Sheena Barnes seeks to unseat treasurer in Sumpter primary race

Sheena D. Barnes, 62, of 28321 Sumpter Rd., is a candidate on the Democratic primary ballot for Sumpter Township Treasurer. She is seeking to unseat the current treasurer, Vincent Warren, 45465 Dunn Rd., a Democrat who was appointed to the position on June 16, 2021, following the death of elected Treasurer James Clark on June 7, 2021 from complications of COVID.
The partial term being sought runs through Nov. 20, 2024.
Barnes, who was appointed trustee in 2018 and served a partial term, also has run for Sumpter Township trustee, clerk, and treasurer.
She is the mother of Julius, Sharnice, and Jamarnea and grandmother of five.
Barnes has been the owner of Sheena Barnes BBQ Bones for 35 years and has lived in the township her whole life. She graduated from Airport High School and attended WCCC.
She is a member of the Belleville Area Council for the Arts, Southwestern Democratic Club, and Belleville Lake Fest. She enjoys singing, dancing, and art.
Barnes said she is running for this office “to make a difference to the stagnated board of trustees and be the eyes and ears and voice of the people.”
She said her goals, once elected, are the youth and family development, applying for grants, and most of all, economic development.
“Cut out big spending,” she said.
Vincent Warren
Vincent Warren, a Democrat who is running for election to the position he was appointed to, did not return his candidate form to the Independent.
When he ran for treasurer in the Aug. 4, 2020 election he provided the following information to the Independent.
Warren said he and his wife of more than 30 years had eight children and five grandchildren.
He has a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling with a baccalaureate in Liberal Arts. During the 2021 campaign, he said his wife Cindy was completing her Doctoral program to join him in advocating for families and youth.
He said he served as a peer advocate for the nation’s veterans at the Department of Veteran Affairs in Ann Arbor. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1988-1994.
Warren said he was voted a trustee of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4434, was an officer in the Sumpter Township Progressive League, was resident facilitator for the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development and is a state-certified hospice chaplain.
Republican candidate
Bart Patterson, 23745 Sumpter Rd., Sumpter Township, is running unopposed for the treasurer’s position on the Republican ballot and will face the winner of the Democratic race in November.
Police Millages
Also, on the ballot in Sumpter Township are two police protection millage renewals: one for one mill and one for two mills, both for four years.