Grot wins Republican primary for county commission seat

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — In the primary election Aug. 2, Sylvia Grot won the Republican nomination for the 3rd District of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, prevailing by 40 votes over current Commissioner Jeff Farrington and Grant G. Golasa.

According to unofficial totals from the state, Grot received 3,701 votes; Farrington received 3,661 votes; and Golasa received 1,560 votes.

Ken Reid ran unopposed in the Democratic Party primary and received 4,292 votes.

Grot and Reid will compete for the District 3 seat in the Nov. 8 general election. The Board of Commissioners has a two-year term. The position pays $35,704. The board chair, elected by the commissioners, earns $91,809.

Grot said the voters have spoken, and the hard work has paid off for her and her volunteers.

“We went door to door and visited many voters. In the end, my positive message resonated with many of them, and I am looking forward to serving the taxpayers in Shelby Township and Utica. I will be campaigning just as hard for the November Election so at the end I can be sworn in as the new Macomb County Commissioner in District 3,” she said via email.

She said she would like to thank her husband and their children, neighbors, friends and all the voters for their belief in her.

Farrington said he appreciates the support he received both in this race and during his eight years as a public servant. He was a state representative for six years prior to serving on the Board of Commissioners.

“I am honored and humbled to assist our community over those years,” he said in an email.

Though the election was close, Farrington said he will not be asking for a recount.

“I reviewed the process and brought in experts for advice. My conclusion is that there won’t be enough votes to overturn the results; thus, I’m not requesting a recount. I wish Sylvia Grot success, with our community as her priority,” he said.

Reid and Golasa could not be reached for comment on the election before press time.

In Shelby Township, the voter turnout was 28.5%, and in Utica, it was 22.8%.

In Utica, the primary election went well from the perspective of election workers, according to Lori Cooke, the Utica city clerk.

“We did not have any major problems to deal with. Our average voter turnout for primary elections is between 20% and 30%, so this election was an average turnout. I appreciate our election workers who endured the long day and helped us run a successful election,” she said via email.

In other primaries that were on ballots in Shelby Township and Utica, Republican Tudor Dixon won the Republican Party nomination for governor and will face off with Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, who was uncontested in the primary, in November; Democrat Carl Marlinga and Republican John James won their primaries to compete for the 10th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in November; Michelle Smith won the Republican Party nomination for the Michigan House of Representatives District 58 seat and will face Nate Shannon, who was uncontested for the Democratic Party nomination, in November; Douglas C. Wozniak won the Republican Party nomination for the Michigan House of Representatives District 59 seat and will face James Diez, who was uncontested for the Democratic Party nomination, in November; and James Perna won the Republican primary for the Macomb County Board of Commissioners District 7 seat. There was no Democratic Party candidate seeking the District 7 seat.

There were several races where the Democratic Party and Republican Party candidates did not have primary challengers. That included the Michigan Senate District 9 and District 24, the Macomb County Executive and the Macomb County Board of Commissioners District 1. Democrats Padma Kuppa, Theresa J. Fougnie, Mark Hackel and Michael E. LaBuhn and Republicans Michael Webber, Ruth Johnson, Nicholyn Brandenburg and Don Brown, respectively, are through to November.