Berkley, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge

High turnout powers strong local support for Obama

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

Voter turnout was robust throughout the Woodward Talk coverage area in what ultimately was a microcosm of the overall election, with President Barack Obama receiving the majority vote in all four local cities, as well as Oakland County and the U.S. as a whole to win a second term in office.

Residents of Ferndale, Berkley, Huntington Woods and Pleasant Ridge stormed the polls Nov. 6 to cast their ballots in the Presidential race, along with a myriad of other national, statewide, countywide and local candidates and proposals. Voter turnout exceeded the county average of 71.29 percent in three of the four communities, with Huntington Woods bringing in 82.96 percent of registered voters, followed by Pleasant Ridge at 78.73 percent, Berkley at 75.62 percent and Ferndale at 63.66 percent.

Obama earned 75.52 percent of the vote in Ferndale, 70.42 percent in Huntington Woods, 67.47 percent in Pleasant Ridge and 58.41 percent in Berkley. These numbers significantly exceeded Obama’s Oakland County total of 53.4 percent, and his Michigan total of about 53.6 percent, which was still not final at press time.

Meanwhile, all other contests with local impact featured Democratic incumbents holding onto their seats with ease. As expected, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., defeated challenger Pete Hoekstra by a strong majority, while U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, did the same in overcoming opponent Don Volaric. Other local officials earned huge landslide victories in their respective races, including Michigan Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton, D-Huntington Woods, over Ezra Drissman; Oakland County Commissioner Helaine Zack, D-Huntington Woods, over Steven Zimberg; Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward, D-Royal Oak, over William Shaw; and Oakland County Commissioner Gary McGillivray, D-Madison Heights, over Antoine Delaforterie.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.