Four local leaders have been appointed to state boards or councils by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, set to represent this region in housing, agriculture, and non-motorized trails. 

Warren Call (top left) was appointed a member of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority Board. The president and CEO of Traverse Connect says he’s pleased to have the opportunity to work with others on housing challenges facing the state. “Michigan needs to address workforce housing in a way that works for every part of the state. The whole state has housing issues, but they play out differently in rural northern Michigan than in Grand Rapids or Detroit,” he says. “I’ll be a voice for northern and rural Michigan.”

MSHDA was established in 1966 to provide financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing, engage in community economic development activities, develop vibrant cities, towns and villages, and address homeless issues. Call’s term expires March 10, 2026.

Two area farmers were reappointed to the Michigan Cherry Committee. Paul Hubbell (top right) of Williamsburg farms 250 acres of cherries and 50 acres of apples at Orchard View Farms, while David Smeltzer (bottom left) of Bear Lake farms at West Wind Orchards in Benzie and Manistee Counties.

The Michigan Cherry Committee is responsible for working with cherry farmers to create greater marketing opportunities and improve the economy around cherry farming and harvesting. It also includes assembling data for administration of the marketing program and preparing the estimated budget required for the proper operation of the marketing program.

It conducts advertising and promotion programs, and supports research. Its work includes collecting and auditing the assessments on cherry orchards. “We handle the money,” says Smeltzer.

Hubbell says the committee helps growers optimize their dollars. “This is my third or fourth time on the committee. It’s been a privilege to serve on it,” he says.

Smeltzer has served as chairof the Committee since 2019 and as a member since 2014. He’s a fourth-generation farmer – though he says his great-great grandfather may have also been a farmer, which would make him the fifth generation to farm.

He says his responsibilities include running the meetings, working on strategic planning, and determining the issues facing the state’s cherry industry. He also works to help his fellow committee members come to agreement on addressing the various issues facing the industry. “I try to coalesce on the items. I don’t like 4-3 votes (the committee has seven members). Most of the time everybody gets behind an idea.”

“As members we have to be the voice of northern Michigan cherry growers,” he says of himself and Hubbell.

He says the challenges are vast, and the supply chain problems resulting from the pandemic only worsened things. “When you lay off a country for a year … you don’t have enough sugar, you don’t have enough pails, there aren’t enough alternators on the shelves.”

Another challenge is dealing with the impact of imported cherries, which sell for much less, imperiling the entire cherry industry across the country. “We want people to eat United States cherries. We have a really good product,” Smeltzer says.

“Tart cherries are really tanking because of foreign (cherries),” says Hubbell. All the while, costs continue to increase: according to Fruit Grower News, the cost for producing tart cherries was 44 cents per pound, per a report from Michigan State University Extension. Tart cherry growers received between 18 and 32 cents per pound from 2017 to 2021, according to the same source. Hubbell says last year they were between 16 and 18 cents. “We can’t continue this industry at this level,” he says.

Both Hubbell and Smeltzer were reappointed to represent District 1 tart cherry growers. Their terms expire Feb. 1, 2026.

Brian Beauchamp (bottom right) has been communications and policy director at TART Trails since 2014, and has been appointed to represent non-motorized trail users on the Michigan Trails Advisory Council. Beauchamp was designated chair of the board upon his appointment.

“The governor’s office contacted TART and asked if I’d consider serving,” he says. “It reflects the values this administration has. I’m excited for the opportunity to serve. It feels like a natural fit.”

He says TART Trails has a reputation as an organization that gets things done, and outdoor recreation is a growing part of the state’s economy. “My goals are to understand the issues and the needs to address.”

While he is representing non-motorized users, others on the board represent off-road vehicles, equine interests, and snowmobilers. “I want to focus on common ground,” he says. Beauchamp’s term expires January 17, 2027.

All appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Michigan State Senate.