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January 11, 2011
Council appoints Randy Kelley

Blissfield Village Council chooses Randy Kelley over Jae Guetschow and Gary Sullivan to fill vacant council position during the Jan. 10 regular meeting.

Monday night’s Blissfield Village Council meeting was uncharacteristically crowded. Supporters of the three candidates for the open council trustee seat, along with concerned Blissfield residents, piled into the auditorium of the Schultz-Holmes Memorial Library to see whom the councilmen would select to join their ranks. The candidates were former Village President Jae Guetschow, Planning Commission Chairman Randy Kelley, and Gary Sullivan, a teacher at Blissfield High School.

November 2, 2010
Gunter Elected In Blissfield

Mike Gunter has defeated incumbent Jae Guetschow to become the President of Blissfield Village Council.

Gunter collected 630 votes to Guetschow's 434.

Village voters re-elected the three incumbent trustees. Mark Burgermeister (778 votes), Art Weeber (699 votes) and A. Ray Jones (594 votes) were elected to four year terms. Challenger Andrea Cueto finished with 544 votes. She indicated she would continue to serve the village on its Parks and Recreation Board.

For county-wide election results, visit the county website by clicking here. For state-wide election results, click here.

Mike Gunter has defeated incumbent Jae Guetschow to become the President of Blissfield Village Council.

Gunter collected 630 votes to Guetschow's 434.

Village voters re-elected the three incumbent trustees. Mark Burgermeister (778 votes), Art Weeber (699 votes) and A. Ray Jones (594 votes) were elected to four year terms. Challenger Andrea Cueto finished with 544 votes. She indicated she would continue to serve the village on its Parks and Recreation Board.

October 27, 2010
Grant Application Controversy Diffused

A potentially fiery pre-election public hearing was quickly diffused at Monday’s Blissfield Village council meeting ... Read more ...

A potentially fiery pre-election public hearing was quickly diffused at Monday’s Blissfield Village council meeting.

October 13, 2010
Village Vote: Candidates Talk About Downtown and the Economy

This week, we asked the village council candidates questions about Downtown Blissfield, the DDA, Michigan Main Street and the local retail and services economy. Presidential candidates Jae Guetschow and Mike Gunter, and Trustee candidates A. Ray Jones, Mark Burgermeister, Art Weeber and Andrea Cueto all took time from their schedules to answer these questions.

Over the past few years, despite the terrible economy, the local economy has seen its fair share of success stories. The opening of the new TLC Community Credit Union on the west side was a boon for town. On the east side, Dollar General opened a discount store.

October 7, 2010
New Downtown Flooring Business Bolsters S. Lane St. Merchant Base

 

Village officials, Downtown Development Authority members, and local business owners gathered in downtown Blissfield Thursday morning to attend the grand opening of Eric Slusher Flooring at 135 South Lane Street.

August 10, 2010
Gunter Challenges Guetschow for Blissfield Village Presidency

 

Blissfield Village President Jae Guetschow will face a challenge from Trustee Mike Gunter in the November election.

Guetschow, who was elected to the position in 2008 after two years away from the office, and Gunter, who has is currently the longest continually serving member of council.

They are running for a two-year term.

Win or lose, Gunter would remain on council, as his current term expires in 2012.

Four people have filed to run for the three open seats on Blissfield Village Council, including incumbents Art Weeber, Mark Burgermeister and A. Ray Jones. Andrea Cueto has also filed to run for one of the four-year seats on council.

Clerk Laura Neuman and Treasurer Margaret "Peggy" Nieman are unopposed.

Mary Gregg and Lauri Reinhardt were the only people to file for the four library board seats up for election. Gregg is currently chair of the library board and Reinhardt is also an incumbent. Rob Holman is the other library board member whose term is expiring. He did not file for re-election.

For more on the village election ballot, see the Aug. 18 edition of The Advance.

Blissfield Village President Jae Guetschow will face a challenge from Trustee Mike Gunter in the November election.

Guetschow, who was elected to the position in 2008 after two years away from the office, and Gunter, who has is currently the longest continually serving member of council.

They are running for a two-year term.

Win or lose, Gunter would remain on council, as his current term expires in 2012.

July 26, 2010
Gold Star for Village Administrator

The grades are in and Jim Wonacott made the dean’s list. Wonacott, in his 16h year as village administrator, scored high grades in the annual evaluation conducted by members of Blissfield Village Council and tabulated by Blissfield Village President Jae Guetschow.

Using a five-point scale, with one being unsatisfactory and five being outstanding, each council member was asked to grade Wonacott in nine areas, ranging from profession skills to residential relations. When all the votes were tabulated, Wonacott received an average score of 4.6, which puts him a little closer to outstanding (a five rating) than above average (a four rating).

Wonacott’s top rating came in fiscal management, where he scored a 4.8 rating.
“(Wonacott) makes the best possible use of available funds (and he is) conscious of the need to operate the village efficiently and effectively,” wrote one of the council members, in the evaluation.

The grades are in and Jim Wonacott made the dean’s list. Wonacott, in his 16h year as village administrator, scored high grades in the annual evaluation conducted by members of Blissfield Village Council and tabulated by Blissfield Village President Jae Guetschow.

