A veteran Dowagiac councilwoman will face a challenge from a longtime Dowagiac business owner during the citywide election Tuesday.

Dowagiac’s 1st Ward city council seat will be up for grabs on Election Day, as incumbent Lori Hunt and political newcomer Patrick Bakeman vie for the position in the sole contested race on the ballot. The winner of the nonpartisan race will serve a four-year term on the six-member board, alongside fellow 1st Ward councilmember Danielle Lucas.

According to the Dowagiac City Charter, the city council “shall pass upon and secure the performance of any act necessary to advance the interests of the city, the good government and prosperity of the municipality and its inhabitants; and shall pass all laws and ordinances which may be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers granted to the city by law.”

Other councilmembers seeking re-election Tuesday are the 2nd Ward’s Bob Schuur and 3rd Ward’s Leon Laylin, the current mayor pro tem. Both are running unopposed.

Also up for election this year is Mayor Don Lyons, who is also running unopposed for his sixth four-year term in office. Lyons, the owner of Dowagiac’s Lyons Industries, is currently on his 20th year as Dowagiac’s top elected official, having been first elected in 1997.

Lyons was last re-elected to office in 2013, where he defeated challenger Junior Oliver by less than 30 votes.

Also running without opposition is City Treasurer Latoi Wilson. Tuesday will mark Wilson’s first appearance on the ballot, though she has served as treasurer since her appointment to the position in April, following the retirement of former Treasurer Robin Coffey.

Per the Dowagiac City Charter, all city elections take place each odd numbered year, which place them between general and midterm elections for state and national offices. Candidates run without party affiliation.

The last city election took place in November 2015, where three incumbents, 1st Ward councilmember Luca 2nd Ward councilmember James Dodd and 3rd Ward councilmember Charles Burling, all won additional four-year stints in office without opposition. In addition, incumbent City Clerk Jane Phillipson Wilson defeated write-in candidate Melissa Clanton to win her first four-year term in office; she had been appointed to replace retiring Clerk James Snow in March of that year.

Profiles for each 1st Ward councilmember candidates are as follows:

Lori Hunt

Hunt, 47, is running for her fourth term as 1st Ward councilmember.

She was first appointed to the council in June 2007 to replace outgoing Donna O’Konski, and was elected in November 2007 to serve out the rest of the term. She was re-elected in November 2009 and November 2013.

Hunt has two children, and currently works for Dowagiac’s Living Alternatives for the Developmentally Disabled, a nonprofit that assists people living with mental or physical disabilities.

Why are you running for office?

I continue to run for office because, as I’ve always said, if you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem. I believe I can continue to make the difference and be a voice for those who wouldn’t otherwise be heard.

What experience/qualities make you the best person for the job? 

My tenacity and heart for the people continue to make me the best person for the job.

What are Dowagiac’s greatest strengths? Challenges? 

Dowagiac’s greatest strength is the people. The greatest challenge facing Dowagiac is finding ways to bring industries to town that will stimulate our overall economy, which will, in turn, improve the quality of life for our residents.

What will be your priorities if you are elected? 

My priorities if re-elected will continue to be:

• Revitalization of our neighborhoods — approximately $300,000, or 1/3, of the total monies invested in the city’s overall local paving projects has come to Ward 1.

• Provide recreational activities for young people — Russom Park has provided a venue for all communities to enjoy sporting activities in a centralized location.

• Transparency and inclusive government — there has been an increase in citizen participation and the feeling of not being heard is lessening.

What makes Dowagiac a special place? 

Again, the people and the natural resources surrounding us.

Is there anything else you want to add? 

I am proud yet humbled to note that, under my tutelage:

• The James Snow Building was conceptualized and built — the city acquired land when as it became available across the street from city hall and then sought out quality development to fill the needs of the community. The county health department has dental, health and community inspections services operating out of this office building. Additionally, two independent doctors and a law firm have offices on the ground floor.

• “Big Grey” was demolished — the city acquired this dangerous and blighted property through property tax foreclosure, then applied for and received grants to assist with the cost of demolishing the building.

• Dowagiac Area History Museum was born — the city acquired an abandoned building and refurbished the building so that the DAHM had facilities, the abandoned location could be cleaned up and that space for events like that farmer’s market could take place.

• The Commercial Avenue improvements — five blighted buildings were removed, streets improved and parking was added to an area of the downtown near the post office that had been deteriorating for a number of years.

