Warren

Two newcomers join WCS Board of Education

By Cortney Casey
C & G Staff Writer

Two faces new to the Board of Education — but not to the district itself — are coming to Warren Consolidated Schools.

In the Nov. 6 general election, Sue Trombley ran away with nearly a third of the vote, easily securing a seat on the board with 18,561 votes (32 percent), according to unofficial results from the Macomb County Clerk’s Office.

Also earning a place at the table for the next four years was Ben Lazarus, who came in second with 10,047 votes (17.3 percent).

Neither of the newly elected officials are strangers to WCS. Trombley, 48, served as PTO president, vice president and secretary at Harwood Elementary over a 10-year period and is currently the treasurer of the Warren Mott High School Booster Club.

Lazarus, 22, is a WCS graduate whose name became well-known several years ago due to his outspoken critiques of the district’s grading system and student identification policies.

Trombley’s and Lazarus’ election unseats incumbent Loretta Crow, who came in fourth with 8,696 votes (15 percent). Another incumbent, Clifford Terry, did not seek re-election.

Among the other contenders, Carl Hessing, Jane E. Gabler and Carl P. Priemer received 9,183 votes (15.8 percent), 8,134 votes (14 percent) and 3,410 votes (5.9 percent), respectively.

With the school board race running in conjunction with a presidential race for the first time ever due to election date reform, Trombley said no one knew exactly what to expect.

“Typically, you have 10,000 people you have to reach; now you have 40,000 or 50,000,” she said.

Trombley, a first-time candidate, said she was shocked, amazed and humbled by the overwhelming outcome in her favor.

Characterizing her campaign as “grass roots,” Trombley said she and her team knocked on every door in the district. She and Lazarus both triumphed without the financial backing of special interest groups, she added.

“We were individuals with our own minds and our own voice,” she said.
When she takes office come January, Trombley said views finances as the first order of business, and the teachers’ contract expiring June 30 as a top priority.

“When concessions are made within the district, I would like to make sure that it’s equal,” from bus drivers to administrators, she said.

Finding additional revenue sources and securing more financial support from the state also are critical, she said.

Lazarus and Crow could not be immediately reached for comment on the election results.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Cortney Casey at ccasey@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1046.