By April Lehmbeck
C & G Staff Writer      

HARPER WOODS — Harper Woods voters didn’t flock to the polls on May 6, but those who did chose to cast ballots for two people who will help make major school decisions for the city.

Margaret Hunt Wagner and Joseph Zichi beat out Kimberly Arrington and Ventrice Weems for the two school board seats on the ballot. Hunt Wagner and Zichi will hold the seats for the next four years.

Hunt Wagner took 319 of the votes, and Zichi snagged 263 votes. Of the city’s registered voters, 7 percent cast ballots in this election, according to city information.

“The turnout was typical for a school election,” City Clerk Mickey Todd said. “In ‘05 we had 8 percent, in ‘06 we had 9 percent and in ‘07 we had 6 percent.  Also, as usual, there were more absentee ballots than there were voters at the polls.”

Hunt Wagner and Zichi could not be reached for comment before press time.

Hunt Wagner has been on the board since last summer, when she was chosen to replace Joel Killenberg, who retired from his seat. This was her first time on the ballot.

Before the election, she said she wanted to see opportunities for all students to grow and keep the district meeting Adequate Yearly Progress. Also, working to meet the financial challenges that many districts are facing with creative ways to bring in revenue was on her to-do list.

When Hunt Wagner was originally chosen for her seat, Zichi also submitted his name to fill that seat. He said he wanted to get involved and find ways to make sure children in the district continue to receive a quality education with many extra-curricular activities to take part in.

A priority on his list was to keep the lines of communication open between the schools, parents and city, and to keep everyone working together.

You can reach Staff Writer April Lehmbeck at alehmbeck@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1043.


Harper Woods Board of Education

Unofficial election results — May 6, 2008

Two four-year terms
Margaret Hunt Wagner, 319
Joseph Zichi, 263
Kimberly Arrington, 139
Ventrice Weems, 52

Source: Harper Woods City Web site