Four candidates are on the Nov. 8 ballot for four open seats on the Belleville Area District Library Board.
Daniel Fleming
Daniel Fleming, 65, of Van Buren Township is making his first try at elective office. He and his wife Nancy have sons Scott and Cole.
“I’ve enjoyed living in the Belleville area for close to 54 years. My grandmother, mother, along with myself and children have all graduated from Belleville High School,” Fleming wrote.
“I have a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University in Business and Public Health & Safety. I retired in 2019 from General Motors with 38 years seniority. While at GM, I worked as a Pre-Production Launch Manager and helped manage many Pre-Production programs.
“I’ve been married for over 40 years to my wife and have two son, which both have graduated from local universities with bachelor degrees. I enjoy all sorts of travel both domestic and international. I also enjoy cruises and lots of camping. My hobbies are my family, friends, birding, and staying active.
“I’d bring a deep commitment to my community as Library Trustee along with a broad spectrum of skills.”
He said his priority, when elected, is to serve the Belleville Library and the surrounding communities that it supports in any way possible.
Sharon Claytor Peters
Sharon Claytor Peters, 71, of Van Buren Township is running for reelection to the Belleville Area District Library Board. She serves as president.
She and her husband Melvin T. Peters, Ph.D. have two children, Shani and Haile. They have lived in the library district for 15.5 years.
She is a retired Non-Profit Executive, with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University in 1971 and a Master of Arts from MSU in 1977.
She ran for public office successfully three times: once for the Lansing School Board and twice for the Belleville Area District Library Board.
She has been appointed to public office. In 2021 she was appointed to the Childhood Investment Corporation by Gov. Whitmer; Council for Labor and Economic Growth by Gov. Granholm; and Assistant Secretary of State by Richard Austin.
Peters is a member of Trinity Episcopal church, Friends of Belleville Area District Library, and the Charles Wright Museum of African American History.
“I am running for another term on the Belleville Area District Library Board to continue the work I started. I am particularly proud to have had a role in selecting our excellent library professional leadership, as well as 1) steering the new library building project, 2) engaging the public support at the ballot box, 3) working every step of the way with the design team, 4) bringing in additional private support, 5) implementing the plan which has now resulted in full functioning at our new library. I want to continue to help this community resource be all it can be – our community hub.”
Her goals, once elected: “We are now able to enlarge and stabilize our library staff as well as the fine-tune library operations. We are embarking on updating library policies to better fix current reality. We are expanding hours to better serve the community. Additionally, I look forward to maximizing service to the tri-community of Belleville, Sumpter, and Van Buren Township. Our library is only at the beginning stages of the role it can play in bringing together the community and expanding our cultural resources!”
Linda Priest
Linda Priest, 76, of Belleville is running for reelection to a four-year term on the library board. She and her husband Randy are parents to sons Jason, Eric, and Se18h. She has lived in the library district for 22 years.
Priest is a retired middle school science teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Madonna University and a Master of Education from Eastern Michigan University.
Her first run for elective office was when she ran and was elected to the library board in 2018.
She belongs to the League of Women Voters, Belleville Yacht Club, Central United Methodist Church, Belleville Senior Transportation Board, and Friends of the Belleville Area District Library.
She said she is running for library board because, “The Belleville Library was one of the first places I went to 22 years ago when we moved to Belleville. I want to make sure the library continues to serve our community at the high level it has for all those years.”
Her goals once elected are to, “Increase library use by the entire Belleville, Sumpter and Van Buren communities” and, “Find new ways to be of service to library patrons.”
Tanya Stoudemire-Phillips
Tanya Stoudemire-Phillips, 59, of Van Buren Township is running for a four-year term on the Belleville Area District Library Board.
She is married to Adrian Phillips and their children are Kyron, Evan, and Blake Phillips. She has lived in the library district for 19 years.
She holds a Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wayne State University and serves as the Chief Deputy CFO for the City of Detroit.
Stoudemire-Phillips ran for the District Library Board in 2014 and 2018 and was appointed to the board in 2020.
Her hobbies include boating on Belleville Lake, camping, and traveling with her family.
“The reason I am running for office is because I am an experienced BADL Trustee and my professional expertise serving as the Chief Deputy CFO for the city of Detroit make me uniquely qualified for this position. My husband and I have reared three children here and this will forever be their hometown. I am looking forward to the opportunity to continued to serve and show my appreciation to the wonderful community by being actively involved in its continued success.”
When asked about her goals, she said: “Our library is a gem and one of our community’s most important assets. My goal is to continue to provide sound financial advice, engage in community outreach and promote the services available at our beautiful new library. We should all be very proud of this accomplishment.”