By GARRETT NEESE

The Daily Mining Gazette

L’ANSE — The returning members of the Baraga County Board will lead it for the next year.

Gale Eilola was voted to a two-year term as chairperson, while Brad Dakota was chosen as vice chair.

They are the only members returning from last year’s board. They are joined on the board by Craig Kent, Chad Cichosz and Bill Menge. Kent and Cichosz are first-time commissioners. Menge previously spent 16 years on the board before stepping down at the end of 2020.

The board also accepted Menge’s resignation from the Baraga County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees. County board members are unable to sit on the hospital board due to potential conflict of interest, said Clerk Wendy Goodreau. The hospital board will recommend a replacement to the county.

Work will begin soon on replacing wallpaper in the circuit courtroom. It had been damaged after a major leak in the courthouse roof in 2020. Insurance money will cover the work.

The county board also discussed a potential lease of office space to the State of Michigan, which has an employee who is relocating to Baraga County. No action was taken Monday.