• A mural was painted downtown to enhance the beautification of our city — the Orphan Train mural is a great addition to the streetscape on Pennsylvania Avenue. This has been completed with grant funds, donations and volunteers.

• The Council on Aging secured its location downtown — the city was pleased to work closely with the COA when they purchased the property next to city hall from the city. It is good to see a long-term commitment to services to our senior citizens as well as a commitment to property improvement and maintenance.

• Rotary Park safety improvements — overgrown brush has been removed from the area between Riverside Drive and the parking lots at Rotary Park which increases the visibility and has reduced vandalism in the park.

• Fire department — Moving the fire department to a building already owned by the city provided tremendous savings in several ways. The old station was too small to house typical sized fire trucks so we have avoided the cost of unique specifications for equipment that increase equipment costs. Additionally, the remodeling of the building to meet fire department needs was less than $180,000, when the cost of a new facility would have been more than $1.3 million.

• Airport terminal — grants were secured to cover 97.5 percent of the cost of constructing a new terminal building that will last for generations and has much lower operating costs than the old building.

Patrick Bakeman

Bakeman, 38, is the owner of Dowagiac’s Bakeman Barbers, located at the intersection of Division and Front streets downtown. The lifelong resident of Dowagiac has owned the business since 2005.

He is also the vice chair of the Young Professionals of Greater Dowagiac, a member of Dowagiac Lions Club and the play-by-play announcer for Dowagiac Chieftain football team.

He and his wife, Ravan, have three children. This is Bakeman’s first candidacy for political office.

Why are you running for office?

It’s pretty simple. I have had so many talks with family, friends and people inside and outside of Dowagiac, which has led me to believe that many people don’t feel like their voices are being heard. We feel like there should be someone younger getting involved. We have had the same people running the people for a long time. Not that it is a bad thing, but somebody else needs to get involved.

What experience/qualities make you the best person for the job? 

The fact that you can find me. I have a face in the community. You can find me in the elementary schools, the grocery store. My kids are involved in a lot of activities. I’m on this corner, and it’s pretty approachable. I also feel like I can listen to both sides. In my business, I do that all the time. I have people with different opinions in here all the time. Having a different opinion isn’t a bad thing, and being able to listen to one from a different side is a good thing.

What are Dowagiac’s greatest strengths? Challenges? 

I think Dowagiac’s greatest strength is our citizens and how resilient they are. Twelve years ago, when I bought this barbershop, we lost four or five factories. A lot of families, like mine, are lifers. We are staying in Dowagiac, no matter what happens, because this is where we are from and this is where we want to be. A weakness for Dowagiac is that we have a lot of poverty in this town. Look at just in our school system alone. A lot of kids are on free lunches. I don’t know who has the answers for that, but we need to start talking about it.

What will be your priorities if you are elected?  

I think part of my agenda is getting people excited and re-energized about Dowagiac. A lot of [officials] run unopposed, and that can be a good thing, but at some point, others need to get involved in our city. We are going to need to change leadership at some point, and others need to get involved to address that. I feel like I have re-energized the city and got them excited about the election. I’m hoping that you will see a strong turnout for the election, in Ward 1, 2 and 3, even though 2 and 3 don’t have much to vote on because everyone is running unopposed.

What makes Dowagiac a special place?

On all four sides of my family, we have been in this community, in and around Dowagiac, for more than 100 years. A lot of my family members have started businesses in Dowagiac, and some of them own businesses in Dowagiac right now. My grandpa started what is now Mimi Sarducci’s — it was called Callahan’s Walk-up. Where the museum is at, that was my great aunt and uncle, the Behnke’s. My great uncle Jerry and Sandy used to own the Gamble Store downtown. My uncle used to own Walker’s Ice Chest, across the creek — it is a house, now. My family has owned businesses in this area for a long time. This is our home. We all care about this place, and that is one reason I want to get involved.

Is there anything else you want to add?

I would like to see, if people feel the same way I do, that they come out to vote. I hope people come out to vote and start paying attention to what is going on, and they start getting more involved in the city.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Voters in all three wards may cast their ballot at the city’s polling location on the second floor of Dowagiac City Hall, 241 S. Front St.

Check out LeaderPub.com or the Dowagiac Daily News Facebook or Twitter pages for results.