Battle Creek mayor race 2026: Mark Behnke faces Lynn Ward Gray and Tino Smith for the city’s first four-year term

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Battle Creek voters will pick a mayor and all eight city commissioners on Nov. 3, and for the first time the winners will serve four-year terms instead of two.

Voters approved the longer terms in a May 5 charter amendment, 1,729 to 1,508, or about 53% yes, according to Calhoun County’s results. The city says the change takes effect with this November’s election. Battle Creek has elected its mayor citywide as a separate office since 2020; the commission picks a vice mayor from its own members after each election.

Mayor. Three candidates are on the ballot, according to the official county and city candidate lists: Mayor Mark A. Behnke, Lynn Ward Gray and Tino W. Smith. The race is nonpartisan.

City Commission. The commission has five ward seats and three at-large seats. Here is who filed, according to the city’s candidate list, updated Oct. 8:

Ward 1: Jessica LaCosse
Ward 2: Pastor LeRoy Smith and Rochelle R. Hatcher; John A. Kenefick is a declared write-in
Ward 3: Patrick A. O’Donnell; Diop Harris is a declared write-in
Ward 4: Christopher C. Simmons
Ward 5: Jim Lance
At-large (three seats): Joseph J. Harris, Autumn Smith, Sherry L. Sofia, Paige Katsarsky-Smith, Boonikka M. Herring, Jackson D. Bredehoft, Carole L. Davenport and Connie Lowe Fullerton

LaCosse, O’Donnell, Simmons and Lance sit on the current commission, as do Vice Mayor Sherry Sofia and Paige Katsarsky-Smith, according to the city’s commission page. Neither Ward 2 candidate is on the current commission, so that ward will have a new commissioner.

Also on Calhoun County ballots. The county treasurer’s office is up for a partial term ending Dec. 31, 2028, with Democrat Nat Spurr of Athens and Republican Melinda S. Weaver of Marshall on the ballot, according to the county clerk. Statewide, voters decide Proposal 1, a call for a constitutional convention, and Proposal 2 on donations from utilities and big contractors. In Albion, voters will see two charter amendments: one would shrink the Board of Review from four taxpayers to three, and the other would drop the requirement that the city manager hold a master’s degree in public administration, replacing it with at least 10 years of public administration experience, according to the county’s election notice. There are no city of Battle Creek proposals on the notice.

Where Battle Creek votes on Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the county’s notice of election:

Precinct 1: Trinity Lutheran Church, 2055 E. Columbia Ave.
Precincts 2 and 3: Trinity Neighborhood Center, 10 W. Bidwell St.
Precinct 4: Christ United Methodist Church, 65 N. Bedford Road
Precincts 5 and 11: Woodland Church, 14425 S. Helmer Road
Precinct 6: Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, 157 Chapel Hill Drive
Precinct 7: St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 16 E. Van Buren St.
Precinct 8: St. Peter Lutheran Church, 1079 Riverside Drive
Precinct 9: Maple Methodist Church, 342 NE Capital Ave.
Precinct 10: City Life Center, 552 E. Emmett St.
Precinct 12: Second Missionary Baptist Church, 485 N. Washington Ave.
Precinct 13: Westlake Presbyterian Church, 415 28th St. S.

Early voting. Battle Creek, Springfield, Bedford Township and Pennfield Township voters share one early voting site, the Kool Family Community Center, 200 W. Michigan Ave., open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the city clerk. Other Calhoun County voters can vote early at the Calhoun County Building, 315 W. Green St., Marshall. You can check your precinct and sample ballot at the Michigan Voter Information Center.

Michigan’s deadline to register online or by mail was Oct. 19; you can still register in person at your clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, by mail or online, and in person by 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. County canvasses must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies by Nov. 23.

Sources:
City of Battle Creek, 2026 City Commission candidate list, updated Oct. 8, 2026, https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/20181/11326-City-Commission-List--for-Website
Calhoun County Clerk, official candidate listing, Nov. 3, 2026, general election (mayor, county treasurer), https://calhouncountymi.gov/Clerk%20&%20Register%20of%20Deeds/election%20info/2026%20ELECTIONS/NOVEMBER%20ELECTION/OFFICIAL%20CANDIDATE%20LISTING.pdf
Calhoun County, Notice of Election, Nov. 3, 2026 (polling places, offices, proposals), https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21074/Notice-of-Election---November-3-2026
City of Battle Creek, “Mayor & City Commission” (four-year terms, mayor elected since 2020, current members), https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/380/Mayor-City-Commission
Calhoun County, May 5, 2026, special election results (charter amendment), https://elections.calhouncountymi.gov/May2026/
City of Battle Creek, “Early In-Person Voting,” https://battlecreekmi.gov/961/Early-In-Person-Voting
Michigan Voter Information Center, https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
Photo: Jim Roberts, “Battle Creek City Hall 2.jpg,” Oct. 15, 2014, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_Creek_City_Hall_2.jpg

Battle Creek · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Battle Creek · Election 2026 · Mayor · City Commission · Calhoun County · Polling Places