Candidates file ahead of primary election

The general election will take place in November.

By DAVID PANIAN

davidp@tecumsehherald.com

TECUMSEH — Only one name will appear for Tecumseh mayor on ballots for this year’s general election.

Incumbent Mayor Brian Radant was the only candidate to submit nominating petitions, city clerk Tonya Miller said in an email, meaning he’ll be the only mayoral candidate on the ballots for the general election in November.

If there had been three or more candidates, there would have been a primary election in August. That is why the filing deadline for mayoral candidates is three months before the deadline for city council member candidates. The council member filing deadline is 4 p.m. July 21.

The deadline to file for the Aug. 4 primary election was April 21. Local clerks had until last week to submit the filings they received to the Lenawee County Clerk’s Office. With this being a gubernatorial election year, most township and county offices are not up for election. There are two judicial positions on the ballot for new, six-year terms, and the Lenawee County Road Commission has a full term up for election as well as a partial term.

There are some partial terms to be filled on township boards, notably in Raisin Township which had three vacancies in the past several months due to resignations. Deb Brousseau, who was appointed township supervisor after Tom Hawkins resigned, was the only partisan candidate to file to complete the supervisor term. Kelly Williams, who was appointed to fill a trustee position after Kerry Hamilton Smith resigned, was the only partisan candidate to file to complete that term. They both filed as Republicans. No Democrats filed for those positions.

Trustee Blaine MacDonald, who was appointed to fill the trustee position vacated by Brousseau when she became supervisor, did not file as a candidate for either the Republican or Democratic nomination to be on the November ballot, Raisin Township Clerk Susan Bunch said in an email. Instead, Bunch said, he plans to file as a nonpartisan candidate. The deadline to file as a nonpartisan candidate for a partisan office, like a township board position, for the November election is July 16.

In the campaign for the state representative position that covers most of Lenawee County, it appeared that there would be a primary election between two Democrats to face incumbent Republican state Rep. Nancy Jenkins-Arno of Clayton in November. Instead, former Tecumseh City Council member Austin See withdrew his filing, allowing for a rematch in November between John Dahlgren of Clinton and Jenkins-Arno.

See declined to comment about why he withdrew.

This year’s elections also have state and federal offices on the ballot in Michigan, including U.S. House and Senate and state House and Senate.

In a primary election, voters can only vote for candidates from one party because the purpose of a primary is to nominate candidates from either the Republican or Democratic parties to be in the general election in November. For example, in a primary election someone cannot vote for a Republican for governor and a Democrat for Senate. They have to stick to one party. In November, they can vote for candidates from any party.

Nonpartisan positions, like judges, also have primary elections where the choices would be narrowed down to two candidates if there were three or more candidates. Judicial candidates still appear on the primary ballot even if they are unopposed.

The filing deadline for proposals, such as millage requests or renewals, to be on the Aug. 4 ballot is May 12, Lenawee County Clerk Roxann Holloway said in an email.

To see a personalized preview of the ballot for each jurisdiction, visit mi.gov/vote.

The following positions and candidates will be on the Aug. 4 primary election ballots:

Lenawee County District Judge

vote for not more than one; six-year term

Todd M. Morgan

Lenawee County Circuit Judge

vote for not more than one; six-year term

Michael R. Olsaver

Michigan Court of Appeals Judge

vote for not more than one; partial term ending on Jan. 1, 2031

Andrew Lievense

vote for not more than three; six-year terms

Miriam Bazzi

Anica Letica

Christopher Murray

Governor

vote for not more than one; four-year term

Democrats: Jocelyn Benson, Christopher Swanson, Kim Thomas

Republicans: Mike Cox, John James, Perry Johnson, Aric Nesbitt, Ralph Rebandt

U.S. Senator (vote for not more than one; six-year term)

Democrats: Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow, Haley Stevens

Republicans: Mike Rogers, Bernadette Smith

5th Congressional District

vote for not more than one; two-year term 

Democrat: Christian Vukasovich

Republican: Tim Walberg

State Senator, 15th District

Includes Tecumseh city and township, Clinton village and township, Macon Township, and part of Washtenaw County.

vote for not more than one; four-year term

Democrats: Felicia Brabec, Michael White.

Republican: Jason Rogers

State Senator, 16th District

Includes Raisin and Ridgeway townships and the rest of Lenawee County other than the areas in the 15th District.

vote for not more than one; four-year term

Democrat: Deandre Barnes

Republican: Joe Bellino

State Representative, 30th District

Includes Ridgeway and Deerfield townships, the part of Blissfield Township north of Rouget Road, and the southern half of Monroe County including the city of Monroe.

vote for not more than one; two-year term

Democrat: Omar Ferdin

Republican: William Bruck

State Representative, 31st District

Includes Macon Township, the northwestern part of Monroe County, and parts of Washtenaw and Wayne counties including Detroit Metropolitan Airport

vote for not more than one; two-year term

Democrat: Shannon Wayne

Republican: Laura Perry

State Representative, 34th District

Includes most of Lenawee County except those areas covered by the 30th, 31, and 35th districts.

vote for not more than one; two-year term

Democrat: John Dahlgren

Republican: Nancy Jenkins-Arno

State Representative, 35th District

Includes the city of Hudson and all of Hillsdale and Branch counties.

vote for not more than one; two-year term

Democrat: Jeff Cooley

Republican: Jennifer Wortz

Lenawee County Road Commission

vote for not more than one; six-year term

Republican: Mike Slusarski

vote for not more than one; partial term ending Dec. 31, 2030

Republicans: Todd Brown and Tony Simpkins

Deerfield Township

Clerk, vote for not more than one; partial term ending Nov. 20, 2028

No candidates filed

Ogden Township

Clerk, vote for not more than one; partial term ending Nov. 20, 2028

No candidates filed

Raisin Township

Supervisor, vote for not more than one; partial term ending Nov. 20, 2028

Republican: Deb Brousseau

Trustee, vote for not more than two; partial term ending Nov. 20, 2028

Republican: Kelly Williams

Rollin Township

Clerk, vote for not more than one; partial term ending Nov. 20, 2028

Republicans: Anna Pedrotte, Holly Terrill