On Tuesday, voters in Sumpter Township elected Democrat Esther Hurst as clerk, Democrat Kenneth Bednark as treasurer, and Republican Tim Rush as trustee. All the terms are until the 2020 election, since they are filling seats that had been appointed.
Benark and Rush are new to the board.
Unofficial returns from Wayne County show Hurst received 2,710 votes (89.93%), with 273 write-ins. The township’s total for Hurst is 2,437.
Bednark earned 2,505 votes (90.89%), with 251 write-ins.
For trustee, Republican Rush received 1,817 votes (50.26%), Democrat Jennifer Price earned 1,545 (42.74%), and Andrew Slovik earned 228 (6.31%).
Buren Public Schools Board of Education
Four candidates were running for three four-year seats on the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education. The unofficial results show:
• Amy Pearce – 11,601
• Darlene Loyer Gerick — 9,639
• Calvin H. Hawkins — 8,387
• Dionne Falconer — 8,119
These results came from precincts in Van Buren Township, Sumpter Township, the City of Belleville, Canton Township and Ypsilanti Township.
Belleville Area District Library Board
Five candidates ran for four seats on the Belleville Area District Library Board. The district library covers the municipalities of Van Buren Township, Sumpter Township, and the City of Belleville. Unofficial results show:
• Mary Jane Dawson — 7,897
• Sharon Peters — 7,419
• Barbara Gates — 7,097
• Linda Priest — 6,952
• Tanya Stoudemire — 6,342
Other local races
Erika Geiss, D, earned 61% of the vote for state senator in the 6th District, over Brenda Jones, R, with 38%, with 89% of the ballots counted as the Independent went to press.
State Rep. Kristy Pagan, D, kept her seat in the 21st District with 27,444 votes (61.66%) over challenger Darian Moore, R, with 16,944 (38.07%).
State Rep. Joe Bellino, R, kept his seat in the 17th District, besting Michelle Lavoy, D. Lavoy said she will continue serving as clerk-treasurer for the City of Monroe.
Wayne County Community College’s replacement millage proposal was passing with 95.55% of the vote counted as the Independent went to press. That was 63.42% yes and 36.58% no.
34th District Court Judge Tina Brooks Green, unopposed for another six-year term, earned 97.68% of the vote.
The City of Romulus’ proposal for fire and police service millage passed on a vote of 5,383 yes and 3,806 no.
For the Governor/Lt. Governor posts, Democrats Gretchen Whitmer and Garlin D. Gilchrist, II, won over Republicans Bill Schuette and Lisa Posthumus Lyons.
Joselyn Benson, D, defeated Mary Treder Lang, R, for Secretary of State. Dana Nessel, D, beat Tom Leonard, R, for attorney general.
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabnow, D, defeated her opponent John James, R, in a tight race and she is headed back to Washington. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, D, easily defeated her main rival Jeff Jones, R.
All three proposals passed on the state level. Proposal 1 to regulate marijuana like alcohol passed with 55% of the vote, with 45% opposed. Proposal 2, Constitutional Amendment – Voters not Politicians, passed with 60% of the vote.
Proposal 3, Constitutional Amendment to Protect the Vote, passed with 65% of the vote.