Legislative races hotly contested

5/19/2010
BY MARK REITER
BLADE STAFF WRITER

TEMPERANCE - The race to replace state Rep. Kathy Angerer has attracted a bevy of candidates.

One Democrat and four Republicans met last week's filing deadline for the 56th House District seat that is being vacated by Ms. Angerer (D., Dundee), who cannot run again because of term limits.

Democrat Mike Smith of Temperance will face the winner of the Aug. 3 Republican primary.

Republican challengers who will face off in the primary are Frank Chrzanow-

ski of Dundee, Rick Olson of Saline, Andrew Sosnoski of Milan, and Mary Kay Thayer of Lambertville.

Mr. Smith, 36, is the AFL-CIO community services liaison to the United Way of Monroe and has been on the Board of Education at Bedford Public Schools since 2006.

Mrs. Thayer, an elected trustee of Monroe County Community College since 1990, was a Monroe County commissioner from 1986 to 1990.

The House district includes Bedford, Erie, Whiteford, Summerfield, Dundee, and Milan townships in Monroe County and Saline, Pittsfield, and York townships in Washtenaw County.

In other legislative elections, Bob Wentz of Monroe and Dale Zorn of Ida will appear on the Republican ballot in the primary for the 56th House District seat. The winner will face incumbent Kate Ebli (D., Monroe).

Mr. Zorn of Raisinville Township is vice chairman of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners and has been the District 2 representative on the panel since 1991.

Ms. Ebli of Monroe was elected to the House seat in 2006.

The 56th District covers a portion of Monroe County that extends from Luna Pier northward along the Lake Erie shoreline to the Wayne County line, then westward to the border with townships that are traversed by U.S. 23.

In the 17th state Senate district, incumbent Randy Richardville (R., Monroe) has a challenge in the Republican primary from Al Bain of Monroe.

Mr. Richardville served three terms in the state House, from 1998 to 2004, and was elected to the Senate in 2006.

On the Democratic side, Paul Hengy of Monroe and John Spencer of Jackson are running for the Senate seat.

In party battles for Monroe County Board of Commissioner seats, six candidates filed petitions to run in the Republican primary to replace Mr. Zorn.

They are Carl Arnold of Ida, E. Scott Desbrough of Ida, Marvin Hicks of Monroe, David Hoffman of Dundee, Timothy Laitur of Monroe, and Gregory Lane of Petersburg.

Monroe residents Bronco McKart and Ron Tuttle are running in the primary on the Democratic side.

The district includes London, Raisinville, Ida, and part of Dundee townships.

In the District 4 commissioner's race, Democrats Rick Kull of Monroe and Robert Lambert of Monroe will face off in the primary.

The winner will face Republican Dan Donahue of Monroe in the November election. District 4 Commissioner Floreine Mentel is not running for re-election.

In the other contested primary election for commissioner, Bill Fountain of Monroe, Michael Humphries of LaSalle, and Mary O'Neill of Monroe are the Republican candidates in District 7.

The winner will challenge incumbent Commissioner John Fowler in November.

The only countywide issue that will appear on the August ballot is a 10-year 0.2-mill property tax to fund operations at Fairview, a transitional shelter and care facility for the homeless and the disabled.

If it is approved, the owner of a home with a taxable value of $120,000 would pay an additional $12 a year.

Voters in Bedford Township will decide a five-year, 0.175-mill property tax to pay for playground repairs and maintenance at township parks.

The property tax would generate an estimated $175,000 in the first year and cost the owner of a house with a $100,000 taxable value an extra $17.50 a year in taxes.