Communities across Oakland County will find a bevy of local races and ballot issues when they hit the polls on Nov. 4.
The Detroit Free Press compiled a list of some notable races and issues across Oakland County. For a full list of candidates and issues on the ballot in November, go to the Oakland County Elections Division.
Auburn Hills: City Council
Auburn Hills voters can choose four candidates among the following: Jack D. Ferguson, Eugene Hawkins III, Henry Vincent Knight, Michael Long, Ron Moniz and Greg Ouellette. Ferguson, Hawkins and Knight are already on the council and are seeking reelection. Among the issues that have drawn attention in Auburn Hills: cannabis licensing, leaf burning and public transportation.
Berkley: City council
Berkley voters can choose three candidates out of: Steve Baker, Gary Elrod, Dennis Hennen, Josh Stapp and Catherine Wade. Baker and Hennen are already on the city council and are seeking reelection.
The city has urged voters going in-person on Election Day to vote to familiarize themselves with parking options at Berkley High School due to ongoing construction.
Birmingham: City commission
Voters can choose three among these candidates on the ballot: Andrew Haig, Zachary Jennings, Bill Kolb, Kevin Kozlowski and Doug White.
Bloomfield Hills: Commissioner
Voters in Bloomfield Hills can choose five candidates for a two-year term: Alan Ackerman, Brad Baxter, Alice Buckley, Lauren Fisher, Susan McCarthy, Anjali Prasad and Brian Scott Jennings, a write-in candidate. Baxter, Fisher, McCarthy and Buckley already sit on the commission and are seeking reelection.
Brandon School District: Bond for school facilities improvements
The Brandon School District is asking taxpayers to OK a $39.5 million bond, which the district reports will not increase taxes. The district has identified a number of facilities for improvement, which would include security upgrades, roofing and flooring upgrades, and HVAC improvements across the district.
Clawson: Mayor
Running for mayor in Clawson are Paula Millan and Susan Moffitt. Millan, whose mayoral term began in 2023, is seeking reelection, while Moffitt is currently on the city council.
Clawson: City council
Clawson voters can choose four from a crowded field for city council: Bruce Anderson, George Georges, Scott Manning, Meredith Peltonen, William Renshaw, Heather Rigby Rinkevich, Glenn Shepard, Laura L. Slowinski, Alec Speshock and Scott Tinlin. Anderson and Shepard already sit on the council and are seeking reelection.
Farmington Hills: Mayor
Voters will choose among: Randy Bruce, Jimmy Lossia and Theresa Rich. Rich is seeking reelection. Affordable housing and development in Farmington Hills are among the big issues in the community. Bruce has served on the city council for two decades.
Farmington Hills: Public safety millage renewal
The city is asking voters to renew its public safety millage. The funding from this millage goes to Farmington Hills Fire and Police Department. The renewal will continue the existing millage rate. And the millage funding currently supports 80 public safety positions, according to the city.
Hazel Park: Mayor
Kristy Cales and Michael Webb are the candidates on the ballot for Hazel Park’s mayor. Webb, the incumbent, is seeking another term. Cales works at the Hazel Park School District in human resources.
Lake Orion Public Schools: Bond for school facilities additions and improvements
Lake Orion Public Schools is seeking a $272 million bond to remodel and otherwise improve school buildings, education technology and other infrastructure like making playground equipment more accessible for people with disabilities and updating the district’s bus fleet.
Lamphere Schools: Bond for school facilities improvements
Lamphere Schools is asking voters to approve a $47.4 million bond measure for funding to improve the district’s school facilities. The last time voters approved a bond proposal was in 1997, according to the school district. Proposed projects for the bond money include roofing replacements, security system enhancements and fire alarm upgrades.
Madison Heights: City council
On the ballot for Madison Heights’ council are Toya D. Aaron and William Mier. Michael Covert, Laurie Geralds, Sydney Larry and Ashley Strunk are also running as write-in candidates. Voters can choose three. Mier is on the council, seeking reelection. One cause recently roiling Madison Heights’ council: The cancellation of the city’s annual Memorial Day parade.
Madison Heights: Mayor
The mayoral race is between Corey Haines and Quinn Wright, to replace Roslyn Grafstein. Wright is on the city council. Haines is the police chief for Eastpointe’s police department, but once served as chief and city manager of Madison Heights.
Novi: City council
Voters can choose three among these candidates on the ballot: Joe Bertera, Toby Brazwell, Jonathan Gold, Priya Gurumurthy, Aaron Martinez, Ed Roney and Brian Smith. Smith and Gurumurthy already sit on the council and are seeking reelection.
Novi Community Schools: Bond for school facilities improvements
Novi is putting a $425 million bond in front of voters. The bond money would go to a long slate of facilities improvements and modernization efforts, including the construction of a new innovation hub at Novi High School and additional classrooms for elementary schools. According to the school district, the bond will not change the tax rate for taxpayers.
Pontiac: Mayor
Pontiac’s mayoral race is a packed slate, between Mike McGuinness and Kermit Williams, as well as write-in candidates Jashon Gilmore, Sabrina Jernagin and Wendell Woods. McGuinness is on city council, while Williams is co-executive director of Oakland Forward.
Notably, in 2011, McGuinness, once a top official with the Oakland County Democratic Party, was charged with forgery and perjury. McGuinness, along with Jason Bauer, were accused of a scheme to put several Tea Party candidates on the ballot without their knowledge, forging signatures on an affidavit. McGuinness pleaded no contest to six charges, according to the Oakland Press.
Rochester: City council
Voters can choose four among the candidates: Dan Bachmann, Jessica Clauser, Christian Hauser, Richard Kendziuk, Sara King, Ann Peterson, Steve Sage and Nancy Salvia. Sage, Salvia and Hauser sit on the council and are seeking reelection.
Royal Oak: Mayor’s race
The mayor’s race in Royal Oak is between incumbent Michael Fournier, who has been mayor since 2016, and Trish Oliver, who has been a longtime board member of the Royal Oak Historical Society.
The heat is on for Fournier, whose involvement with a political consultant representing Sheetz gas station and a controversial plan for a new Sheetz in Royal Oak, has drawn criticism. Fournier has denied any conflict of interest, but other Oakland County leaders have pledged ethics reform measures in the wake of the scandal, the subject of a Detroit Free Press investigation. However in the last election, Fournier led Oliver by a considerable margin.
South Lyon Community Schools: Bond for school facilities improvements
South Lyon’s $350 million bond proposal would go to district safety and security enhancements, technology expenses, building renovations, an expansion of early childhood programs and athletic upgrades. According to the district, the bond will not change the current millage rate for local taxpayers.
Southfield: City clerk
The only candidate on Southfield’s ballot for city clerk is Gabi Grossbard. However, two challengers, Wynett Guy and Coretta Houge, are waging write-in campaigns. The race has attracted attention from state Democrats, who have raised concern about Grossbard’s role as a plaintiff in a 2020 lawsuit following the presidential election
Southfield: Mayor
Southfield’s mayoral race is between former Councilwoman Sylvia Jordan and incumbent Kenson Siver.
Troy: Bond for new library, road improvement and more
Troy’s 2025 bond proposal asks residents to consider a $137 million bond to build a new library, make improvements to roads including Coolidge and Wattles, make improvements to city parks and purchase new bodycams for Troy’s police department.
Walled Lake: Mayor
The mayoral race in Walled Lake is between incumbent Linda Ackley and Richard Gunther, who works in the automotive industry.
Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Here are some of the top races and bond issues to watch in Oakland County municipalities
Reporting by Lily Altavena, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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