Nine communities in Macomb County will elect leaders and voters in a handful of municipalities will decide ballot proposals affecting their communities, ranging from city charter questions to ditch maintenance and public safety.
There are also school bond proposals on the Nov. 4 ballot for voters in three school districts, two of which cross county lines.
A few communities have uncontested races, including for the Richmond council and for judge and the council in Grosse Pointe Shores, which straddles Macomb and Wayne counties.
But most of the municipal elections have contested races, including mayoral races in Mount Clemens (incumbent Laura Kropp against Rhonda Powell, former health and community services director for Macomb County); New Baltimore (incumbent Tom Semaan against Councilman Ryan Covert) and Sterling Heights (incumbent Michael Taylor versus Matthew Ryan).
Roseville muralist Ed Stross said on Facebook he is running a write-in campaign for Roseville mayor against incumbent Robert Taylor, whose name is the only one appearing on the ballot for mayor. Roseville voters also will see five names for three, four-year city council seats on the ballot, but votes cast for late Councilwoman Jan Haggerty, who recently died, won’t count.
Incumbents Rob Baker and Cardi DeMarco Jr. and newcomer Karen Scott are vying for two, four-year seats on the Eastpointe City Council. There will be new faces on the Fraser City Council, where five people, including incumbent Patrick O’Dell as well as Matthew Dantes, Crystal Fletcher, George-Michael Higgins and Lora Michael are seeking three, four-year seats.
Five people are running for Mount Clemens City Commission, including incumbents Laura Fournier and Eric Rick as well as Roxanne Brown, Ronald Campbell and Paul Friedmann. They are vying for three, four-year seats.
In New Baltimore, Treasurer Jeanne Bade is being challenged by Councilman Jacob Dittrich for her four-year seat. Four people are running for three, four-year seats on the city council, too, including incumbents David Duffy and Mel Eason as well as Ralph DeBucce Jr. and Stan Russell, both of whom are on the zoning board of appeals.
In St. Clair Shores, three incumbent council members, John Caron, David Rubello and Candice Rusie, are seeking reelection against challengers Adura Calhoun, Dominic Roy Neumann and Bryan Owens for three, four-year seats.
In the county’s second-largest community, Sterling Heights, the city council’s six incumbents Deanna Koski, Michael Radtke, Maria Schmidt, Liz Sierawski, Henry Yanez and Barbara Ziarko are seeking reelection to their four-year seats. They are challenged by Daniel Acciacca, Teri Brinker, Rick McKiddy, Robert Mijac (a former county commissioner), Jackie Ryan (a former deputy county clerk who served under ousted county clerk Karen Spranger) and Moira Smith.
Five communities have proposals on the ballot. Here’s a breakdown by municipality:
And here are three school bond proposals:
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mayors, council seats, ballot issues before voters in Macomb County elections
Reporting by Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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