Generous voters pass VBT Public Safety, school, library proposals

Voters in Belleville, Van Buren Township, and Sumpter Township opened their pocketbooks at Tuesday’s General Election, approving all local proposals presented to them – and they all involve increased property taxes.
In Van Buren Township, the seven-year, 6.5-mill Public Safety proposal was approved 8,847 to 4,873.
Both proposals by the Belleville Area District Library were approved: Proposal one, bonding to build a $14 million library passed 10,459 to 9,219. Proposal two, to pay 0.75 mill for 20 years to run it, passed 10,066 to 9,668.
The Van Buren Public Schools non-homestead 18-mill, eight-year proposal for operation passed 10,952 to 10,463.
Results for the Wayne RESA proposal were not available for this report. Two years ago, Wayne RESA put the millage on the ballot, but voters rejected it by 2 percentage points. Under the proposal, property owners countywide would pay a 2-mill, six-year tax to support the county’s school districts.
Final totals for the Regional Transit Authority proposal for Southeastern Michigan were not available as the Independent went to press Wednesday morning. The 20-year, 1.2-mill property tax for mass transit lost in Macomb and Oakland counties, and was slightly behind in Wayne and Washtenaw counties. It needs a simple total majority to win.
Turnout high
Turnout was high Tuesday with Van Buren Township reporting 67% of its 22,774 registered voters casting ballots. In Sumpter Township, 60.93% of its 7,240 registered voters cast ballots and in Belleville it was 59% of its 3,273 registered voters. Canton turnout was 69.63%.
Board of Education
Elected to four-year terms on the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education were: incumbent Kelly Owen, 7,370; Susan Featheringill, 7,058; Simone Pinter, 6,809; and Keith Johnston, 6,424.
Others running were Darlene Loyer Gerick, 6,124; Victor De Libera, 4,370; Brent Mikulski, 3,751; and David Peer, 3,716.
Van Buren Township Trustees
The only race in VBT was for trustee. Winners of four-year terms were: Sherry Frazier, 9,909; incumbent Reggie Miller, 9,692; Kevin Martin, 9,552; and Paul White, 8,962.
Others running for trustee were James Chapman, who earned 2,714 votes; and Linda Combs, who ran with a write-in campaign and got 572 votes.
Unopposed were Kevin McNamara for supervisor, 11,096; Treasurer Sharry Budd, 10,948; and Clerk Leon Wright, 10,784.
Sumpter Township Trustees
In Sumpter Township, the lone Republican gave Democrat incumbents a race, but lost. Winners of four-year terms were: Don LaPorte, 2,315; Don Swinson, 2,186; Matthew Oddy, 2,160; and Peggy Morgan, 2,123. Republican Tim Rush, who previously sat on the board, earned 2,086 votes.
District Library Board
Unopposed for seats on the Belleville Area District Library Board were newcomer Alma Hughes-Grubbs, who got 8,106 votes; and incumbents Joy Cichewicz, 7,903, and John Juriga, 7,079.
Late night in VBT
Election returns in Van Buren Township were not available until about 2:48 a.m. Wednesday because of 4,779 absentee ballots to run through the voting machines (two pages), plus 572 write-in ballots to hand count. Belleville was first in the tri-community with returns sent out at 10:33 p.m. Tuesday and Sumpter Township returns were ready a couple of hours later at 12:40 a.m.