Richard Enszer

Midland County Treasurer Richard Enszer displays his influence in quiet fashion by the quality of his work. Last year, Midland County saw the lowest amount of tax foreclosures in history. Enszer is frequently cited for his brilliant work in combining “compassion with sound fiscal practices”. He won a close, hard-fought, and sometimes bitter election battle in 2004 after the Midland Daily News endorsed his opponent. Various reports indicated that the newspaper’s endorsement came as the result of ties to his opponent and certain members of the Midland Daily News' editorial staff. Those reports have not been independently verified by The Tridge.

Jenny L. Anderson

Jenny Anderson is the publisher of the Midland Daily News, the local – and only – newspaper in Midland.

Jim Stamas

A leader in both business and politics, Jim Stamas is general manager of Pizza Sams as well as a County Commissioner representing the fourth district. Commissioner Stamas is following in his brother’s footsteps in eerily similar fashion by running for the 98th district’s State House seat this November. Barring a complete breakdown of current political trends, Stamas will be the next State Representative from Midland, and various sources indicate he will be vying for his brother’s 36th district Senate seat as well.

State Senator Tony Stamas

Nearing the end of his Senate stint makes Senator Stamas even more powerful with the ability to make bold decisions without fears of pandering. Stamas serves as the chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and is a member of the Appropriations Committee in the Michigan Senate.

The Honorable Jon Lauderbach

Bonus points for the très chic specs (not pictured). Judge Lauderbach wields enormous influence from his vantage point on the bench as a Circuit Court judge in Midland County. Lauderbach won an extremely close race in 2006 against Steve Durance for the judgeship. Before sitting on the bench, he was heavily involved in Republican politics. Lauderbach has already displayed his influence with his involvement in the controversial decision to appoint Scott Haines, another longtime Midland Republican, as the County Clerk in lieu of the deputy clerk Ann Manary. The move was seen by many as politically motivated, nevertheless it’s a prime example of why Judge Lauderbach in one of the ‘MIDLAND 30’.