What will 2023 hold for Leelanau County? In celebration of this newly-minted year, the Leelanau Ticker reached out to 10 local leaders from a variety of different sectors – including retail, agriculture, education, government, and nonprofits – to find out what resolutions, goals, and plans are on their radar for the year to come.

“Regarding my 2023 Personal Goals: Pray for Grace and express Gratitude every day! Strive to understand, and then to be understood. Inspire others by leading by example. Strive to ‘Be Happy.’ One of my favorite poems is “Desiderata” by Max Ehmann. The last stanza states: ‘And Whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.’ We have much to be happy for living here in northern Michigan – and specifically in Leelanau County, the ‘Land of Delight!’”
Deborah Allen, county administrator, Leelanau County

“Here are some goals at The Bay Community Theatre:
· Be the place to be: Continue making The Bay a wonderful place to gather for more than 15,000 Leelanau patrons per year.
· Serve our young families: Reach more young families with fun, educational, and affordable movies and activities at The Bay. How? Through the return of $1 movies each week, special events with local schools, and great movies and shows all year.
· Make The Bay better and better for the future: Continue our investments to make the experience at The Bay wonderful and sustainable for years to come. Look out for exciting plans following our recently completed renovations!”
Rick Andrews, president, The Bay Community Theatre

“Joy! We live at an amazing time in an amazing place, and I find myself taking much of it all for granted – the land, the water, the people, our communities in the Leelanau region. My goal for 2023 is to be more joyful and to spread that joy to others, whether they are visiting us at Hallstedt Homestead Cherries or long-term residents alike. We have our challenges and differences, but there is so much to be joyful about and I need to be intentional about feeling and sharing it in 2023.”
Phillip Hallstedt, owner, Hallstedt Homestead Cherries

“This year’s resolution is a personal and professional goal. In 2023, I resolve to find more ways to bring the community of Suttons Bay together to connect with each other, our staff, and our students. Building meaningful relationships and trust is so important right now.”
Casey Petz, superintendent and early childhood program director, Suttons Bay Public Schools

“2023 is going to be another big year for the Lake Leelanau Lake Association. Some of our new aspirations are to hire additional seasonal contracted workers to help with our aquatic invasive species; control efforts, both on the lake and at our boat launches, to teach boaters about cleaning their boats to prevent the spread of invasive species; construct up to three additional boat cleaning stations at boat launches on Lake Leelanau; introduce several educational initiatives to inform the community of important information relevant to the protection of our lake and its watershed; develop a pilot program to learn how to tackle terrestrial invasive species; receive a grant to restore a section of the lake’s shoreline and educate about the importance of natural shorelines; and increase our membership!”
Annalise Povolo, Director of Administration and Programs, Lake Leelanau Lake Association

“The biggest goal or resolution for Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) this year is to effectively manage the exponential growth we’ve been experiencing. While we have been focused on reaching more individuals with our work around Great Lakes education, the growth has been happening a little faster than anticipated. We added several new staff in 2022 and are planning to add three more in 2023. Along with adding paid staff positions, we are also focused on increasing our volunteer pool. And along with obtaining enough support, we are very focused on maintaining the strong organizational culture we enjoy at ISEA. 2023 is shaping up to be another record-setting year and we hope that it is full of wonderful memories for our participants, staff, and volunteers.”
Fred Sitkins, executive director, ISEA

“We are restoring our 1945 U.S. Coast Guard cabin motor launch with the intent to splash into the water this coming spring, to conduct history boat tours in Northport Bay and view our area shipwrecks. In addition, we are updating our lighthouse exhibits to include interactive displays and tours. There will be a new exhibit in 2023 highlighting all 67 lighthouse keepers and their families who served at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse from 1852-1972. The lighthouse will open for the season in April.”
Stef Staley, executive director, Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum

“As a husband, father, grandfather, and community member, I hope for good health, good fortune, and good times for my family, friends, and community members. I also hope that all of us can put aside differences, demonstrate civility in our relationships, and work together to achieve progress. As Commissioner, I hope that residents see their County Commissioners working well together, serious about the process of decision making, focused on serving constituents, demonstrating wise fiscal management, and preserving the county's reputation as a wonderful place to live, work, raise a family, and play. I am optimistic that 2023 will be a great year.”
Ty Wessell, Leelanau District 4 Commissioner, Leelanau County Commission

“Looking ahead to 2023, I'm excited to continue to trust the strong team that we have built out among our four stores at Crystal River. We have an amazing crew that we have spent years building out. It's fun to see them come together to figure out ways to continue to make Glen Arbor not just a summer destination, but a year-round place to visit, live, work, and play. The Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District will also continue to grow in 2023, with the welcoming of a new restaurant that's currently under construction!”
Katy Wiesen, Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District

“In 2023, I’m excited to watch the clean energy work in Leelanau and across our region grow by leaps and bounds. New federal incentives will mix with the local momentum and groundwork laid by Leelanau Energy and others to bring our community together around projects that keep dollars, jobs, and other benefits local. Hopefully, as much of that local benefit as possible can go to the folks that need it the most. It’s going to be a BIG year!”
Dan Worth, Leelanau Energy