Kalamazoo County voters reelect Democrats to county clerk, treasurer seats

— Kalamazoo County voters have reelected Democrat Thomas Whitener as treasurer and Democrat Meredith Place as the county clerk and register of deeds.

Place was reelected to a second four-year term in office after securing 56.7% of the vote en route to defeating Portage Republican Kathleen Olmsted 74,342 to 56,168 votes, according to unofficial results.

In the treasurer race, Whitener beat out his Republican challenger, former state lawmaker Dale Shugars. The unofficial vote tally was 71,117 in favor of the incumbent and 60,292 in favor of Shugars.

Whitener, 38, will now serve his second four-year term as county treasurer. He previously worked in real estate and as a public funds investment manager, and also has a bachelor's degree in interactive design and game development, according to the League of Women Voters Vote411 voter guide.

Place, 35, will also serve her second term in her elected county seat. She previously served as county commissioner before becoming the county's clerk and register of deeds in 2020. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa, where she majored in political science and communications studies.

Their opponents both brought extensive backgrounds to the races.

Prior to running for treasurer, Shugars, 71, had served as a state senator and state representative, as well as a Kalamazoo County commissioner and Portage city councilmember.

Olmsted, 57, has spent 25 years working in mortgage servicing and management.