I think being on Council is a good way to give back to our community. I raised a family, worked as an RN and owned a small business with my husband in Harbor Springs. I feel it is very important to be a good listener and treat all people with respect. I have experienced Harbor from many different perspectives and I believe that will help to make me an informed and fair Council member.

> Nancy Rondel’s email is njrondel@gmail.com.