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| Council race narrowed to 8; Livonia Observer-September 17, 2009 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 17 2009, 09:19 AM (284 Views) | |
| Administrator | Sep 17 2009, 09:19 AM Post #1 |
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Maureen Miller Brosnan is back. The former city councilwoman breezed to a primary election win Tuesday, placing first among the field of 11 City Council candidates with 3,981 votes, according to unofficial election results. Brosnan edged James McCann, who finished with 3,946 votes. The field of eight who will advance to the general election on Nov. 3 also includes Joe Laura, who finished with 3,449 votes, Lynda Scheel, 3,129; John Pastor, 3,021; Steve Crosby, 1,007; Conrad Schwartz, 982; and Lucas McGrail, 773 votes, Other candidates finished as follows: Mark McCusker, 770; Christopher John Martin, 523; and Glenn Moon, 301. On Nov. 3, voters will choose four candidates to serve on council. The first three finishers will serve four-year terms; the fourth will serve a two-year term. Whoever finishes first will be the next council president, a position chosen every two years with each council election, and the second-place finisher will be the council vice president. Brosnan was pleased with the results, particularly with how little money she spent on campaigning. We ran a smart campaign, Brosnan said Tuesday night. We talked to people who are voting, we listened to them and they wanted to be heard. It was a great example of how you can do more with less. We used phones and door to door, and it was me doing it, not robo-calls. It's all about knowing who is voting and finding out what's on their mind. City Clerk Linda Grimsby said 6,432 voters 8.8 percent of the city's 73,466 registered voters cast ballots Tuesday with 3,116 of those being absentee voters. The vote totals remain unofficial until the Board of Canvassers meets at 10 a.m. Thursday at city hall to review the election. McCann also was happy with his finish. I'm hoping that (voters) like what I've done on the council and what the council has done in the past and they would like it to continue, McCann said. Laura said the turnout was a little bit disappointing, and realizes his campaign needs to step up in the general election. (2 of 3) It clearly set the tone that there are five very strong people in this race, Laura said. Laura campaigned at the polls on Tuesday, and met one couple who recognized him, but said that they didn't realize Tuesday was a primary election date. Laura believes that moving the primary on the same dates as the other city primaries in the area in August would increase turnout. I think that would be helpful, Laura said. Lynda Scheel appreciated the voters' support and was pleased with her fourth-place finish. It's wonderful that they took the time to vote, Scheel said. Scheel wasn't sure why the turnout was low. It was a beautiful day, but some people just don't vote in a primary, Scheel said. She expected the interest will increase in the general election. Pastor was disappointed in the turnout, but was pleased with his finish. I think there was a lack of interest because people are worried about family affairs, Pastor said. I think some people just don't take the primaries seriously. Schwartz said he had hoped for a sixth- or seventh-place finish. I spent Wednesday morning contemplating all the hard work I need to do to pursue the first through fourth places on the council, Schwartz said. I wanted to carry the water by myself and wanted to run in the primary on my own. Schwartz woke up Tuesday, expecting to go to the precinct and see several voters. He was first to vote there, he said. I was very disappointed, Schwartz said. I was expecting to meet a lot of new friends, (The results) worked out great, but it was very disappointing. McGrail appreciated the support he received. He wants to address what he heard from residents in the primary campaign. There's a lot of people who say that there's been a steady decrease in communications between the city's departments and the public, McGrail said. There's also been an increase in the partisanship. (3 of 3) McCusker said he was disappointed in the turnout, but added that he learned from his campaign and expected to run again. He didn't attend the League of Women Voters forum in August because he had a prior commitment, coaching Little League football, that he made long before he decided to run for council. The kids always come first, he said. McCusker wanted to thank everyone who supported him. If I do decide to run again, I can't be as involved with these other organizations, McCusker said, regarding coaching and other volunteer work. He expects to continue to fight to get stop signs reinstalled at schools where they've been removed by the city. Martin attributed his eighth-place finish to a question at the debate that was directed to candidates, but he believes was aimed at him, on taxes owed to the city. I couldn't answer it in a minute, Martin said. Martin admits it was an important issue to voters, but adds that he hadn't paid them because the city would not issue him permits to allow him to fix his property. I won't pay for something you won't let me fix, Martin said. Even though he fell short in the primary, Martin expects to continue to give his input at city hall. This won't stop me from attending council meetings to voice my opinion, Martin said. Crosby and Moon were not available for comment Wednesday. kabramcz@hometownlife.com|(313) 222-2591 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090917/NEWS10/909170668/1027/news10/Council-race-narrowed-to-8 |
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