Copyright M Live Michigan
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI — City elections in Portage and Kalamazoo are nonpartisan. That doesn’t mean local politics aren’t at play. Campaign finance documents, submitted to county election officials 10 days prior to Election Day, give voters a behind-the-scenes look at influences and allies backing nonpartisan candidates. Here’s what the money tells us about the 2025 Portage election and how its fundraising totals compare to Kalamazoo. The central issue In Portage, seven candidates are vying for three council seats, including three incumbents. Meanwhile, Mayor Patricia Randall is facing challenger Nasim Ansari for the job. The debate over a single-hauler trash ordinance has dominated the November 2025 election cycle. City officials voted to contract Waste Management as the sole trash hauler for residential properties in the city in July. Waste Management was one of three companies to submit a proposal for the role. Waste Management will receive $29.4 million over the five-year contract. Best Way Disposal, based in Kalamazoo, had proposed a $38.2 million contract. Best Way has campaigned against the decision on social media, stating it violates residents’ freedom of choice and will hurt their local business. Best Way’s Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio operations are run by Daniel, Mike and Ralph Balkema, per public records. The company is hosting several signing locations for a petition to overturn the single-hauler ordinance at its Kalamazoo headquarters. In campaign statements, Daniel, Mike and Ralph list their occupations as “managers” of AZO services, an excavating contractor in Kalamazoo. AZO is also a petition signing location. Challengers Jay Woodhams, Jason Mikkelborg and Kathleen Olmstead, along with the mayoral challenger Ansari, have united behind Best Way on the topic at public forums and meetings. They argue the decision should be overturned, and residents should get the freedom to choose which trash provider they prefer. Public records show Woodhams, Olmstead and Ansari received several donations from Best Way employees and their family members. Daniel, Mike and Ralph Balkema gave a total of $10,250 to Portage candidates this cycle. Including contributions from their spouses Brenda, Susan and Melanie Balkema, the family gave a total of $16,400. A representative for Best Way could not be reached for comment. While this set of candidates is being propped up by Best Way, another set of candidates has support from Democratic officials and business leaders. For incumbents Randall (mayor) and Jihan Young (councilmember), their donor list includes Zhang Financial founders and advisers Charles and Lynn Zhang and Democratic state representatives Julie Rogers and Matt Longjohn. Rogers gave a total of $150 to two incumbent candidates, Longjohn gave a total of $400. Greg Dobson, Jack and Joseph Gesmundo, owners of Portage-based development company AVB, gave a total of $1,000 to Randall’s campaign. “The Dems have bought and paid for the Portage City Council for a long time now and they are worried about losing that stronghold to independents like myself and Nasim,” Woodhams said. Newcomer numbers (Can’t see the chart? Click here.) The Committee to Elect Jay Woodhams raised $6,769 between Aug. 1 and Oct. 19, per public records. Of that, $6,750 came from people associated with Best Way Disposal: Chris Phillips, Best Way Disposal operations manager, $150 Daniel Balkema, AZO Services manager, $1,200 Ralph Balkema, AZO Services manager, $1,200 Michael Balkema, AZO Services manager, $1,200 Brenda, Susan and Melanie Balkema, all retired, listed the same address as AZO Services employees. Each gave $1,000. Woodhams contributed $19 to his campaign. Olmstead raised $6,650 in the same period. Many of the same donors contributed to her campaign: Daniel Balkema, Balkema Excavating Inc. manager, $1,000 Ralph Balkema, AZO Services manager, $1,000 Michael Balkema, AZO Services manager, $1,000 Her mother Ruth Olmstead gave $1,000. Another $650 came from four Portage and Kalamazoo residents. Mikkelborg did not meet the fundraising threshold of $1,000 required to submit a pre-campaign statement. Challenger Mark McKeon raised $4,251 and spent a total of $783.51 on his website and signs. Notable donations include: $250 from a Virginia resident $1,225 from an Allegan donor $250 from the MI Rural PAC He contributed $2,139.20 to the campaign. All other donations rang in at $100 or less. Ansari raised $16,084 during his campaign for mayor. Notable contributions include: Dale Shugars, former Michigan Republican state senator, state representative, Kalamazoo