Warren

Switalski bests Liss in 28th District primary

By Brian Louwers
C & G Staff Writer

State Rep. Jon Switalski defeated state Rep. Lesia Liss in a battle of second-term incumbent Democrats vying for a chance to represent the new 28th District in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Switalski, who previously represented residents of Warren and Sterling Heights in what was the state House’s 25th District, garnered 65.4 percent of the vote to Liss’ 34.6 percent in the primary election on Aug. 7.

Liss represented residents of Warren and Center Line in what had been the state’s 28th District until it was reapportioned this year.

Both Switalski and Liss were elected to the Michigan Legislature as part of the same class in 2008.

The day after the victory, Switalski said hard work and a grassroots effort to interact with voters contributed to his comfortable win over another incumbent candidate.

“I think that was the bottom line. We knocked on doors for many months, and talked to thousands and thousands of supporters. In the end, that made the difference,” Switalski said. “The message that I took away clearly is that people feel the middle class is being attacked, under pressure, being squeezed. The governor’s policies haven’t helped anything. They’ve hurt folks.”

The primary battle now behind him, Switalski said he’d continue to carry the messages he brought with him on his summer campaign into the fall. He’ll face Republican challenger Steven Klusek in November, who ran unopposed in the primary.

Klusek, a Warren resident who graduated from Oakland University and St. Clement High School, said he’s worked in the automotive industry for19 years. He said he currently works as a quality engineer for an automotive supplier and that he intends to go door-to-door in the district carrying a message that’s friendly to manufacturing businesses.

“Basically you go through Warren, especially down on the south side, I remember in my younger days when I was in high school, there used to be tool-and-die shops all over the place, and manufacturing facilities. Now there’s just empty buildings,” Klusek said. “Basically I’d just like to bring jobs back to Warren, especially manufacturing jobs. I’d like to promote an atmosphere that’s friendly to manufacturing.”

In other races, incumbent District 1 County Commissioner Toni Moceri, D-Warren, handily defeated challengers Joe Peters Jr. and Dolores Thomas for a spot on the November ballot.

Moceri will likely face tough competition from someone well known in Warren politics: former City Council President Mary Kamp, who defeated Jennifer Anne Albers by a two-to-one margin in the Republican primary for District 1 of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners.

In District 2, incumbent Democrat Marv Sauger, D-Center Line, defeated challengers Karen J. Blumenthal, Joseph Hunt, and Hawke Fracassa.

Sauger will run against former longtime Warren Council member and Republican Mike Wiecek in November, who ran unopposed in the primary.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Brian Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1089.