Familiar faces win Clinton Township races

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — The November election brought a sea change in Clinton Township politics, from the supervisor’s post to trustee positions.

The numbers used throughout this report are the unofficial results available at press time with 100% of precincts reporting according to the Macomb County clerk’s website.

Current Supervisor Bob Cannon said the changes to the township board are unusual and the largest he’s seen since he started in 1984.

“This board normally loses one or two at the most during an election time period,” Cannon said. “It’s been a very stable board for many, many years.”

The change in personnel is different for the township compared to others, according to Cannon. New members of the Board of Trustees will assume office Nov. 20 at noon. Cannon said the state has standardized the same date in January for officials to take office, so this will be the last group of township officials assuming office in November.

Cannon said between the election and Nov. 20, new Board of Trustees members will need to be sworn in, typically by a judge or clerk. This can be done in a group setting or individually.

“As long as you get sworn in legally and the papers are filed in the clerk’s office in Clinton Township, you’re in office,” Cannon said.

 

Supervisor
For the first time in 24 years, Clinton Township will have a new supervisor. Current Treasurer Paul Gieleghem, a Democrat, will take over for longtime Republican Supervisor Bob Cannon.

Gieleghem netted 27,912 votes, besting Republican candidate Vicki Wolber who received 25,789 votes.

“I’m sort of digesting, processing and anticipating what the challenges are ahead,” Gieleghem said in the wake of the win.

In August, Gieleghem won the Democratic primary against Ken Reiff. Wolber beat back a challenge from Republican Noah Cannon. Cannon’s candidacy was denounced by the former supervisor who, at the time, called the move “deceitful.”

“It’s clear why he’s doing it,” Cannon said in a previous interview. “I’ve been here so long people associate my name with being the supervisor.”

Gieleghem is in his second term as the township’s treasurer. He grew up in Clinton Township, graduating from Clintondale High School. He joined the Macomb County Board of Commissioners in 2004 and served as the board’s chairman until the county executive position was established. He also served as an administrator for the Macomb County treasurer.

Gieleghem said “expecting more” is an encapsulating goal when he takes over the position.

“I think it’s a matter of, as a board, we all need to expect more from each other,” he said. “As a community, we need to expect more from the people we elected to represent us.”

Wolber said she was “disappointed” with the result, but said she was proud of the campaign she ran.

“I’m extremely thankful for all the supporters I had helping me along the way and for the votes I did get,” Wolber said. “It’s been quite a journey and an experience, all positive. I’m just very thankful and happy for that, too. I met a lot of new people and organizations and that’s a good thing.”

Cannon started on the Clinton Township Board of Trustees in 1984 as a Democrat. When he ran for supervisor in 2000, he ran as a Republican. Cannon said his first meeting with Gieleghem will be Nov. 8, saying the supervisor’s office has worked to ensure a smooth transition. This differs from when the former supervisor first took over with “not even a pencil” on his desk.

“The new supervisor coming in will have everything perfect in order to continue doing what I’ve been doing if he wishes or to change direction,” Cannon said. “He will have all that information.”

 

Treasurer
Mike Aiello will become Clinton Township’s next treasurer. He pulled out a win against Democrat Tammy Patton, who is currently on the Board of Trustees. Aiello received 27,993 votes to Patton’s 25,386.

Aiello will take over the treasurer post from Gieleghem. He’s served as Clinton Township’s Precinct 40 delegate since 2018. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary for the treasurer’s seat.

“I was ecstatic,” Aiello said about the election results. “Just coming out of the shock of it right now.”

The future treasurer said he wanted to lower property taxes on township residents and improve roads in the community. He said road improvements were an issue that came up constantly when knocking on doors in the community.

“We hit a lot of doors during this election,” Aiello said. “Obviously, their voices are very important. I wanted to hear what they wanted.”

Aiello said, as a business owner, he also wanted to create an environment that was more friendly to small businesses.

“One of the biggest complaints I found is new business owners said it was extremely difficult to open a business in Clinton Township and, if they were to do it over again, they would not choose Clinton Township,” he said.

