Though controversy had built up in recent weeks around Leelanau County Administrator Jim Dyer and his decision to run for a seat on the board of directors for the Cherryland Electric Cooperative, the debate is now moot. Dyer finished in fourth place among four candidates for two vacant director-at-large slots, with incumbents Melinda Lautner and Dean Adams successfully defending their seats.

As the Leelanau Ticker reported earlier this week, a local group called Taxpayers of Leland Township (TOLT) was concerned that Dyer would be risking conflict of interest and running afoul of his employment contract with Leelanau County if he were to be elected to the Cherryland board. Dyer’s contract contains an employment exclusivity clause that TOLT argued should preclude him from serving in any kind of official capacity outside of his employment with the county. Dyer, meanwhile, contended that since Cherryland board members are not employees, he would not have been in violation of his contract by serving.

Dyer also maintained that, if a county commissioner wasn’t in conflict by serving on the Cherryland board, then the administrator wouldn’t be either. Beyond her Cherryland responsibilities, Lautner also served on the Leelanau County board for two decades, before losing her seat in last year’s election cycle.

Dyer ultimately got 1,097 votes in the Cherryland election, which officially wrapped up on Thursday at the cooperative’s annual meeting. That tally was far behind incumbents Adams and Lautner, who kept their seats with 2,471 votes and 2,359 votes, respectively. The other candidate in the race for the two open at-large seats, Brian Fenlon, finished with 1,336 votes.

Adams and Lautner will now serve fresh three-year terms on the Cherryland board – as will current Board Vice President Valarie Handy, who won an uncontested election for Cherryland’s lone Benzie/Manistee/Wexford board seat.

A full accounting of the Cherryland election can be found here.