Democrats regain ‘trifecta’ in Lansing after record midterm turnout
Democratic officials will hold the Michigan governor’s chair and majorities in both chambers of the Legislature in January through a record-setting midterm election this week.
More than 4.8 million Michigan voters participated in the election, up from 4.5 million in the 2022 midterms.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will be Michigan’s 50th governor in January. She will see Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate, as votes resulted in a 63-47 Democratic lead in the House and a 23-15 one in the Senate. According to longtime political observer Bill Ballenger, this will be the strongest Democratic position in the Legislature since at least the 1970s.
In that Legislature will be 31 members with some prior county experience, 22 in the House and 9 in the Senate, according to MAC research:
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On the federal level, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed claimed the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat Gary Peters. The election also will flip the state’s congressional delegation from a 7-6 Republican majority to a 9-4 Democratic one.
For complete state election results, see the Secretary of State website.
Counties see high success rate with millage requests this week (updated)
Eight 8 out of 10 county millage requests gained voter approval in elections this week across Michigan.
Thirty-seven of 46 requests were approved, an 80 percent success rate, according to data compiled by Gongwer News Service.
The counties of Grand Traverse, Macomb and Presque Isle all went 3-0 with their voters on Tuesday on issues ranging from conservation funding to recycling services.
“Wayne County caught up with Oakland and Macomb counties as voters approved a transit millage that supporters say would connect the region and bolster the economy,” the Detroit Free Press reported.
“After narrowly rejecting a proposed millage increase in August, Montcalm County voters overwhelmingly approved renewing the Commission on Aging’s existing operating millage Tuesday,” said the Greenville Daily News.
Conversely, Kent County’s Sheriff’s Office reacted to news that voters there had rejected a public safety levy: “Our current millage remains in place through the 2029 levy, and this election result does not change our day-to-day operations at this time. We will continue working closely with county administration and the Board of Commissioners to evaluate responsible funding options, carefully considering community needs and the impact on taxpayers.”
For full statewide results, click here.
Podcast 83: Security firm talks about how to deal with the ‘horror’ of cyberthreats
A cybersecurity firm details a 2024 “horror story” involving a Michigan county and the lessons all counties can derive from it in a new episode of Podcast 83.
Karhu Cyber, a veteran-led firm, is now operating in more than 25 percent of Michigan counties, said its CEO, Curtis Pennala.
“We’ve seen kind of the full gamut of county government’s cybersecurity posture … all the way up to some of the bigger ones who have internal cybersecurity teams and a large, robust IT team, and all the way down to the smaller counties where they don’t actually have any internal IT resources or they’re contracting the local IT provider, who may not have other, municipal experience and doesn’t really understand the risk profile,” said Pennala, who developed his cybersecurity skills during a seven-year stint with the U.S. Navy.
“So, some of the horror stories … the worst one that we did was when we actually onboarded with a client back in the fall of 2024, and then, during onboarding, they got hit with a pretty significant data breach,” he continued. “We had some of their security controls, in this case. Their firewall was … an eight-year-old firewall, which is at least three to four years out of date, depending on the firewall. … And what that was doing is it was publicly advertising basically a login portal, and it allowed the threat actor to kind of walk in the front door, if you will. So, that resulted in a pretty significant outage for the county.”
To address the ever-evolving threats online, Pennala said:
“The information I would like to bring to (county) decision makers, and I consistently have those conversations, is, get a third-party assessment so you can understand, because if you talk to your internal IT team, and they say, ‘Yeah, we’re good, we got endpoint security. We got, you know, this, you know, MFA, what have you.’ All of that’s good, but it’s not proven until it’s tested.
“So, let’s run it through a test,” he continued. “It’s not an adversarial mindset; it’s a collaborative thing. Let’s work with your team, and let’s assess this environment in not a checkbox fashion.”
To learn more about Karhu’s services, watch the full episode by clicking here or on the image above. Or you can visit the firm’s website.
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Operation Green Light gets under way across Michigan
Counties across the state got their green on for Operation Green Light, which runs Nov. 4-11 to honor our nation’s veterans.
See more photos from this year’s event.
The event, begun by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO), shows support for veterans by lighting buildings green so veterans know they are seen, appreciated and supported.
More than 400,000 veterans call Michigan home, and while the largest groups are found in the state’s more populous counties, the highest percentages can found Up North, led by Keweenaw’s 15.8 percent.
Counties sending photos or reporting their plans to MAC were:
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MAC itself also is participating by lighting its conference room green.
Counties still have time to participate using NACo’s toolkit, which has everything from resolution templates to social media drafts.
Be sure to send any Green Light photos to melot@micounties.org so MAC can share them via social media.
State accepting proposals for millions of dollars in renewable energy grants
The MI Brightfields Pilot will have $10 million to award as grants to local units of government to help develop renewable energy and energy storage infrastructure on environmentally contaminated lands. This Round 1 RFP is open until Dec. 13 and will award up to $5 million in grants. The remaining $5 million will be available through a Round 2 RFP in spring 2027.
Eligible applicants are local units of government, such as counties, cities, townships, villages, municipal electric utilities, brownfield redevelopment authorities, and economic development corporations. Governing bodies of federally recognized Indian tribes in Michigan are also eligible to apply.
The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) will hold an informational webinar on Monday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. to introduce the MI Brightfields Pilot, walk through the application process, and answer questions. You can register for the webinar here.
Road agencies seek federal flexibility on diesel emissions
County road agencies are rallying support for a federal bill that would give them flexibility in meeting diesel emissions requirements and thereby making their snowplow equipment more reliable.
The County Road Association of Michigan, a MAC affiliate, is asking counties to pass a resolution (see template here) in support of H.R. 8782. The bill, introduced by Michigan First District Congressman Jack Bergman in May now sits in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
For county road agencies, particularly those in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, reliable snow removal equipment is essential. The proposed legislation would provide greater flexibility for road agencies under the Clean Air Act.
For more information on this issue, contact Davis Grimm at grimm@micounties.org.
MAC offices to close in observance of Veterans Day
In addition to its participation in Operation Green Light this week and next, MAC will be closing its Lansing offices on Nov. 11 to observe Veterans Day.
MAC will resume its normal office hours at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12.
MAC’s ‘Life of a County Commissioner brochures still available
MAC continues to offer to members its “Life of a County Commissioner” brochure. About 600 remain, which MAC will provide, first come, first served, to members to use at civic club appearances, school visits and the like. The brochure was the brainchild of former MAC Board President Jim Storey of Allegan County.
We do ask member counties to limit their requests to 25, though.
Send any request for brochures to Communications Director Derek Melot at melot@micounties.org.
Staff picks
- Jocelyn Benson says Democrats have ‘mandate.’ How she plans to lead Michigan (Bridge Michigan)
- 2026 state legislative elections: The results and what they mean (National Conference of State Legislatures)
- Tech companies enlist colleges to help them train data center workers (RouteFifty)
- The states with the most — and least — animal collisions, mapped (Mental Floss)