By: Brian Wells | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published November 8, 2023
EASTPOINTE — Eastpointe residents took to the polls Nov. 7 to elect a new mayor and two City Council members.
According to Macomb County’s official election results, the majority of voters picked Michael Klinefelt to be Eastpointe’s next mayor. Incumbent Harvey Curley and former East Detroit Public Schools Board of Education member Margaret Podsiadlik won the two seats available on the City Council.
Klinefelt, Curley and Podsiadlik were sworn in at the start of the organizational Nov. 13 City Council meeting.
Only 15.8% of the registered voters in Eastpointe cast their votes.
Eastpointe elects former council member as mayor
While four candidates entered the mayor’s race initially, the field was narrowed down to two candidates — Mary Hall-Rayford and Klinefelt — after the August primary election. In the general election, with a margin of over 1,700 votes, Klinefelt was elected to be the next mayor of Eastpointe.
“I’d like to thank all the residents that came out to vote. We had an excellent field of candidates this year,” Klinefelt said in a text message.
Klinefelt also congratulated the winners of the City Council race.
“I know the new Council will be able to work well together and I’m excited to get to work,” he said.
Klinefelt received 3,062 or 69.8% of the votes while Hall-Rayford received 1,322 or 30.2%, according to Macomb County’s official results.
Klinefelt, 35, an assistant prosecuting attorney, has lived in Eastpointe for 30 years, he previously told the Eastsider. Previously, he served on the Eastpointe City Council from 2015 to 2019.
While Hall-Rayford said she was disappointed with the voter turnout, she said her team had a great campaign.
“Mike will be fine and so will I,” she said. “My team had a great campaign. … We were determined to run a clean race and we did.”
Klinefelt’s term is for four years.
Curley, Podsiadlik to fill council openings
Six candidates were running to fill two openings on the Eastpointe City Council.
Curley, who served 12 years as the city’s mayor in the 1980s and ’90s and was elected to council in 2019, will continue to serve. He received 2,442 votes or 31.5%, according to Macomb County’s official results.
The second opening will be filled by Podsiadlik, who received 1,693 votes or 21.8%.
Podsiadlik, 57, previously told the Eastsider that she’s lived in Eastpointe her whole life. She served on the East Detroit Public Schools Board of Education from 2008 until 2016. East Detroit Public Schools is now known as Eastpointe Community Schools.
Curley and Podsiadlik will serve four-year terms.
Additionally, Vicky Coleman received 1,068 or 13.8% of the votes for City Council; Nicola Strong received 995 or 12.8%; Wanda Moody received 974 or 12.6%; and Miranda Nicole Barconey received 585 or 7.5%, according to the county’s unofficial results.
“I think we were all there for the right reason and it was a different experience,” Podsiadlik said at the Nov. 13 meeting. “I think it was great that we were all able to be kind to each other and we were all running for the same reason, so I’d like to commend everyone for taking on that challenge. And I want to thank all of the voters for voting for me. I really, truly appreciate your confidence and I hope I will do you proud.”
Curley also thanked all the voters during council comments Nov. 13.
“This council and the administration has some very serious things to tend to. It’s not a game,” Curley said of the upcoming term.
He encouraged people to give the council feedback.
“We have a job to do and we’re going to start that at the next meeting, and we’re going to try to do things that are right for this community. We need to bring it back together, and we need to all do our jobs for that, and we invite you to do the job with us. Help us out. Give me a call,” Curley said.