Voters in York and Lodi Have Big Decisions on August Ballot

There are races for Supervisor in York and Lodi townships while the primary election will be quiet in Saline and Pittsfield townships.

The filing deadline for August primary election candidates has passed. Here’s how the races shape up so far: Pittsfield Township There are no contested primary battles in Pittsfield Township, where all the candidates are Democratic. All but one candidate is an incumbent. Running for Supervisor again is Mandy Grewal. Alan Israel is seeking re-election as Clerk and Patricia Scribner is seeking the Treasurer’s office again. Trustees seeking re-election are Gerald Krone, Michael Yi and Stephanie Hunt. Frank Lotfian is the only new candidate on the ballot.  Four seats are open. Trustee Andrea Brown-Harrison is running for state representative. Karen Zera, Cleveland Chandler and Patricia Stanton-Kawalec are Democratic candidates for Park …

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Marl Promises Engaged Mayoral Campaign

At a kickoff event at Stone Arch, Brian Marl outlined a platform of public safety, financial stewardship, economic development and accessibility.

Brian Marl kicked off his mayoral campaign at Stone Arch Arts & Events Thursday night. In front of a gather of supporters that included farmers, family, business owners, teachers, politicians and friends, Marl promised an engaged mayoral campaign and outlined a platform of public safety, financial stewardship, economic development and accessibility. Marl, currently serving his second term on city council, explained to the crowd why he wants to be mayor. “I am really passionate about this community. I think I have the right ideas, the right vision, experience and passion to make it happen,” Marl said. “Most of you know that I really love this community. I was born here. I was raised here. I went to school here. I continue to live here. I …

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Olson Will Not Seek Re-Election

Olson surveyed the political landscape and concluded re-election was close to impossible, even as a Democratic candidate.

State Rep. Rick Olson, R-York Twp., announced Thursday he will not seek re-election in 2012. As late as Wednesday, Olson was considering a run as a Democratic candidate in district that had become 65 percent Democratic after being redrawn in 2011. In a press release issued Thursday, Olson said he had been assessing the political landscape ahead of Tuesday’s filing deadline for the election. He was hoping for a contested race for his position on the Democrat ballot and little, if anything, on the Republican primary ballot in August. With a share of the Democrat vote and help from Republicans, he saw a path to returning to serve the people of the district, according to the release. That, however, is not how it is shaping up. There will be a …

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Does Romney Deserve Credit for the Rebound of the Auto Industry?

UAW President Bob King says the auto industry revival wouldn't have happened if Romney was making the decisions.

Michigan union leaders are chastising Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for taking credit for the revival of the auto industry. During an interview with Cleveland's WEWS reporter Chris Flanagan at an Ohio manufacturing plant, Romney was asked (at 1:50 of the video) if it could be argued that the plant survived because of the federal bailouts for the auto industry. Romney said President Barack Obama and the federal government followed a plan, similar to the one he recommeded, to take General Motors and Chrysler through bankruptcy. "So I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry has come back,” Romney said. United Auto Workers President Bob King said Romney has no business taking credit for the revival. "None of …

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Faurecia & Ford — Questions & Answers

Saline will lose 1,000 jobs and $700 million of business.

Faurecia announced it is acquiring the Saline Ford plant business. Faurecia and  Rush Group Ltd. have formed a joint ventural called Detroit Manufacturing Systems, which will do injection molding, assembly and sequencing of interior trim components from a new facility in Detroit. Currently, the Saline plant does $1.1 billion of sales annually. Faurecia says that number will fall to $400 million as work is transitioned to DMS. Additionally, the Saline workforces will be scaled down from 2,100 to 1,100. Previously, the UAW Local 892 voted to ratify a contract that reduces starting wages to $11 an hour. Mike Heneka, President of Faurecia North America, answered questions from Saline Patch. 1. How much of the 1.6 million square-foot Saline …

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Law Considering a Run for Mayor

Glenn Law served on Saline City Council from 2003 to 2011 before resigning to take a teaching position in Menominee.

Former Saline City Council member Glenn Law is considering a run for mayor. Law, who resigned from council in September in 2011 to take a teaching job in Menominee, was first elected to city council in 2003. Law said his assignment in Menominee finishes in June and he’s looking forward to returning home to his family and Saline. “I will weigh all options and I will make a final decision very soon,” said Law. Law said he talk with his wife, Lorrie, and daughter, Sarah, before making his final decision. Another factor weighing in the decision is finding work closer to home. “It is a big factor. I prefer, of course, to work closer to home and I will certainly be looking to see what is out there,” Law said. “I am confident that I will find …

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Guest Column

Republicans Rank Education At Bottom of Priority List

An educated population is the number one asset in a successful economy yet Lansing continues their march in the opposite direction.

Republican Leadership in Lansing has made education their number one target once again, showing us that education is at the bottom of their priority list. In the past week we have seen an expansion of unaccountable and unproven cyber schools, an education budget that looks more like a vague illusion of fiscal responsibility rather than a practical application of that concept, and University of Michigan funding tied to unscientific reporting requirements on stem cell research. What are they thinking? We know that an educated population is the number one asset in a successful economy yet Lansing continues their march in the opposite direction.    Locally, we are dealing with budget deficits in K-12 education. We are closing schools, …

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Slawson, Ducca Announce Joint School Board Election Campaign

The school board election is months away, but two candidates are getting a head start.

The 2012 Saline Area Schools Board of Education election campaign has started—officially. Tuesday, School Board President Lisa Slawson announced she was running for re-election. Slawson will run on a slate with Dawn Ducca, president of the Pleasant Ridge Elementary PTA. Chuck Lesch, Vice President of the board, said Tuesday he was not planning on seeking re-election. There are two six-year terms up for grabs in the election. Slawson, who practiced law in Indiana before moving to Saline, is seeking a third term on the board. “I always said that if I felt my work was done, that I’d be done. But it’s not done yet,” said Slawson, who has a daughter at the high school and son at the middle school. “The district faces a really challenging next …

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Good Morning Saline, From Gretchen Driskell

Today's greeting is from Mayor Driskell, who kicked off her campaign for the state house Tuesday night with more than 70 supporters at Mangiamo's.

Today's Good Morning Saline is from Gretchen Driskell. Saline's longest-serving mayor kicked off her campaign for the state house with a party at Mangiamo's Tuesday night. Driskell, running as a member of the Democratic Party, hopes to unseat incumbent Mark Ouimet, a Republican Party candidate who resides in Scio Township.

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