FRANKFORT - Frankfort resident, Coury Carland, is announcing his candidacy for Sheriff of Benzie County. On July 19th, he filed a petition with the County Clerk's office to be placed on the November 6th ballot. He will face republican primary winner, Ted Schendel in the general election.
Carland is running as an Independent and hopes to make the race a competitive contest. He intends to run a positive campaign focused on solving the problems that continue to plague the Sheriff's Office.
He knows the two most pressing issues confronting the next sheriff are improving the public image of the Sheriff 's Office and securing the necessary financial resources to do the job required of it by the state constitution and asked of it by county residents. He knows crime prevention and mitigation are just as important as enforcement.
"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure," said Carland.
A 2000 graduate of Frankfort High School, Carland holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science with a double minor in History and Economics from Central Michigan University and is completing a master's degree in International Relations/Comparative Politics also from CMU.
As a professor at Saginaw Valley State University, Carland teaches a variety of courses including The American Political System, Introduction to Political Science and World Politics.
Prior to his time at SVSU, he was an instructor at Mid Michigan Community College, where he taught courses in political science, history, and sociology.
Carland is an active member in the Frankfort Lions Club, organizing and planning fundraising events to benefit those in need. With over 1.3 million members, Lions Club International is the largest service organization in the world. It is nonpartisan and nondenominational, focusing primarily on assisting the visually impaired.
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| Maj. John Carland |
The Carland family has been a part of Benzie County for a long time. Carland is a fifth generation Benzie County resident.
His Great Great Grandfather, Maj. John Carland, settled in Frankfort in 1888 after retiring from the United States Army. He was a veteran of the American Civil War, during which he served as captain of H Company in the 23rd Michigan Infantry. He also served alongside his friend, General George Armstrong Custer, prior to Custer's death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Carland's grandfather, Custer "Ted" Carland, was a Michigan State Trooper during Prohibition and the Great Depression. He worked for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) during World War II and was appointed undersheriff of Benzie County when he returned to Frankfort in 1945.
During the 1960s, Carland's grandfather worked closely with U.S. Senator Phil Hart to create the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
"My grandpa used to tell me stories about how the Carlands helped build and improve Frankfort. He taught me that personal improvement and community improvement should be one in the same," said Carland.
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| Custer "Ted" Carland |
Coury Carland was born on June 15, 1982, with a congenital bone disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), also known as "brittle bones." OI affects the creation of a type of collagen needed for the formation of strong bones and cartilage.
As a result, he experienced dozens of broken bones in his youth. Fortunately for those who have OI, their bones grow stronger as they enter adulthood. As he likes to say, "I was born fragile, but I grew to be strong."
While lacking a formal education in law enforcement, Carland feels his multi-generational knowledge of the area, academic training, and experience as an educator will allow him to tackle the issues confronting the Sheriff's Office.
"State and local governments are strapped across the country. The Great Recession has hit local governments particularly hard, because their largest revenue source is property tax," said Carland.
"The situation in which we find ourselves has a doubling effect on local governments, especially Benzie County, which has long been plagued by economic despair and lack of opportunity for year-round residents. With property values declining and people out of work, the tax base is shrinking at the same time voters are weary of any further millage increases, and rightfully so."
Since the beginning of the recession, the county's coffers have continued to dwindle, leaving department heads with less funding to work with. Carland feels the Sheriff's Office has been particularly hard hit.
"The Sheriff's Office is beyond the point of 'trimming the fat.' The fat, if it ever existed, has been trimmed. The bulk of the Office's budget is personnel (sheriff, undersheriff, sergeants, and deputies). At this point, the only thing left to cut are the number of deputies and the number of hours they are on patrol," said Carland.
"Obviously, we have to do the best we can with what we're given, but I'm also not afraid to tell the taxpayers what I think is needed to do the job they ask of us. 24-hour road patrol, faster response times, putting the liaison officer back in the schools will all cost money that is currently not available."
While the situation remains precarious, Carland is optimistic about the future. He favors an all of he above approach to fixing the budget crunch at the Sheriff's Office.
"It is a hard sell to ask the voters, many of whom are barely scraping by, to approve an increase in their taxes. But at the end of the day, the debate is about priorities. If county residents want a greater police presence, then additional funds must be procured," said Carland.
"An operations millage is one possible avenue, but I will also doggedly pursue grant money and seek donations through fundraising campaigns."
Rather than continually restating the problems, Carland says he is more interested in finding the solutions.
For more information about Coury Carland, visit
SheriffCoury.org.
So, the Carland for Sheriff banners arrived just in time for Frankfort Fall Fest. Unfortunately, roughly four months worth of rain also arrived in time. 
The Frankfort Chamber of Commerce and all festival participants do a lot of work in preparation for Fall Fest. It's a bummer to see their efforts partially stifled by crumby weather. 
