By: David Wallace, Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published August 7, 2024
ROYAL OAK — Following the Aug. 6 primary, incumbent Dave Woodward and Regina Wilk will be the Democrat and Republican candidates, respectively, for Oakland County Commissioner of the 1st District in the November election.
Woodward, who was first elected in 2004, has been the chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners since 2019 and said he is looking forward to potentially continuing that role into another four-year term.
“I am just incredibly honored that I have earned the continued support of the community that raised me and secured the Democratic nomination for County Commissioner for the next term,” Woodward said.
Woodward contested against Charlie Gandy-Thompson for the Democratic nomination. Woodward received 6,499 votes to 1,396 for Gandy-Thompson.
“I am really proud that a large number of Oakland County voters decided to show up and participate in early voting in our area, in Royal Oak,” he said. “I think the strong showing of voters has renewed confidence in our democracy.”
Wilk, who received 2,885 votes, said that from her perspective, the election went “pretty much as expected,” given that she was running unopposed.
“It is hard to get people excited to go out and vote when most of our races are already decided,” she said via email. “It is unfortunate that the business of our county is partisan in nature.”
This year is Wilk's first time running for the position of Oakland County Commissioner in the 1st District, and she mentioned that there are a lot of new names on the ballot this year.
“Oakland County deserves to have the best business leaders conducting its business regardless of party affiliation,” Wilk said in an email response. “I would like to encourage each and every voter to have an open mind and take a deeper look at all of the candidates.”
If elected, Woodward is hoping to continue his current work as chairperson.
“The seat is critical so that we can look forward to being able to lead a strong progressive agenda that keeps working families front and center on everything that we do in the county and in this region,” he said.
Woodward also mentioned that for the next 90 days, he will continue to focus on talking to voters and making sure people get out to vote early.
“Come November, I am incredibly optimistic,” he said. “We have a great community that shares a sense of values, that everyone deserves a shot.”
Wilk said that her plan going into November is to continue building a connection with the Royal Oak community, and having conversations.
“I will be participating in a lot of local community events, things like Arts Beats and Eats, Woodward Dream Cruise, and Troy Daze,” she said via email. “I enjoy connecting with people on a personal level, and having conversations with voters from around the district about real issues. The things that truly affect their lives.”
The general election will take place Nov. 5 to determine who wins the position on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. The district covers portions of Birmingham, Royal Oak and Troy.
Other election results
ROYAL OAK/CLAWSON — Besides the District 1 County Commission primary, there were several other races on the Aug. 6 primary ballot in which voters chose which candidates would advance to the general election in November.
In the race to be Michigan’s next U.S. senator, Elissa Slotkin won the Democratic Party nomination and Mike Rogers won the Republican Party nomination. They will face each other Nov. 5 for the seat in Washington, D.C.
For the 11 District Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent Haley Stevens won the Democratic nomination while Nick Somberg won the Republican nomination.
For the Michigan House of Representatives District 6 seat, Natalie Price won the Democratic nomination while Brent M. Lamkin was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Price currently represents District 5 in the Michigan House, but hers was one of several districts to be redrawn since the last election.
The candidates in the primary for the Michigan House of Representatives District 56 were unopposed. Incumbent Sharon MacDonell will represent the Democrats in November, and Dave Kniffen will represent the Republicans.
Incumbent Democrat David Coulter and Republican Nik Gjonaj ran unopposed for their parties’ nominations for Oakland County executive and will face each other in November.
The same was true for Oakland County prosecuting attorney, where incumbent Democrat Karen McDonald and Republican Scott Farida were unopposed for their parties’ nominations.
There were no challengers to Democrat Amrit Kohli and incumbent Republican Michael J. Bouchard in the primary for Oakland County sheriff.
The primary was similarly without suspense for the Oakland County clerk and register of deeds, where incumbent Democrat Lisa Brown and Republican Barb Pallotta ran without competition.
There was a primary in the Oakland County treasurer’s race. While incumbent Democrat Robert Wittenberg did not have a primary challenger, Donna Blake won the Republican nomination.
For Oakland County water resources commissioner, incumbent Jim Nash won the Democratic nomination and Steve Johnson won the Republican nomination.
The District 2 seat on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners was an uncontested primary as incumbent Democrat Penny C. Luebs and Republican Edward Kempen did not have any challengers for their parties’ nominations.
Similarly, the District 19 seat on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners had an uncontested primary. Incumbent Democrat Charlie Cavell and Republican Paul Taros will face off in November.
In the primary for 6th Circuit Court judge, Tricia Dare and Nicole Sophia-Calhoun Huddleston received the most and the second-most votes, respectively. They will run against each other for the seat in November.