Lesich defeats Carnagie in Fraser mayoral race

FRASER — Michael Lesich has defeated incumbent Mayor Mike Carnagie in the Fraser mayoral race, according to unofficial results posted by Macomb County election officials. 

Lesich defeated Carnagie by a margin of 1,341 votes (59.9%) to 896 votes (40.1%) and will serve a four-year term beginning in 2024.

A resident of Fraser for 24 years, Lesich comes from a background in municipal finance consulting. During his campaign, he cited taxes, water rates, fixing the roads and legacy costs as priorities he would like to focus on if elected.

“My family and I are very excited, and I am looking forward to serving for the next four years,” said Lesich. “I think that I have a message that resonates with average people that we need a city that provides public safety, quality of life services and basic services such as the garbage getting picked up and the streets being clean.”

Lesich previously served on the Fraser City Council from 2015 until 2021. He said his background in municipal financial management should provide him with a unique and useful perspective when considering issues impacting Fraser’s future.

“My priorities are solid financial management, which leads to better long-term decisions, which leads to a better Fraser,” he said. “I think my background will give me a different perspective from other elected officials. I think it does add value to what I bring to the council.”

He added that he was thankful to Carnagie for his longtime service to Fraser 

“Thank you to Mike Carnagie for all of his service,” Lesich said. “He has been an exceptional contributor to our community for more than 30 years and I appreciate everything he’s done. I look forward to hearing from residents in the future and I invite anyone to come to a council meeting or get involved in making our community a better place.”

Carnagie said that Fraser should be in good hands with Lesich and that he does not view the election as a failure.

“Congratulations to Mr. Lesich. I believe that I am a winner either way,” said Carnagie. “I served over 16 years on council, and I think people just thought it was time for a change. Mr. Lesich and I have similar platforms and are connected to many of the same local people and institutions. I think the city will do fine with him as mayor. This will give me much more time to spend time with my four new grandchildren and move on a little bit. I think between the fire department, honor guard, the planning commission, parks and recreation and the council, I’ve performed about 75 years of service in Fraser.”

He believes his legacy will be remembered positively and said he is confident he is leaving Fraser better than he found it.

“I want to thank the residents for all of their support for so many years,” said Carnagie. “Since day one, so many people have supported me. I feel like I am going out on a good note. The police and fire department are the strongest they’ve ever been and supporting them was something I promised when I first ran. We fixed up the parks and did a lot of good work on the roads. I think I got a lot done over my two terms as mayor.”