Patton said in a statement after the election she was “extremely disappointed” in the outcome of the race. She thanked her supporters for their hard work and congratulated Cannon for his service to the township. She added she hoped the new board was “a way to put party aside and make people the priority.”

In the statement, Patton discussed her struggles with the Clinton Township Democratic Club, which she said did not endorse her or provide her campaign funding.

Clinton Township Democratic Club Chairperson Nancy Duemling said the club did not endorse candidates in the November election and does not provide funding. However, she said the club covered the costs of a banner on the final weekend of early voting promoting cider and donuts at different polling places. The banner stated that all Democrats running in Clinton Township would provide the food and drinks except Patton. Duemling offered no further comment.

Patton also detailed discrimination on the campaign trail.

“While canvassing, several people stated that they liked me as a person and what I’ve added to the Board, however they would never have a Black woman over their money,” Patton stated. “We could no longer knock doors after a team member was threatened based on his skin color. My political signs were stolen, tossed in garbage containers, vandalized, and defaced with racial slurs.”

While she said this discrimination hindered the campaign, she was proud of the way her team handled it.

“Obstacles after obstacles, challenges after challenges, my team and I pushed forward with grace and humility,” she stated.

 

Clerk
Clinton Township Clerk Kim Meltzer held on to her seat. Meltzer secured 30,197 votes, beating Democratic challenger Carol Shumard Diehl who had 23,532 votes.

Meltzer’s first brush with elected office was on the Clinton Township Board of Trustees where she served from 2000-04. She was a Michigan state representative for District 33 from 2007-2010. She returned to Clinton Township politics when she was elected as clerk, a position she’s held since 2012.

Meltzer did not respond for comment at press time.

 

Trustee
In the Board of Trustees race, two incumbents kept their seats and two newcomers were elected.

Voters picked Democrat Julie Matuzak and Republican Dan Kress to stay on the board. Matuzak won a special election in 2022 to serve as a trustee and previously served a term as a Macomb County commissioner for District 12. Kress is a relative newcomer to elected office, taking over a partial term Feb. 27 from Democrat Joie West.

“I am honored to be the top vote-getter in Clinton Township,” said Matuzak, who received 25,865 votes. “I believe we ran a very positive, forward-looking campaign. We worked hard and I think it paid off. I’m excited about the future of the township under new leadership.”

Matuzak said she aims to improve ethics issues in the township. She wants to focus on economic development and making code enforcement equal across all sectors.

“There’s a lot to be done,” Matuzak said. “I’m interested in rethinking how we do everything at the township to make sure we’re spending taxpayer dollars efficiently and effectively.”

Dan Kress did not respond for comment at press time.

Democrat Shannon King and Republican Bruce Wade are the fresh faces on the board.

“I’m incredibly grateful for all the support and effort and active participation that everybody had in my campaign,” King said. “I’m just really thankful. Whether they’re Republican, Democrat or anywhere in between, I definitely felt like individuals want to see a change. They want real, lasting, effective change.”

King said the real work begins now for those elected. He said his biggest goal is understanding residents’ needs based on their feedback, utilizing canvassing and surveying for the township to act on.

“I want to make sure we’re putting mechanisms out there that allow us to receive that feedback faster, deeply,” King said.

Wade said he was honored that people had confidence in him.

“I’ve served the community for many years,” said Wade, a former Clinton Township police chief. “I’m just honored to continue on with that commitment to the community. Looking forward to doing great things.”

Wade said his first commitment is to community services like police, fire and EMS. He also aims to improve trash collection following Priority Waste’s acquisition of Green for Life’s contract in July.

“See a lot of times that the trash removal has not been done in a clean way,” he said. “There’s been a lot of waste that’s been left in the street. People have mentioned that, and I want to follow up on that and make sure that is corrected. We love having a clean neighborhood.”

 

Clintondale school board
Lisa and Kurt Wilson, who are brother and sister, were both elected to the Clintondale Board of Education for two six-year terms. Wilbur Jones, who was appointed to fill a vacancy left by Beverly Lewis-Moss in February, did not receive enough votes to stay on the board.

Lisa said she’s excited to get more entrenched in the community and help the school.

