Detroit voters are looking to its incumbent councilors to keep guiding the Santiam Canyon city still in recovery from the 2020 wildfires.
City Council incumbents MicheleTesdal (26.29%), Denny Nielsen (22.68%), Greg Sheppard (21.13%) and Todd Smith (18.04%) were leading the race for new 4-year terms, according to early unofficial returns from the Marion County elections office. Newcomer Teresa Maurmann, trailed the 4 incumbents with 11.86%.
Mayor Jim Trett and Councilors Eric Page and Tim Luke do not face the voters until 2024.
Also on the ballot in Detroit is Measure 24-466 which would replace the city charter. Key changes include items on the qualifications for those eligible to serve in elective office, how nominations for the City Council occur, and removing the difference in status for primary and non-primary residents. Residents no longer would be either primary or non-primary with any qualified elector eligible to serve in an elective office, including the office of mayor. Early returns showed the race too close to call, with the yes vote leading 33-32.
Here is a look at other towns in which the races were generally uncontested:
Mill City: Mayor Tim Kirsch won a tenth term while running unopposed, while city councilors Janet Zeyen-Hall and Steve Winn also won re-election without challengers. Political newcomer Jason Saari won the third and final open council seat unopposed after Councilor Tony Trout declined to seek re-election.
Aumsville: Councilor Angelica Ceja is taking over as mayor. Incumbent Derek Clevenger chose not to seek re-election to another two-year term as he pursued a legislative seat in House District 17, and Ceja was the lone candidate to take out mayoral papers. She had 612 votes in early returns.
Ceja’s 4-year council term expires at the end of the year as do the terms of Della Seney and Nico Casarez. Seney and Casarez are running for re-election and both received more than 500 votes, but no other candidates came forward. The leading write-in candidate would win the final seat.
Gates: Ron Carmickle, who was running unopposed for a second two-year term for mayor, died Sept. 29. Council president Patrick Rahm will chair meetings until a new mayor is named. Carmickle received 26 votes (or nearly 29%). Write-in candidates received the other 64 votes (71%). Incumbents Brian Gander and Tonya Chamberlain were running unopposed for council seats, as was Donald Mann, who is seeking the seat of Liz McCall, who resigned Sept. 15. Chamberlain was the leading vote-getter with 82 (35.5%), with Gander drawing 72 (31.2%) and Mann 67 (29%).
Lyons: Lloyd Valentine is running unopposed for another two-year term as mayor, with Jessica Ritchie running unopposed for another four-year term as councilor. Councilors Diane Hyde and Mike Wagner do not face the voters again until 2024. Councilor Troy Donohue is not seeking re-election, and the final council member will be appointed by the remaining councilors. Valentine received 347 votes, or more than 96%. Ritchie drew 315 votes (92%), with write-in candidates receiving 27 votes.
Idanha: Only one candidate, Robert Weikum, took out papers for the City Council, although three positions were open. The seats have 4-year terms. Weikum received 29 votes in early returns, or early 57%, with write-in candidates drawing 22 votes.
Sublimity: Jim Kingsbury is running unopposed for another 2-year term as mayor, while Councilors Tass Morrison and Brian Schumacher are running unopposed for new 4-year council terms. Councilors Mike Taylor and Jim Crowther do not face the voters until 2024. Kinsbury received all 962 votes cast, while Schumacher earned 908 and Morrison 697.
Got a news tip? Email me at [email protected]. Follow me on Twitter @jameshday and Our Town on Facebook. Stephen Floyd contributed to this report.
