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TROY — Troy residents made their voices heard Nov. 8 as they went out to the polls and voted on a number of elected positions and ballot measures from the national to local level.
Voters passed a Troy School District bond 17,968 to 12,612 votes. The bond will allow the district to borrow up to $550 million and is expected to levy a millage collection on residents at or below 6.1 mills, which is an increase of 2 mills over the 4.10 mills previously levied up through 2022.
The bond will pay for upgrades to school buildings, including major renovations to Athens High School and a new building for Smith Middle School, which district officials said were in increasingly poor shape.
Five candidates for the Troy School District Board of Education also were on the ballot Nov. 8. The five candidates ran for two six-year terms on the board. Board members are paid $100 a year for the position. Emina Alic and Matt Haupt received the most votes, getting 11,723 and 10,974 votes, respectively. They ran against Jeff Schaeper, who received 7,829 votes; Christopher Kus, who received 7,530 votes; and Daniel Mingee Kang, who received 4,478 votes. Additionally, 81 write-in votes were counted in the race.
A building site and sinking fund tax renewal measure for Royal Oak Schools also was on the ballot for some Troy residents. It passed 20,808 to 10,698 votes. Similarly, some Troy residents voted on a bond proposal for the Macomb Intermediate School District to support improvements to its special education facilities. It passed 2,260 to 1,586 votes.
In the race for the 52nd District Court judge, a court that covered portions of Troy and Clawson, incumbent Kirsten Nielsen Hartig will stay on the bench after receiving 18,993 votes. Challenger Tonya Goetz received 14,533 votes. An additional 103 write-in votes were cast.
District court judges serve a six-year term. A district court judge earns $45,724 from the county and $108,065 from the state annually.
Colleen A. O’Brien ran unopposed in the 2nd District Court of Appeals race. She received 326,583 votes in total, with 4,458 write-in votes cast. O’Brien will serve a six-year term. Michigan court of appeals judges receive a salary of $173,092.
A partial term, also in the 2nd District Court of Appeals, was also on the ballot. Sima Patel received 254,780 votes, while challenger Michael Warren received 182,115; 1,879 write-in votes were cast. The partial term will end Jan. 1, 2027. This seat also offers a yearly salary of $173,092.
The winner of the race for the 1st District Oakland County Commission race was Democrat Dave Woodward, who received 20,890 votes. He beat out Republican Chris Meister, who received 11,804 votes. An additional 24 votes were cast as write-ins. Democrat Penny Luebs will represent Troy on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners as the commissioner for District 2. She received 19,058 votes while her opponent, Republican Ken Roberts, received 12,757 votes. An additional 24 write-in votes were cast in the race. The 3rd District County Commission seat was taken by Democrat Gary McGillivray, who received 16,738 votes, beating out Republican Donald Dwyer, who received 10,934 votes; 30 write-in votes also were cast in the race.
The Oakland County commissioners all serve for a two-year term and earn an approximately $36,000 salary.
Democrat Haley Stevens won the race for the 11th congressional seat, beating Republican Mark Ambrose 224,080 votes to 141,312; 531 write-in votes were cast.
In the race for the 56th District House of Representatives, Democrat Sharon MacDonell beat out Republican Mark Gunn 24,630 to 17,887; 29 write-in votes were cast. In the 57th District state House race, Democrat Aisha Farooqi narrowly defeated Republican Thomas Kuhn 6,796 to 6,177. An additional three write-in votes were cast.
“I am grateful to the voters of House District 56 for their overwhelming support,” MacDonell said in an email. “I know that governing takes a strong will and determination, and I am ready to fight for everyone in my community and for a better Michigan. I intend to focus my energy on properly funding our public schools, protecting our rights, and building a bright future for our state. I also want to thank my amazing staff and volunteers who propelled us forward over the past eight months.”
In the race for the District 3 state Senate seat, Stephanie Chang will stay in Lansing after receiving 61,061 votes. She was challenged by Working Class Party candidate Linda Rayburn, who received 10,214 votes. An additional 87 write-in votes were cast. In the 8th District state Senate race, Democratic incumbent Mallory McMorrow defeated Republican challenger Brandon Ronald Simpson 94,809 to 25,290; 91 write-in votes were cast. In the 9th District state Senate race, Democrat incumbent Padma Kuppa was voted out of office after a close race with Republican challenger Michael Webber. They received 57,158 and 57,953 votes, respectively.
“I want to congratulate our entire caucus for stepping up in this historic win,” McMorrow said in a statement. “They ran strong campaigns as problem solvers focused on the issues that matter most to Michiganders.”
In all state Senate seats, the term is for two years, and the senator receives an annual salary of $71,685, plus expenses.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said there were few issues that arose throughout Election Day, and all were addressed quickly and without stopping voters from casting their ballot. She said in a statement that only two disruptive challengers were reported to the Department of State, one in Ann Arbor and one in Detroit, and after conversations, both departed polling places without deterring any voters.
“Across the state, the process went smoothly and voters were in and out of their polling places quickly and comfortably,” wrote Benson. “This is one of the marks of a successful election, and it is thanks to the diligent preparation of Republican, Democratic and independent clerks who partnered with law enforcement and planned extensively to ensure every eligible citizen could exercise their right to make their voice heard and hold their elected leaders accountable.”
