FeedsGeiss, McNeill advance in primary
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Douglas GeissPast and present Taylor officials swept the election for State Representative in the 22nd District.
When the votes were counted in both cities, Democrat Douglas Geiss and Republican Daryl McNeill were advanced to compete for the seat vacated by Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor).
Geiss – the current president of the Taylor City Council – ran a campaign based on worker retraining and increasing the number of police officers working at the Taylor Michigan State Police Post.
“Having the post there provides assistance we need at the local level, and I would like to see s full staff working at that facility,” Geiss said in an interview last month.
McNeill, who edged out another Republican competitor, said he’s seeking the office because he believes legislators need to work more effectively to restore Michigan to prosperity.
“When you look at what happened last year – the state was almost shut down (because of the budget) – that would have been devastating to residents and the state in general,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of cooperation up there, and I think we can do better as a state.”
Five residents of Taylor contested the state representative seat. Democrats included Geiss, who earned 2,833 votes, Jill Brandana, who earned 2,629, and Edward Mulka, who received 403 votes.
Two Republicans also vied for the seat, including McNeill, who received 524 votes, and Don Lingerfelt, who received 408.
All of those vote tallies are considered to be unofficial counts.
Geiss is a lifelong Taylor resident and engineer at Ford Motor Co. Geiss has been involved in politics for a long time, beginning in 1985 when he worked on the campaign of he late Congressman William D. Ford. He also served as a congressional page from 1986-87. He holds both a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a masters of business administration from the same school.
McNeill is spent his career in the ever-changing telecommunications industry. He was first hired by Taylor-based McLean-Hunter Cable, which was eventually acquired by Philadelphia-based Comcast Cablevision.
Currently, McNeill is a customer service representative at the cable television provider’s Michigan Avenue office, which is located in the city of Wayne. He also ran a campaign that focused on job development and increased public safety within the district.
Wayne County Commissioner Ed Boike ran unopposed for his seat, which means he will automatically be slotted in for an 18th term on that body.
Also, voters in Romulus overwhelmingly approved the Zoological Society request for a 0.1 mill – or 10 cents for $1,000 of taxable value – levy on real property to provide revenue to support zoo activities and upkeep. The final tally was 1,180 to 610.
The levy would be in place for 10 years. The tax would generate $5 million in 2008.
The zoo bill appeared headed toward approval in Wayne County by publication deadline.
Canvassers have already hit the streets, and the vote should be finalized this week, said Romulus City Clerk Linda Choate.
The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
