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WARREN — On April 28, the primary election ballot became official with 46 candidates vying for various elected offices within the city of Warren.
Candidates had until 4 p.m. April 25 to file and 4 p.m. April 28 to withdraw, after which all candidates were official. The candidate pool runs the gamut in experience from incumbents, veteran politicians, candidates who have exhausted their term limits in another elected position, to novices who are throwing their hat in the proverbial ring for the first time.
Mayor
In the last several months, the mayor’s race has received much attention, in terms of who can be on the ballot and who cannot. As of May 3, the following people are on the ballot as candidates for mayor: George L. Dimas, a former Warren City Councilman and the city’s current human resources director; Warren City Council President Patrick Green; resident Alfonso King; Macomb County Commissioner Michelle Nard; former Warren City Councilman Scott Cameron Stevens; and state Rep. Lori M. Stone.
Treasurer
Running for her third and final term, Warren City Treasurer Lorie Barnwell was the only candidate to file for the office.
Asked how she felt about running uncontested, Barnwell said, “I feel very honored to run unopposed and be set up for my third term. It humbles me because it obviously shows Warren residents are happy with the job that my office is doing.”
Barnwell continued, “We have done a lot with technology and growing our city investments, lowering fees for residents, the investment return has led to more revenue for the city. My office is very involved with the community, and I think residents see that.”
When asked about her proudest accomplishment this term, Barnwell said, “The launch of our payment portal was a big thing. When I initially ran for treasurer that was one of the things residents wanted the most. They wanted an innovative and easy payment portal where they could make their payments right from their cellphone, or your computer or they can call in a payment.
“That (the payment portal) launched right at the beginning of my second term, then COVID happened, which of course no one could have anticipated. City Hall closed down. Residents who maybe wouldn’t have normally used the portal, logged on and just really liked it and now have kept using it the whole time,” said Barnwell. “And because of that our wait times at City Hall are so much lower than during my first term. Because so many people are using that portal right from their home, it gives them great convenience. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
In her upcoming term, Barnwell would like to grow the payment portal to include more city departments.
“With the payment portal, we now have several different city departments that are on the portal that we added this past term,” said Barnwell. “I want to add even more departments and make it that one-stop shop for all city payments.”
Clerk
Three candidates are running for this position: resident Vince Berdy, incumbent Warren City Clerk Sonja Buffa and Macomb County Commissioner Mai Xiong.
City Council
The Warren City Council has a total of seven members, two of whom are elected across the city at-large and five who are elected in districts. Warren City Council members elected to serve in districts must live in the district they represent.
The highest vote-getter in the at-large race becomes the city’s mayor pro tem. The second highest vote-getter fills the second at-large City Council seat. The council selects its own officers: president, vice president, secretary, and assistant secretary.
A total of 36 candidates are on the ballot for the Warren City Council primary.
The candidates for City Council in District 1 are Bill Clift, Khaja Afzal Hussain, Mo Islam, Gary E. Jury, Shabbir Khan, Melody Maggee and Charles Perry.
The candidates for District 2 are Kabir Ahmed, Toni Kamel Cowper, Michael Howard, incumbent Warren City Councilman Jonathan Lafferty and Adam Sawka.
The candidates for District 3 are Jennifer Alton, Daniel Bozek, Chris Gillanders and incumbent Warren City Councilwoman Mindy Moore.
District 4 candidates are Gary Boike, incumbent Warren City Councilman Garry Watts and Seng Xiong.
District 5 candidates are Randy Hall, Jay Michael Jackson, incumbent Warren City Councilman Eddie Kabacinski, Dana Kalinowski, Henry Newnan and Brittani Tringali.
The candidate running for Warren’s two at-large City Council seats are Marie C. Adkins, Khaja Shahab Ahmed, Jerry T. Bell, former Warren City Councilwoman Donna Kaczor Caumartin, Dave Dwyer, former Macomb County Commissioner Joan Flynn, Jocelyn Howard, Mike Reilly, incumbent Warren City Councilwoman Angela Rogensues, former Warren City Councilwoman Gloria Sankuer and Gary Skop.
Ron Papandrea, who is currently serving on the Warren City Council representing District 1, recently withdrew his candidacy for mayor. He said this about his experience on council.
“A year and a half ago, when I saw how terrible this council was and that they weren’t going to reform, I announced that I was sick of the toxic politics which has gone on far too long in Warren. I announced I wasn’t going to run for council again. And I stuck to it,” said Papandrea. “People wanted me to run again but I’m not. I’m done.”
