Plymouth Township Supervisor Kurt Heise’s bid for re-election ended Tuesday after he lost to Trustee Charles Curmi in a heated Republican primary.
According to the unofficial election results, Curmi won with 56% of the vote against Heise, who received 43% of the vote.
Heise’s defeat followed a contentious election campaign in Plymouth Township in which each incumbent faced a primary challenge. Several candidates said they were frustrated with development projects in the township that could alter its quiet character.
Meanwhile, Democratic Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington won the Democratic primary against challenger Joan Merriewether on Wednesday, with nearly all precincts reporting their results from Tuesday.
Washington led Merriewether 64% to 35% and will face Republican TP Nykoriak in the fall, who received 59% to Articia Bomer’s 40% with nearly all votes counted. Washington is expected to have the upper hand in November because Wayne County is heavily Democratic.
Clerk Cathy Garrett defeated Hadi Tarraf in the Democratic primary by 88% to 11% and will not run against any Republican candidate this fall, except for possible at-large candidates.
Five statewide offices were up for election: clerk of court, district attorney, sheriff, treasurer and land clerk.
Wayne County Attorney Kym Worthy and County Treasurer Eric Sabree, both Democrats, ran unopposed.
Voters were asked to approve two countywide proposals. Proposition A would amend the county charter to allow an independent outside auditor, selected by competitive bidding, to serve for a term of three years or more. Currently, the county seeks contracts from private accounting firms that bid for the contract every eight years. But ongoing consolidation of accounting firms nationwide makes that eight-year period problematic, county officials contend.
Proposition P would renew a tax increase for the improvement of various parks in the county. It proposes a renewal of the 2020 tax increase with a rollback rate effective in 2023 of 0.2442 per thousand, or approximately $0.24 per $1,000 of a property’s taxable value for five years, from 2026 to 2030.
The renewal is expected to generate $14 million in 2026. The funds will be used to improve and operate several parks and related facilities, including Hines Park, Elizabeth Park, Wayne County Family Aquatic Center at Chandler Park, and various municipal parks in the county’s 43 municipalities.
Wayne County Commission
Commission Chair Alisha Bell ran unopposed for her seat on the Wayne County Commission in the 7th District, which represents central and western Detroit.
The commission and its staff are the legislative branch of county government. The 15-member commission’s primary job is to adopt a budget and enact ordinances. The commission also approves contracts, appointments and rules for the county.
Wayne County, the most populous county in Michigan, is divided into 15 precincts and county commissioners are elected every two years in even-numbered elections.
The most hotly contested race was for the commission seat among the five Democrats seeking to fill the open seat in the 11th District. The district includes Belleville, Flat Rock, Romulus, the city of Wayne and the towns of Huron, Sumpter and Van Buren. Commissioner Al Haidous, who currently represents the 11th District, did not seek re-election.
Allen Wilson, a Romulus councilman and former member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, he said. He is a longtime United Auto Workers employee and deputy director of the Community Action Program.
Jeremy Cady, Tim Craiger, David Hotz and Joe Richert also ran as Democratic candidates for the 11th District and waged an intensive campaign, asking thousands of potential voters for their votes, the candidates said. Concerns about roads, bridges, sewers and other infrastructure were common worries among residents, they said. Many said just as many concerns about the lack of affordable housing, the rising number of power outages, education and elder care.
Cady is the Huron Township town clerk. Craiger is a 30-year retiree of the United Auto Workers and a former Van Buren Township volunteer firefighter. Hotz is a longtime local Democratic organizer. Richert, who has operated a health care business for 50 years, has served in various offices in Huron Township, including the Planning Commission, the Huron School District School Board and the Downtown Development Authority.
In the third district, County Commissioner Martha Scott of Highland Park faced three Democratic challengers. The district includes the cities of Hamtramck and Highland Park, as well as part of Detroit. Scott, a former state senator and representative, and former mayor of Highland Park, is seeking her seventh term in office.
Scott’s challengers include two Hamtramck residents, Mohammed Alsomiri and Mohammed Hassan.
Beyond the countywide offices, many communities have multiple candidates running for various local offices, from administrator to treasurer to trustee. In Ecorse, there are three candidates for mayor, including incumbent Lamar Tidwell, and three candidates for treasurer, including incumbent Marilyn Oliver. Lamar
In Detroit, voters are being asked to renew a 10-year tax plan that covers 85 percent of the general operating funds of the city’s public libraries and promises increased revenue for the cash-strapped system due to a change in law.
Under Proposition L, Detroit voters are being asked to approve a proposed 10-year property tax on the Detroit Public Library of 3.9943 mills, or nearly $4 per $1,000 of taxable value. The renewal combines two expiring millages that voters approved in 2014. The renewal, if approved, would raise an estimated $42 million in the first year, library officials say.
Other races in Wayne County
In Plymouth Township, the Republican race for supervisor was marked by a steady stream of attacks on social media, via email and text messages before Heise lost to Curmi.
In Dearborn, residents were asked to change the city’s charter. A charter is “the legal document that defines the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of city government,” according to the League of National Cities. A charter is typically created and periodically revised through a process that includes a charter commission and voter approval.
One of the proposed charter updates would strengthen a more independent ethics board that would help oversee “how individuals who work and volunteer for the city should conduct themselves,” according to charter commission documents. Overall, the charter commission has revised or added language to bring about greater government transparency.
Since the last charter, there have also been many changes to the city employee pension program. The traditional defined benefit pension programs have been replaced by defined contribution pension programs. The language has been updated to reflect these changes.
Another proposed amendment aimed to update the charter and strengthen the language regarding environmental concerns. Among other things, a new sentence was proposed that states: “The population has the right to expect the city to protect, maintain and improve the quality of the sustainable environment (air, water and land).”
