By Sterling McGinn
Luce County is in active search mode for a prosecutor following the resignation of Cameron Harwell on October 10, but the current salary may be a deterrent in securing someone for the position.
The matter was discussed at the October 15 meeting of the Luce County Board of Commissioners, which took place at 4:30 p.m. in the Luce County Government Building.
Cameron Harwell was appointed to the position following the resignation of Josh Freed on November 1, 2023. News of his resignation was shared at last month’s commissioner’s meeting. The reason for his departure was not shared.
Commission Chair Michelle Clark said that an individual had been interested in the position, but an agreement has not yet been reached. “I don’t know if we are going to get one with the salary that we have,” she said.
Clark and Commissioner Christine Rathje met the interested person. “The thinking is that we would need to make an increase, but I don’t think we could go as high as the requesting party,” Clark said.
“I think we are going to have to sit on this until we get the budget ready,” said Rathje.
“We are going to have to find some kind of increase somewhere if we are going to get a prosecutor,” said Clark.
Harwell had filed to be on the November ballot for re-election to the position, and though he won’t be here, his name will still appear on the ballot. If someone is found, they will be appointed by Circuit Court Judge Brian Rahilly for the remainder of the term and will have to be re-appointed for the next four years.
In the meantime, the Attorney General’s office is handling prosecution and will send students to court and have an attorney on Zoom to handle the cases.
“I think they will get us through and give us a little grace period to try and figure it out,” said Judge Rahilly. “But they also want to see a good faith effort from the county to find one, and they want to see a competitive salary.”
Clark said that the next budget meeting will take place soon and that the prosecutor’s salary will need to be a top priority.
In other news, Commissioner Brandon Wheeler, who sits on the Big Lake Dam Authority Committee, said that public hearings regarding the ongoing proposed special assessment districts and lake levels for North Manistique (Round) Lake and Big Manistique Lake will take place on November 6 at the Erickson Center in Curtis. The hearings will be held separately, discussing North Manistique Lake at 4 p.m. and Big Manistique Lake at 7 p.m.
