Marquette is my hometown. I was born and raised here and grew up in a working-class family – my dad was a cop and my mom was a secretary and union vice president. Like many Marquette families, we fell on hard times after the Recession, but after going to Marquette public schools and working hard in high school, I earned a full scholarship to attend college at Harvard University based on my family’s financial need. After graduating from college, in 2019 I decided to run for the Marquette City Commission because I didn’t see the issues that were affecting me and my family, friends, and neighbors – rapidly rising housing costs, the need to preserve our public lakeshore and natural spaces, a lack of family-sustaining jobs, a City government that frequently seemed to ignore the concerns of everyday City residents – being taken seriously in City Hall.
I also knew that the decisions that the City Commission would make over the next 5 years would impact Marquette’s future for the next 50 years, and my generation would have to live with the consequences of those decisions for the rest of our lives. I believed that working-class families like mine and a new generation of Marquette residents deserved a seat at the table as decisions were being made about Marquette’s future.
In 2019, with the help of dozens of local volunteers and small donors and the support of 68% of the voters on Election Day, I was elected the youngest-ever Marquette City Commissioner at the age of 23. On the City Commission, I have been a champion for affordable housing, government transparency, protecting our public lakeshore and our environment, and sustainable economic development & diversification. Now I am running for re-election so I can continue working with my fellow City Commissioners to make progress on these critical issues.
In a small, nonpartisan local campaign like ours, every dollar counts! We would really appreciate any contribution you can make, even if it’s only $1.00. Your contributions will go towards locally printed door-to-door literature, union-made yard signs made here in Michigan, and getting our message out to the people of Marquette.
You can donate to us online using this secure, nonpartisan DemocracyEngine page, or you can mail us a paper check at 309 Pine St., Marquette, MI 49855. Please make sure to make the check payable to “Committee To Elect Evan Bonsall” or “CTE Evan Bonsall,” and include a note listing your current occupation and employer. If you are retired, unemployed, self-employed, or a student, simply write “Retired,” “Not Employed,” “Self-Employed,” or “Student.” Our current goal is to raise $2,500 by the end of January to get our re-election campaign off the ground!