July 15, 2010
Blissfield Celebrates Selection as Main Street Community

Blissfield Village President Jae Guetschow said he hopes the village’s new status a “select-level” member of the Michigan Main Street program will help transform downtown. Guetschow made the remarks Wednesday afternoon as the village officially announced its selection in the Main Street program.

Guetschow said he hopes to see changes that will help the downtown be more appealing to local residents.

“For a period of time we’ve been advertising and courting outsiders to come in and spend their money here but we really need to have a good blend of visitors as well as residents,” Guetschow said.

Guetschow said that downtown centers, such as Blissfield’s, are more in demand after 60 years of sprawl and running away from urban centers.

June 22, 2010
Classifieds June 23, 2010

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486-2355.  3-15tfn

Dave Becker Plastering. New walls and ceilings plus patching. Free estimates. No job too small. 20 years experience 734-854-6474. 

 3-15tfn

Affordable motorcycle repair, ATV, dirt bike, small engine repair.  15 years Harley Davidson experience.  Call Bob Stahl

517-486-4818. 2-6tfn

June 14, 2010
CDBG Money Could Spur BioDri Into Action

In February, after receiving $3.1 million in state tax incentives, BioDri announced that it could begin operating in Blissfield as early as May.

Midway through June, the company which pledged to directly create 337 jobs in the next five years, BioDri is still technically without a home and hiring hasn’t begun.
Blissfield Village officials say that could change soon.

The development has stalled while awaiting the application for and processing of community development block grand funding through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. To qualify for a major tax break on a facility, BioDri was required to wait for the block grants to be approved before it could move into a building in Michigan.

 In February, after receiving $3.1 million in state tax incentives, BioDri announced that it could begin operating in Blissfield as early as May.

Midway through June, the company which pledged to directly create 337 jobs in the next five years, BioDri is still technically without a home and hiring hasn’t begun.
Blissfield Village officials say that could change soon.

May 26, 2010
Agreement Would Give Village Control Over Home Canning Property

Blissfield will have full control of the Home Canning property if its partners agree to execute the property acquisition and demolition agreement approved by village council Monday night.

Council voted 5=1 to pass a draft agreement which states that the village shall be “solely responsible for the pricing, marketing, and sale" of the 35-acre purchased for $150,000 at an auction April 9. Trustee Mark Burgermeister, who voted against the motion to bid on the property, was the lone dissenter.

Blissfield will have full control of the Home Canning property if its partners agree to execute the property acquisition and demolition agreement approved by village council Monday night.

Council voted 5-1  to pass a draft agreement which states that the village shall be “solely responsible for the pricing, marketing, and sale" of the 35-acre purchased for $150,000 at an auction April 9. Trustee Mark Burgermeister, who voted against the motion to bid on the property, was the lone dissenter.

Trustee George Brown was absent from the meeting.

May 13, 2010
Trustee Brown Offers To Rescind Offer

At the end of Monday’s meeting of Blissfield Village Council, Trustee George Brown offered a rebuke to anyone suggesting there were any “backdoor” shenanigans involving his offer of $50,000 to help the village purchase the Home Canning property at auction.

Brown, one of three private partners who offered to help the village pay for the property and demolish the existing buildings, had a few questions of Village Administrator Jim Wonacott and attorney Frank Riley.
 

 

At the end of Monday’s meeting of Blissfield Village Council, Trustee George Brown offered a rebuke to anyone suggesting there were any “backdoor” shenanigans involving his offer of $50,000 to help the village purchase the Home Canning property at auction.

Brown, one of three private partners who offered to help the village pay for the property and demolish the existing buildings, had a few questions of Village Administrator Jim Wonacott and attorney Frank Riley.

April 12, 2010
Partners Help Village Buy Property

    Blissfield Village is now the owner of the 35-acre Home Canning property at 119 E. Jefferson St.
    After Friday’s auction, Village Council President Jae Guetschow, who was authorized by council to do the village’s bidding, said the village hoped to use the property for an industrial park.
    “Our primary interest is that we believe we are going to need more industrial park,” Guetschow said. “Especially when you consider some of the development, with BioDri and the spinoff industry, that’s coming in. I think we need to be in a position to attract those businesses here because they have nowhere else to go (in the village).”
    The village was the high bidder, at $150,000, at an onsite auction held Friday afternoon.
 

    Blissfield Village is now the owner of the 35-acre Home Canning property at 119 E. Jefferson St.
    After Friday’s auction, Village Council President Jae Guetschow, who was authorized by council to do the village’s bidding, said the village hoped to use the property for an industrial park.

March 22, 2010
Council approves L&W, BioDri requests

                Here are some quick notes from tonight’s Blissfield Village Council meeting:

·         For 20-plus years, the village has enjoyed free recycling services. That’s about to change. The company that provides the service is talking about charging for it. So council is considering other options, including a service that would include home pickup of trash weekly, and recyclables every other week. It would cost money of course. Village administrator Jim Wonacott is looking into it.

 

                Here are some quick notes from tonight’s Blissfied Village Council meeting: