Giving her 71% of the vote in the primary election, Ypsilanti Township Democrats returned Brenda Stumbo to the supervisor's office, barring any write-in candidates in November.
There was no Republican candidate for the post on the primary ballot. Nor is there a Republican candidate on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. The township supervisor is elected for a four-year term.
In the August Democratic primary, challenger Alex Thomas received 28% of the vote for township supervisor. The final vote tally was 6,255 for Stumbo and 2,490 for Thomas.
Stumbo has served as both a trustee and clerk for Ypsilanti Township. Since 2008, Stumbo has been serving as supervisor. She also has experience working on multiple boards and commissions, attending neighborhood meetings, and volunteering for community events. Her campaign aims to continue economic development and financial stability within the township. Her overall goals include increasing inclusivity and input, which she plans to accomplish through heightening community engagement, youth council, and career paths with the Summer Works program. She also has goals to work toward house affordability, to continue economic business expansion, and to continue the relationship with the Water Resource Commissioner in order to get grants and implement a plan regarding stormwater systems.
In other township races, Eastern Michigan University professor Sadaf Ali, who was seeking public office for the first time, took 8.8% of the vote (2,528 votes) for a spot on the township board but failed to garner enough for a spot on the general election ballot.
The four Democratic candidates for the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees who took the top votes and will appear on the November ballot were:
• Gloria Peterson with 4,490 votes or 15.6%
• Karen Lovejoy Roe with 3,726 votes, or 12.9%
• LaResha Thornton with 2,766 votes or 9.6%.
• John P. Newman II with 2,652 votes or 9.2%
Peterson currently serves as a trustee for Ypsilanti Township and as a member of the Ypsilanti Township Planning Commission. She is also a current board member of Destination Ann Arbor and the vice-chair of the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority. Peterson has previous experience as a board member of the Ypsilanti Township Park Commission, president of the University of Michigan AFSCME Local 1583, vice president of Huron Valley Labor Council AFL-CIO, a board member of United Way of Washtenaw County, a member of the Michigan Democratic State Party Central Committee, and as a board member of Michigan AFSCME Council 25. If elected, she aims to continue to ensure the township is fiscally sound, to continue to support for new businesses, to focus on job development, to support programs for youth and seniors, and to address roads and parks. She also aims for economic development, recruiting organizations, both private and nonprofit, to develop affordable housing.
Roe has a bachelor's degree in political science and Sociology and a master's degree in social science from Eastern Michigan University, graduating from Willow Run High School. She has served 12 years as clerk for Ypsilanti Township, eight years as supervisor, and eight years as trustee. She also has experience serving as Washtenaw County Commissioner, as board member on the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority Board, and as a member on the Urban County Executive Committee. If elected, Roe aims to work toward hiring an Economic Development Director to increase businesses, restaurants, and housing in the township. She hopes to address the current amount of tax base, aiming to increase it.
Thornton has an education background in Criminal Justice, and she has experience teaching at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Her campaign aims to address the current amount of affordable housing in Ypsilanti Township. If elected, she also aims to increase the accessibility of mental health services to residents of the township. She hopes to work toward securing funding for a free digital application, which would be powered by students from community universities and licensed social workers, to help increase this accessibility.
Newman II has an undergraduate degree in accounting and an MBA in management information systems from Davenport University. He has more than 25 years of experience of serving in local county government, including serving as a senior accounting analyst and finance accountant for Washtenaw County. He has also served almost 20 years as a budget analyst/department manager for Wayne County and is currently a trustee for Ypsilanti Township. If elected, he aims to create more jobs in the township through the previous sale of land, and through the use of the funds from those sales, to invest in creating a small business district, which includes the City of Ypsilanti. He also aims to continue assisting residents in connecting to services and providers. His campaign hopes to address infrastructure and to address disparity in education.
Ali has a doctorate in communications and media from Wayne State University, a master's degree in journalism from Columbia College-Chicago, and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She works as a professor in digital media and journalism at Eastern Michigan University, first starting in 2012. She has also been involved with unions since 2008, including being a member of the Graduate Employees' Organizing Union while a graduate student. Since 2012, she has also been a member of EMU-AAUP, where she ran social media accounts for the union while faculty were striking in 2022. Prior to working at Eastern, Sadaf also had experience working as a television reporter for WHIZ in Ohio. If elected, she hopes to expand her current mentoring program to the community, move toward public energy, and clean up Ypsilanti Township's waterways by working with both federal and state partners. Her campaign also aims to increase both transparency and housing affordability in the township.
No Republicans have filed to run for trustee on the November ballot.
In other races:
Office: Ypsilanti Township Clerk, four-year term
Debbie Swanson won the Democratic nomination with 61% of the vote. The final tally was Swanson, 5,082 with Christina Benitez receiving 3,240 votes.
Swanson, who has earned both an undergraduate and master's degree, has worked as a teacher in the Willow Run Community Schools and the Ypsilanti Community Schools districts, and she has also served for twenty years as a park commissioner. She is currently serving as a trustee for Ypsilanti Township. If elected, she aims to help accomplish the township's goals through the use of the township's budgeting process and by seeking grant funding. Overall, her campaign aims to support economic development, review, and if needed, update the township's policies and procedures, and stay up-to-date with procedures regarding voting.
Office: Ypsilanti Township Treasurer, four-year term
Incumbent Treasurer Stan Eldridge won the Democratic nomination to return to his office with 79% of the vote, a total of 6,274. Opponent Steve Agdomy received 1,676 votes or 21%.
Eldridge has a bachelor's degree in business administration and leadership from Concordia University, in addition to an associate's degree in criminal justice from Washtenaw Community College. He has served as Ypsilanti Township Trustee for 16 years. He has also served on the Planning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, Economic Development, Retirement Board, Liquor Commission, and more. If elected, he hopes to continue to work toward a clarification of the Treasurer's Office's role. He also hopes to further increase transparency regarding the voter-approved millages and to help residents of the township who are facing financial hardships. Eldridge also emphasizes the continuation of working with entities in the community, including universities and school districts.
Office: Ypsilanti Township Park Commission Member, four-year term
The top votes for park commission members went to:
• Edward Burnett, incumbent, with 4,582 or 17%
• Ashley Agdorny Sanders, with 4,298 or 16%
• Cassidy Creech, with 4,278 or 15.9%
• Star Smith, incumbent, with 4,652, or 17.3%
• Drew Crosby, with 4,519 or 16.8%
• Suzanne LaFrance, with 4,346 or 16.1%
A list of the candidates running for Washtenaw County and state positions in the November general election can be accessed through the Washtenaw County website.
