24 candidates show up for Meet the Candidates session

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
Two dozen candidates for office turned out for the Belleville Area Women’s Club Meet the Candidates night at the Moose Lodge on July 9.
This was two days before the official grand opening of the Moose Lodge’s new location in the former PNA Hall in Sumpter Township and members of the community voiced compliments on how the Moose had redecorated the facility.
Kathie Steigerwald thanked the Moose for furnishing the meeting space to the Women’s Club without charge. Also, she thanked Walmart for the cheese and meat tray and women club members for making cookies.
The first order of business was to sing Happy Birthday to You to club member Sophie Zoller.
Then they got down to the business of meeting the candidates.
A large crowd listened intently to the candidates, clapped at various remarks, and wrote questions to submit to the master of ceremonies to ask the candidates. But at the end of the session, many of the written questions were left unasked.
The candidates sat at a series of long tables with traveling microphones and each gave a three-minute talk, introducing themselves and explaining their platforms.
Then some questions were asked by master of ceremonies Randy Brown from cards filled out by members of the audience. Steigerwald helped him with the questions. Janet Millard held up yellow, then red, cards to alert the speakers that their times were up.
Some of the candidates at the event will not be on the Aug. 5 ballot, but will be on the Nov. 4 ballot.
From left around the long tables were:
• A representative of Gary Peters, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. (She introduced herself only as Anna);
• Independent candidate for U.S. Senate Jeff Jones;
• Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate Jim Fulner;
• Republican candidate for U.S. Congress Terry Bowman;
• Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress Ray Mullins;
• Travis Gonyeau, a representative of Debbie Dingell, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress;
• Democratic incumbent Bill LaVoy, state representative for the Sumpter Township area;
• Republican candidate Charles Londo running for state representative for the Sumpter Township area;
• Democratic candidate for state representative for Belleville and Van Buren area, Natalie Mosher;
• Democratic candidate for state representative for Belleville and Van Buren area, Kristy Pagan;
• Republican candidate for state representative for Belleville and Van Buren area Carol Ann Fausone;
• Democratic candidate for state representative for the Belleville and Van Buren area, Cornell Mathis;
• Democratic candidate for Wayne County Executive, Kevin McNamara;
• Democratic candidate for Wayne County Executive, incumbent Bob Ficano;
• Democratic candidate for Wayne County Executive, Phil Cavanaugh;
• Michelle Wild, sister of Democratic candidate for Wayne County Executive, Bill Wild;
• Democratic candidate for Wayne County Commissioner Jeremy Cady;
• Democratic candidate for Wayne County Commissioner Al Haidous;
• Candidate for Wayne County Probate Judge Ron Mitchell, who was suddenly unopposed in the primary election;
• 34th District Court Judge David Parrott, who is running for reelection to the six-year term;
• 34th District Court Judge candidate Lisa Martin;
• 34th District Court Judge candidate Charles Septowski;
• Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, Chris Wahmhoff (who came in late and was at the wrong end of the table); and
• Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor Candace Caveny.