Grand Traverse County Clerk Bonnie Scheele to retire in June 2026

Grand Traverse County is preparing for a clerk transition that reaches directly into elections, vital records and court files: Bonnie Scheele will retire June 19, and the next clerk will be chosen by the 13th Judicial Circuit judges.

Scheele’s departure ends more than four decades of county service and more than 13 years as the county’s elected clerk. She began in June 1986 in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court Friend of the Court office, where she worked for nearly 11 years, then became chief deputy county clerk in 1997 before later winning election to the clerk’s office.

The clerk’s job carries wide reach in daily county operations. Grand Traverse County says the elected clerk serves a four-year term and is responsible for birth and death records, assumed names, co-partnerships, military discharge papers and marriage licenses. The office also processes concealed pistol licenses, notary bonds and veteran’s peddler permits, while maintaining circuit and family court records.

Election work is another major piece of the job. The clerk trains election workers in communities with populations under 10,000 and serves on the county election commission, which in Michigan also includes the chief probate judge and county treasurer. County election commissions furnish ballots and other supplies for statewide primaries, general elections and special elections, making the clerk central to how voting is run in the county.

The replacement process is already set by state law. When a county clerk vacancy opens, the judge or judges of the judicial circuit appoint a successor to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. In Grand Traverse County, that means the decision falls to 13th Judicial Circuit judges Charles M. Hamlyn and Kevin A. Elsenheimer, whose circuit also includes Antrim and Leelanau counties.

County administrator Nate Alger praised Scheele’s professionalism and steady approach, underscoring how much the office affects both the mechanics and the tone of county government. Her retirement now puts a familiar institutional anchor in motion at a time when residents rely on the clerk’s office for everything from marriage licenses and public filings to election readiness and court records.

For Grand Traverse County, the handoff is not just administrative. It is a change in the office that touches some of the most visible functions in local government, and the next clerk will step into a role that affects nearly every resident at some point.