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Community members are invited to gather at Memorial Park in Sturgis this weekend for a volunteer-organized event encouraging voter participation ahead of the November 3 election.  The event, scheduled for Saturday, October 17, from noon to 1:30 p.m., is part of a nationwide effort by the No Kings movement to encourage early voting and increase voter turnout.

The Sturgis City Commission will meet this Wednesday, October 14 at 6 p.m. for a regular business meeting. This will be commissioners’ first meeting since the results of the internal investigation were released, and Monday’s statements from Commissioner Aaron Miller again calling for Mayor Frank Perez’s resignation. While there are no agenda or discussion items related to the results, commissioners will likely discuss it during commissioner comments.  For regular business, commissioners will consider a number of vehicle and project plans, a diesel fuel purchase, and set the meeting date for their first procedural meeting after the November election.

Commissioners approved a recommendation to allocate up to $4,000 towards the equipment and went with the second option provided: MSPoT/PTZOptics Move SE for $3,607. The quoted total cost includes the setup, training, live-streaming interface, and the equipment which includes a PTZ camera. Also included is five push-to-talk mic stands, however, commissioners decided to wait on that decision as they worry having to push to talk could make fluid conversation at the dais difficult.  Although commissioners approved the second equipment option, they decided to continue using their existing microphones for the time being.

Sturgis City Commissioner Aaron Miller says “there can be no coincidence” between the reported actions of Mayor Frank Perez, and the resignation of former City Manager Andrew Kuk. “I have watched a long history of commissioner mistreatment of Mr. Kuk that culminated in these events,” Miller told Watershed Voice. “It has not just been this one event. His resignation was announced on the same night that the details of the secret meeting all spilled out before the entire commission, shortly after Mr. Kuk learned about the various details as well. There can be no coincidence.”

A group of local musicians will present an evening of music by Woody Guthrie at the Riviera Theatre and Bar in Three Rivers on Saturday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds will benefit The Huss Project, a community center owned and operated by Three Rivers nonprofit *culture is not optional.

The November election is quickly approaching with just over three weeks before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.  In preparation, Watershed Voice sent out questionnaires to candidates in local and statewide races. Although some local elections are uncontested, those candidates also received questionnaires.