The Emmet County Board of Commissioners held its annual Organizational Meeting Tuesday, Jan. 5, during which long-time Board member James E. Tamlyn was re-elected to the chairman’s role, a position he’s held continuously since 2003.
Tamlyn represents District 1, which includes the northern tier of Emmet County in the Mackinaw City/McKinley and Readmond Townships area.
Newly elected vice chairman is Dan Plasencia, who has served on the Board of Commissioners since 2009. Board member Les Atchison has served as vice chairman of the board for many years, but announced at Tuesday’s meeting that he is not seeking re-election in the November election this year.
Atchison then nominated Plasencia for the vice chairman role, which was unanimously approved by the Commissioners.
“I’m very proud that I was selected to serve as the vice chair of the County, and it’s a role I take very seriously,” Plasencia said. “We have a lot of important projects going on and I feel that I want to see them through. By taking a leadership role on the board, I can help ensure continuity of projects for staff and our county overall. I feel that since being elected to the Board, we have had consensus on many issues and that I’ve been able to help the board make significant progress in many different areas.”
Plasencia represents District 4, which includes Littlefield and Springvale Townships and the Village of Alanson. He and his wife Karen moved to Emmet County in 2004 after retiring from their careers in the Detroit area.
Commissioners (from left) Dan Plasencia, Jim Tamlyn and Bert Notestine are pictured during the Board’s organizational meeting Jan. 5, 2016.
Tamlyn’s first term on the Board was 1991. From 1993 until 1998 he served as chairman, and then was re-elected to that post in 2003, serving continuously since. The chairman’s role is an annual election by the Board. In the absence of the chairman, the vice chairman handles all of the chairman’s responsibilities, including running meetings.
County Administrator Marty Krupa said Plasencia has been a leader on many key county projects and initiatives.
“From the first year he was elected Dan has jumped in with both feet to help in a variety of capacities. He has served on a number of key committees, including as the Finance Committee chair, and has shown commitment to making the best decisions for the county as a whole,” Krupa said. “I’m looking forward to working with him in his new leadership role as vice chairman.”
2016 is an election year for all seats on the Board, which are two-year terms.
The current Commissioners are:
District 1: James E. Tamlyn (Mackinaw area)
District 2: Larry Cassidy (Pellston area)
District 3: Charlie MacInnis (Harbor Springs area)
District 4: Dan Plasencia (Alanson area)
District 5: Bert Notestine (Bear Creek and a portion of the city of Petoskey)
District 6: Shawn Wonnacott (Resort Township area and a portion of the city of Petoskey)
District 7: Les Atchison (City of Petoskey)
The Board of Commissioners meets each month in the second full week; Tuesday at 2 p.m. for an Administrative Session and 6 p.m. Thursday for a regular session where further discussion and voting on issues takes place. The Board meets in the County Building, 200 Division St., downtown Petoskey. Various committees meet that week as well; the meetings are always posted on the County web site, www.emmetcounty.org.
