FeedsLivonia, Garden City candidates win
The closely matched battles that came to a head during the primary election on Tuesday ended with some new names headed onto the ballot this fall.
In the race to represent District 12 (Inkster, Westland and part of Livonia) on the Wayne County Commission, residents chose to give Joan Gebhardt (D-Livonia) the opportunity to progress to the next round. On the Republican side, Thomas Thompson of Livonia bested David James of Westland.
In the final count, Gebhardt earned 2,536 votes, James Godbout of Westland came in a close second with 2,291 votes, Inkster Mayor Hilliard Hampton received 1,661, incumbent Ronaele Bowman of Westland earned 1,195, Wanda Harris-Foster of Inkster received 575, Paul Citkowski of Westland received 378, Danny Wilson of Westland received 257, and Douglas Kaye of Livonia received 182.
“I would like to thank all of my supporters,” said Gebhardt. “There are so many people who worked hard to get my message out there, and clearly, the voters in Westland, Livonia and Inkster have responded in a positive way.
“I can’t wait to get started,” she added.
After a neck-and-neck race in Westland and Inkster, Thompson’s efforts bore fruit when the majority of Livonia residents voted in his favor and provided the votes needed to win the endorsement. Between the three communities, Thompson ultimately earned 1,432 votes; James earned 1,366.
“It’s going to be a very big challenge going forward,” said Thompson. “I’m going to continue to let people know that there is someone out there that is concerned about what there problems are, and is ready to go about solving them.”
The vote tallies will remain unofficial for 30 days following the election as the board of canvassers certifies the results. Gebhardt and Thompson must now compete against one another in the November General Election for a two-year term as the next Wayne County Commission member.
The seat was a stronghold for former Commissioner Kay Beard for nearly 30 years until heath concerns forced her to resign earlier this year.
The defeat was a second in a Wayne County Commission race for Hampton, who was elected mayor of Inkster for a third time last November.
Had Hampton won the race, the Inkster City Council would have had to appoint a mayor to fill in for the rest of his term – which is three years.
Hampton said he was disappointed in the loss, but said he would support the Democrat who came out on top in the race. He added that raising money, in commission race, is also a big obstacle.
“It’s a big district, and there were quite a few people running for the seat,” he said. “I don’t think I was off-message — we said all of the right things about leadership.
“Money is also a big factor because of the size of the district — it’s about having enough money to get your message across to voters, and as you can imagine, it’s extremely expensive.”
Other than the commission race, voters in the District 22 (Inkster, Dearborn Heights and Garden City) State Representative race voted more than 2-1 to advance Republican Joseph Smith to the November contest. Smith, a resident of Garden City, earned 840 votes, versus opponent Mario Fundarski’s 322.
Smith will face incumbent Democrat Robert Constan of Dearborn Heights, the only Democrat to seek the two-year term, in November.
Also voters in Inkster voted in favor of providing a 0.1 mill – or 10 cents for $1,000 of taxable value – on real property to provide revenue to support zoo activities and upkeep. The final tally was 1,543 to 508.
The levy would be in place for 10 years, if voters approve the measure. The tax would generate $5 million in 2008.
The zoo bill appeared headed toward approval in Wayne County by publication deadline.
Inkster City Clerk Velida Gutierrez-Smith last week said turnout would likely be about 35 percent of the 21,3022 city voters – higher than the last commission election.
Her prediction was somewhat optimistic when votes were tallied Tuesday night.
“Turnout was somewhat less than I expected, but overall, we had very few problems,” she said.
A shouting match broke out between an election worker and a voter who did not have identification, but it was resolved at the poll, Gutierrez-Smith said.
Wayne County canvassers have already hit the streets, and the vote should be finalized this week, Gutierrez-Smith said.
