Jackson voters will pick a city treasurer Nov. 3, then decide whether they should keep picking one

JACKSON, Mich. — Jackson voters will elect a city treasurer on Nov. 3. Further down the same ballot, they will decide whether anyone should be elected to that job after 2028.

A proposed amendment to the city charter would turn the treasurer into a position appointed by the City Council, effective Dec. 1, 2028, when the current term expires. The appointee would “serve at the pleasure of City Council,” according to the ballot language in the county’s official notice of election. The proposal would rewrite five sections of the charter.

Today the treasurer is elected citywide. The notice lists both the treasurer’s race and the mayor’s race on the Nov. 3 ballot, along with the countywide proposal to raise the 911 fee on phone lines.

The council voted 5-1 on May 19 to put the question to voters, WKHM reported. Councilmember Shalanda Hunt voted no. Several residents spoke against the change at that meeting, the station reported, arguing that an appointed treasurer would answer to the council rather than to residents.

Treasurer Nanette Muntin also opposes it. She was appointed in 2025 after Treasurer Martin Griffin died in July, MLive reported, and she is running this fall to finish his term, which ends in December 2028. The amendment would not cut that term short.

“Currently, the treasurer position is completely independent of all other positions within the city government,” Muntin told WILX. “I think if you start appointing all of your government officials, you lose the whole process of democratic voting.”

Muntin told the station she believes the council wants the change because an appointment would be easier to fill. The council had a limited time to find a replacement after Griffin’s death, she said.

Some yes votes on the council came with reservations. Councilmember Will Forgrave said he opposes making the job appointed and plans to vote against the amendment as a resident, but he supported letting voters decide, according to WKHM and MLive. Councilmember Conner Wood suggested the change might matter more in theory than in practice, WKHM reported.

Other mid-Michigan cities, including Lansing, already appoint their treasurers, WILX reported.

A yes vote makes the treasurer an appointed post starting in December 2028. A no vote keeps it on the ballot.

Sources:
Notice of Election for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election in Jackson County, as posted by Blackman Charter Township, https://blackmantwp.com/wp-content/uploads/Notice-of-Election-November-2026.pdf
WKHM NewsTalk, “City of Jackson Voters to Decide if City Treasurer Remains an Elected Position,” May 19, 2026, https://www.wkhm.com/2026/05/19/city-of-jackson-voters-to-decide-if-city-treasurer-remains-an-elected-position/
MLive, “Should Jackson residents cede power to elect treasurer? ‘Quiet proposal’ sparks debate,” May 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2026/05/should-jackson-residents-cede-power-to-elect-city-treasurer-quiet-proposal-sparks-debate.html
WILX, “Jackson voters to decide whether the city treasurer should be appointed instead of elected,” May 29, 2026, https://www.wilx.com/2026/05/29/jackson-voters-decide-whether-city-treasurer-should-be-appointed-instead-elected/
Photo: DontCallMeLateForDinner, “Jackson, Michigan City Hall, 2025,” April 22, 2025, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jackson,_Michigan_City_Hall,_2025.jpg

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Tags: Jackson · News · Elections · City Council