EDITOR’S NOTE: Whitney Warstler will step down from her role on the Hancock city council for family obligations. She will also end her bid for reelection on November 3rd. As there is not enough time to remove her candidacy from the November ballot, Warstler has expressed to residents, voters should consider the seven other candidates for the four at-large positions. Warstler will end her tenure on the city council, effective November 30th, 2026.
The Copper Country League of Women Voters continued providing residents with opportunities to meet candidates during a forum for Hancock’s city council race Tuesday evening.
League of Women Voters Forum Moderator Valorie Troesch said engaging voters with local candidates remains the most effective way to increase voter turnout.
“They also want to know about how the candidates stand on improvements for their communities, certain things that are kind of hot topics right now, certain street improvements and things like that,” Troesch said. “So those are the things that we’re hitting on.”
Hancock voters will choose four at-large members from a field of eight candidates, including two existing council members: Whitney Warstler and Mandy Lounibos. The forum featured candidates Sara Lahti, Jennifer Ormsbee, and Ruth Gill.
Troesch posed questions ranging from candidate positions on the jail millage and special education millage to leadership style, understanding of municipal conflict of interest procedures, and local projects such as Navy Street improvements.
Candidate Sarah Lahti emphasized the importance of recognizing potential conflicts of interest in small communities where residents hold multiple organizational roles.
“I think it’s important that we all maybe are even given an opportunity to have a tutorial on it regularly to kind of look for this and make sure that we are noticing them and disclosing them. I’m a small business owner. I’m in insurance,” Lahti said.
Each candidate shared details about their community involvement. Lahti is a member of Right Start UP, which works to revitalize the Hancock Community Hub. Ormsbee serves as president of the Hancock Rotary Club. Ruth Gill is an active League of Women Voters member and co-founder of the Committee in Support of a Hancock Area District Library. She has also volunteered with the Elaine Bacon Literacy Program as a conversation partner with English language learners.
Candidates also discussed leadership priorities. Ormsbee noted that committing time to community development requires sacrifice from city councilors.
“I prioritize my time by recognizing that sometimes one area of my life might take precedence over the other depending on what is going on,” Ormsbee said.
Jeff Thornton emphasized the fiduciary responsibility of council members as paramount.
“The fiduciary responsibility of each member of a city council is the one that I would hold as the most important,” Thornton said.
Early voting at the Houghton County Early Voting Center on Sharon Avenue opens October 24. Absentee voters must mail ballots to their clerk’s office so they arrive by November 3. Voters planning to vote in person on election day must bring identification. Those without ID can sign a voter’s affidavit to confirm their identity. Learn more about the November 3, 2026 election online.
Find the League of Women Voters Michigan Voters’ Guide for 2026 here. Within the voter’s guide you’ll find candidate positions on a variety of topics in the state and federal elections. The document also covers proposals on the November 3rd ballot.
Find an online recording of the forum here.
