01-05-2025
See who qualified to run for Coldwater City Council
COLDWATER — Unless someone mounts a successful write-in campaign, the mayor, three incumbent councilmen, and new councilman Jeff Budd will be sworn in to the Coldwater City Council on Nov. 10.
City Clerk Shauna Chávez said only one candidate qualified for each seat in the Nov. 4 election.
The city must hold an election even if only one person files for each seat.
Michigan law allows for write-in candidates. A candidate seeking to be a valid write-in must file a Declaration of Intent with the city clerk by 4 p.m. on the second Friday preceding the election on Oct. 24.
Four incumbents qualified for the ballot:
Mayor Tom Kramer, who has served as mayor since 2011, will serve another two-year term. Kramer first served as a Second Ward councilman from 1985 to 1990, then as a Third Ward Councilman from 1992 to 2011,
Travis Machan has served as First Ward councilman since 2015.
Jim Knaack has served as Second Ward councilman since 2016
Randall Hazelbaker has served as Fourth Ward councilman since 2001 and mayor pro tem since 2018.
Jeff Budd will replace the retiring Mike Beckwith as Third Ward councilman.
Council members recruited Budd when no one else expressed interest in replacing Beckwith, who served 10 years.
Except for the mayor, all terms are four years.
The council is Budd's fourth position with the city of Coldwater. A local CPA, Budd, became the city finance director in 1998. The council hired him as city manager in December 2009 to replace retiring Bill Stewart.
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After seven years, Budd shifted in October 2017 to director of the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities.
In August 2021, Budd resigned to become the chief financial officer of Coldwater's auto parts manufacturer, Sekisui Voltek, LLC.
Contact Don Reid dReid@
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: 5 qualify to run for Coldwater City Council positions on November 2025 ballot
