Attorney James Spagnuolo and Magistrate Genevieve Taylor were ahead in the race for an open judge’s seat on the 16th Judicial Circuit Court in Macomb County, according to early returns.
Spagnuolo had 36.1% of the vote and Taylor had 28.1%. Attorneys Jeremy Fisher and Mariell Lehman had 20.6% and 14% of the vote, respectively.
The top two candidates will advance to the general election.
Macomb County Commissioner Ken Goike, meanwhile, is ahead of Washington Township resident Dan Bartolotta in the Republican primary for Goike’s District 1 seat on the county Board of Commissioners, according to early returns.
Goike had 76.5% of the vote and 22.9%. The seat represents many communities in northern Macomb County. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Michael LaBuhn in the November general election.
Voters across Macomb County headed to the polls on a range of issues, from library millage renewals in Eastpointe and Utica to police millage renewals in Harrison Township and Washington Township.
Chesterfield parks and recreation millage
In Chesterfield Township, voters were asked to consider a new millage to fund parks and senior programming. The 1-mill millage would span 10 years if it’s approved.
Chesterfield Township Supervisor Bradley Kersten said the township has vacant park properties that lack amenities. If the parks and recreation millage is approved, the township plans to use the funds it would bring in to build a new park, Connie Bowles Park, on land at 25 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue.
“As that is one of the fastest growing regions of our township, where residents are growing into, that is in the heart of the township, we’d like to provide a park space with walking trails, pickleball parks, dog runs, workout stations, sitting areas, sled hills for the kids, just in that area or that region of the township,” he said.
The township also plans to make other improvements, such as updates to Brandenburg Park and Pollard Park, if the millage is approved.
Chesterfield Township also intends to improve its community center, which is frequented by seniors. An additional gym and an indoor walking path will be added to the building, and HVAC upgrades will be completed, said Michele Vannerson, director of Chesterfield Township’s parks, recreation and senior services department.
Open seat on Board of Commissioners
The Macomb County Board of Commissioners appointed Goike as District 1 commissioner in January 2025, filling the seat of Don Brown, the former board chairman who resigned from the board in December 2024 after being re-elected that November. The winner of the election in November will be elected to a two-year term.
Goike, owner of Goike Trucking and Excavating and a former state representative, said he’s running to retain his seat because of his experience and his age. He said he’s semi-retired.
“It’s a perfect fit for me to continue on my doing good things for … the greater good of the community,” he said.
Bartolotta, Goike’s opponent, was among those who applied for the appointment to Brown’s seat but didn’t get it. He said he didn’t like how there was an appointee process for the seat.
“I don’t believe in appointees,” he said. “I think people should have a vote and a choice.”
Judge race
Fisher, Lehman, Spagnuolo and Taylor, meanwhile, are running for a judge seat on the 16th Judicial Circuit Court. Two of the four candidates will continue on to the general election. Lehman was the attorney for the father of Ethan Crumbley, the Oxford High School shooter. The trial was the first of its kind in the nation against the parents of a mass shooter.
Taylor of St. Clair Shores said she’s been practicing law for 17 years. She is now a magistrate for the 42-2 District Court in New Baltimore and the 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores.
Fisher of Warren said he has been an attorney for about 20 years and an assistant prosecuting attorney for seven. He’s the deputy chief of the family support division at the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
Lehman of Macomb Township said she has over 15 years of experience as an attorney and runs her own law firm, which focuses mainly on criminal defense and family law.
Spagnuolo, a former Marine and a Clinton Township resident, has 23 years of experience and is the founder of the Macomb Law Group, representing injured individuals and families navigating the legal system, according to his campaign website.
asnabes@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Spagnuolo, Taylor lead in 16th Judicial Circuit Court judge race in Macomb Co.
Reporting by Anne Snabes, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Anne Snabes, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
