Video: LWVLC Forum—Who Will Keep Leelanau Working?

A Conversation About Housing, Workers, and the Future of Our Community

https://vimeo.com/1245231953

The League of Women Voters of Leelanau County held a forum in November 2026 to explore local housing challenges and innovative approaches to help essential workers live closer to the Leelanau communities they serve.

Presenters included members of the Leelanau County Housing Collaborative, including Larry Mawby, president of Peninsula Housing, and Jered Ottenwess, Northport Village Manager.

Mawby highlighted the challenge of finding housing in the county for the people who care for our health, teach our children, staff our businesses, maintain our local governments, and provide the services that make daily life possible. He explained that as housing costs continue to rise, finding a place to live in the county has become increasingly difficult for the very people who keep our communities running.

Mawby reviewed Leelanau County incomes for the people who keep Leelanau working and compared those incomes to Leelanau County's housing costs, the highest median home sale prices in Michigan. He drew clear lines between Leelanau's essential workers' inability to find attainable housing and the need for governmental units, businesses, citizens, and developers to work together to create that housing.

Ottenwess highlighted the role governmental units play in ensuring Leelanau's essential workers can find places to live in the county. He reviewed the many programs that township governments in Leelanau County can adopt to help create attainable housing.

“This is about more than housing. It’s about the future of our communities and our ability to sustain the services that make Leelanau such a special place to live,” said Becky Beauchamp, LWVLC board member. “Exploring practical housing solutions is an investment in the people and services that benefit all of us.”

The League of Women Voters of Leelanau County is a nonpartisan civic organization committed to informed and active participation in government. The forum is part of its ongoing work to engage the community in timely issues affecting Leelanau County’s future.