KENT COUNTY, MI - “Is that legal?”

The question buzzed around Beryl Bartkus when she began telling the Lowell community about her campaign for city council.

Her husband of 37 years, Eric Bartkus, already had a council seat.

If voters elected Beryl Bartkus on Nov. 4, the pair would serve together for at least two years. While not illegal, the situation is relatively rare in Michigan.

At first when she heard the question repeatedly, Bartkus said she came home feeling tired, even joking about coming up with funny answers like, “no, it’s not legal. It’s a felony.”

But it also got her thinking. Why was she running?

Bartkus said her answer quickly became about acknowledging that her husband is on city council, “and I think he’s doing a really good job, but we are two totally different peop

See Full Page