Tuesday marked the filing deadline for August 2026 primary elections in Leelanau County, and the two key races on the ballot countywide – one for drain commissioner, one for a seat on the Leelanau County Road Commission – only saw one candidate apiece file to run.

The drain commissioner office is up for grabs for a partial two-year term, thanks to the recent resignation of Timothy O’Non, who won the role in the November 2024 election. Melinda Lautner, who served as a Leelanau County commissioner for 19 years before losing in the August 2024 primary to challenger (and now board chair) Steve Yoder, has filed to run for drain commissioner as a Republican. Lautner is seeking to replace former Leelanau County Administrator Chet Janik, who was appointed to fill the drain commissioner office on an interim basis in March.

Running for road commissioner is Melvin Black, also a Republican. Black was appointed to the Leelanau County Road Commission in November 2024 as a replacement for longtime member John Popa, who passed away earlier that year. Black had previously served as a chairman for the Muskegon County Road Commission.

Per County Clerk Michelle Crocker, “both candidates have a withdrawal deadline that elapses at 4:00pm on April 24.”

Notably, this year marks the first even-numbered year that won’t see an election cycle for the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners. A state law that went into effect in 2024 switched county commissioner terms from two years to four years, meaning all members of the current board are only halfway through their respective terms.