County commissioner and Portage city councilmember, $100 COMM-PAC, a political action committee associated with the address of Wiser Financial Group, $3,000 Christopher Phillips, Best Way Disposal manager, $150 Daniel Balkema, Balkema Excavating manager, $1,200 Ralph Balkema, AZO Services manager $1,225 Michael Balkema, AZO Services manager, $1,225 Melanie and Susan Balkema both listed their occupation as homemaker and gave $1,000 each Brenda Balkema, homemaker, $1,150 Ansari had a total of 36 contributions to his campaign, per public records. How do incumbents compare? Randall raised $19,716. She saw contributions from several of her fellow Portage officials, including councilmembers Chris Burns and Nicole Miller and Mayor Pro Tem James Pearson and his wife. Other notable contributions include: State Rep. Julie Rogers, $100 State Rep. Matt Longjohn, $200 Charles Zhang, Zhang Financial, $500 Realtors Political Action Committee of Michigan, $2,500 Southwest Michigan First PAC, $3,000 Jane Ghosh, Discover Kalamazoo executive director, $250 Greg Dobson, AVB owner, $250 Jack Gesmundo, AVB owner, $250 Joseph Gesmundo, AVB owner, $500 Curt Aardema, AVB administrator, $100 Roger Hinman, owner, Hinman Company, $515.38 David Scott, PlazaCorp CEO, $500 Dake Kracker, JTB homes builder, $1,225 Incumbent councilmember Jihan Young also saw support from fellow councilmembers and Democratic state representatives. Notable contributions to her $7,130 fund include: State Sen. Sean McCann, $250 State Rep. Matt Longjohn, $200 State Rep. Julie Rogers, $50 Realtors Action Committee of Michigan, $1,000 Southwest Michigan First PAC, $1,000 Charles Zhang, Zhang Financial president, $500 Jack Gesmundo, AVB owner, $100 Young spent $4,886.43, per public records. Long-time councilmember Terry Urban raised $6,310. Urban contributed $4,210 to his own campaign. He also saw support from Lynn and Charles Zhang totaling $500, $1,000 from the Realtors PAC and $100 from Councilmember Miller. A final $500 came from Portage resident Steve Grieve. Incumbent councilmember Vic Ledbetter raised $6,728.66 between Aug. 1 and Oct. 19. Donations of about $250 or less come primarily from Kalamazoo and Portage residents, public documents show. Ledbetter also received $250 from Sen. McCann, $1,000 from the Realtors PAC and a total of $500 from the Zhangs. Burns made $93 worth of in-kind contributions for work on Ledbetter’s website, records show. Fundraising in Kalamazoo (Can’t see the chart? Click here.) Kalamazoo candidates for mayor and city commission raised less money than their Portage neighbors. Commission candidates Stephanie Hoffman and Kizzy Bradford plus Mayor David Anderson have yet to file pre-election statements. Thomas Durlach, Soloman Carpenter and candidate for mayor Robert Gray did not meet the $1,000 fundraising threshold, and were not required to submit statements. The committee to elect Bernard Dervan was granted a reporting waiver. Chris Glasser, one of three men running for mayor, raised $2,205. Most of the contributions rang in under $100, per public documents. Glasser contributed $819.64 to his own campaign. County Commissioner Tami Rey gave $25. The highest contributor was Beverly Glasser, $340. Jacqueline Slaby raised $11,646.88 during her campaign for city commission. Notable contributions include: Mattie Woods, former NADC director, $100 Don Cooney, city commissioner, $100 Realtors PAC, $1,371.88 Curt Aardema, AVB administrator, METRO board of directors chair, $150 David Combs, Kalamazoo Township Supervisor, $100 Teamsters 406, $1,000 Jessica Thompson raised $3,750 in her campaign for city commission. Thompson owns Bee Joyful Shop on the Kalamazoo Mall. Her connections in the Kalamazoo-area business world show in her fundraising efforts. Notable contributions include: Clarence Lloyd, Southwest Michigan First vice president, $100 Larry Bell, Bell’s Brewery founder, $1,000 Thomas Huff, Peregrine Company founder, $1,000 Thomas Schuster, Tom Shuster Electrical, $1,500 Keshia Dickason raised $1,105 during the reporting period. Notable contributions include: Don Cooney, city commissioner, $50 Tami Rey, county commissioner, $25 Jason Wiersma, county drain commissioner, $200 in-kind for advertisement Commission candidate Drew Duncan raised $5,101. Notable contributions include: Justin Mendoza, former chair of the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party, $200 Tami Rey, county commissioner, Open Doors shelter manager, $103 Allison Kennedy, Freedom Lifted administrator, $515 Jen Strebs, county commission chair, $75 Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors, $1,000 Jamauri Bogan, Bogan Development CEO, $515