“I’m overly thrilled and excited,” Lisa said.

Lisa said she hopes to be an advocate for more engagement with the parents and students. She hopes to improve efficiency scores with students.

“I think that’s an area we’ve been lagging, especially when it comes to math and English,” she said. “We just need to do a better job for our kids who we’re putting out here into the world.”

“I’m so proud of my sister,” said Kurt, who watched the election returns on Nov. 5 with his sister. “She did a great job. She is truly the best of us.”

Kurt said he’s “excited to get started,” thanking everyone who voted and emphasized the hard work his wife Teresa did for his campaign.

“One thing that the military taught me was when you go in, keep your mouth closed and pay attention to how they do business,” Kurt said. “When the time comes for adjustments or the time comes for changes, let’s sit down and talk about it with some sensibility and then go from there.”

Lisa Valerio-Nowc secured a four-year term to the Clintondale School Board, besting Michael Brooks and Stephen Sevonty.

“It’s humbling, to be honest,” Valerio-Nowc said about the win. “I’ve been on the board for two years and it’s a nice affirmation that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Valerio-Nowc said her main focus is seeing reading scores go up.

Felicia Kaminski and Michael Manning both ran unopposed. The pair were reelected to the board for a two-year term.

 

Perna holds onto county commissioner’s seat for District 7
James Perna held onto his seat on the Macomb County Board of Commissioners for District 7. He has served on the board since 1996. Perna defeated newcomer Democrat Edlira Sako. He received 23,237 votes to Sako’s 14,174 votes.

“I’m pleasantly surprised, I really am,” Perna said following the win. “It was time for the change, and we had this red wave in Macomb County. I think we have the right person to be in the White House in January.”

Perna said he’s glad commissioners serve a four-year term now.

“I think this really gives commissioners an opportunity to really concentrate on what’s best for the county, which is what’s best for our voters. We can do some long-term planning now. We’ve got some consistency on the board and, even though we cross the aisle on both sides, that’s what makes Democracy the way it should be.”

Perna said it was a “clean race.”

“Some of the races in the past have been very ugly. Slashing somebody does not help,” Perna said. “It was a very clean race, and I’m pleased my opponent cooperated.”

Sako said she was thankful for everyone who voted for her.

“I appreciate their support,” she said. “At the same time, I want to wish well to my opponent and hopefully he will do a great job for Clinton Township and District 7 in general.”

 

State representatives
Incumbents for Clinton Township districts in the Michigan House of Representatives took wins as Republicans Joseph Aragona and Alicia St. Germaine won the 60th and 62nd districts by 24.24% and 11.92% margins over their respective Democratic opponents Shelly Fraley and Michelle Levine-Woodman.

Aragona secured 33,944 votes to Fraley’s 20,645. This will be Aragona’s second term at the post.

“The Republicans had a good night,” Aragona said. “I think we had a lot of people who were working hard on the Michigan House race. The candidates were pretty stellar on our side and I think that kind of showed through.”

Aragona said inflation and taxes played a role in the win.

“Michigan families and families around the nation are getting a little tired of higher taxes and higher inflation,” Aragona said. “I think they’re looking for a change.”

He said these issues are what he wants to focus on in the future.

“The state budget is over $80 billion and just about ten years ago it was a little over $50 billion,” he said. “That’s a lot more spending that we see. I think Michigan families want to see us curb that quite a bit.

Fraley declined to comment at press time about the race.

Democrat and 61st District incumbent Denise Mentzer took an initial win over Republican challenger Robert Wojtowicz, but a margin of less than 2,000 votes between them — 25,436 for Mentzer and 24,721 for Wojtowicz — place the race well within the margin of an automatic recount.

Mentzer is confident her win will stand if recounted.

“I believe that hard work, compromise and cooperation is what helped propel me over the top,” Mentzer said. “That’s my reputation. Democrats aren’t always right, Republicans aren’t always wrong. We’ve got to work together to make things better for Michigan.”

Mentzer believes compromise and cooperation will be key to navigating the state house however it shakes out.

As of the morning on Nov. 6, Republicans were expected to flip control of the Michigan House of Representatives.