Balance Of Power On Council

Balance of Power on Council

The filing deadline for the Feb. 19th Primary before the April 2nd City Council and Mayor's races has passed, signaling the start of the Spring campaign.

There are eleven positions on City Council, consisting of the mayor and 10 City Council people (2 from each of the 5 wards). The mayor is elected every two years and one Council person is elected every year from each ward. This year the mayor and 5 Council seats are up for election.

Human Rights Party representatives Nancy Wechsler and Jerry DeGrieck both have a year to go yet in their terms on Council as do Republicans Colburn, Fairbanks, and Benner. Running for re-election is First Ward Democrat Norris Thomas and 4th & 5th Ward Republicans Hadler and McCormick. Democrats Harris, Faber and Meade are not seeking re-election.

Right now no party has a majority of six votes on Council. HRP has two votes, the Democrats have 4 (3 council seats and mayor) and the Republicans have 5. This forces either the HRP and Democrats to get together to pass anything or the Democrats to vote with the Republicans.

To get a majority this time around the HRP would have to win 4 seats, the Dems all 6 seats and the Republicans 3 seats, none of which is likely to happen.

What is more likely is HRP will win one seat in the 2nd ward, HRP or the Dems will win the 1st ward, the Dems will win the 4th and 5th wards with the Republicans right on their tails, and the Republicans will get the 3rd ward hands down. The Democrats are also expected to come through in the mayor's race.

No one will get the seats they need for a majority on Council, so once again no one party will control it. Which means that the HRP and the Democrats will have to vote together in order to pass any progressive legislation.

Candidates who have filed for the citywide primary on Feb. 19th are:

Mayoral Candidates
Democrats – Franz J. Mogids, 942 Fountain; Robert Elton, 609 Lawrence, John M. Feiner 2307 Kent;
HRP – Anne L. Bobroff , 531 Third St.; David W. Allen, 2170 Stone Dr.; Richard Steinhart, 908 Lawrence; Benita Kaimowitz, 2007 Washtenaw
Republican – Lewis Ernst, 314 S Fifth Ave.; James E. Stephenson, 2217 Delaware.

CITY COUNCIL
First Ward
Democrats – Norris J. Thomas, 1611 Chandler.
HRP – Andrei Ian Joseph, 504 N. Fifth Ave. Republican – David J. Wiarda, 1622 Pontiac.

Second Ward
Democrat – Carol Jones, 701 E. University;
HRP – Lisa North, 1331 Geddes; David A. Sinclair, 1520 Hill; Alexander J. Stevenson, 1435 Broadway; Frank W. Shochet, 536 S. Forest;
Republican – Clan Crawford, 2024 Geddes Ave.

Third Ward
Democrat – Elizabeth Kaufman, 679 Skynob;
Republican – Robert I. Henry Jr., 2805 Yost; Roger Bertoia, 3226 Edgewood.

Fourth Ward
Democrat – Richard Kaufman, 1007 S. State; Carl S. Hallier, 2325 Jonathan Ct.; Ethel K. Lewis, 1106 S. Forest Ave.
HRP – Philip S. Carroll, 1006 Lincoln; Kathleen Kozachenko, 1415 Brooklyn;
Republican – Richard A. Hadler, 2121 Greenview.

Fifth Ward
Democrat – Mona L. Walz, 1718 Arbordale;
HRP – John R. Minock, 2012 Dexter; Republican – John D. McCormick, 1045 Hasper.