MEA announces candidate recommendations for Nov. 5 general election

EAST LANSING — MEA is proud to announce candidates who have earned the recommendation of MEA members through the union’s Screening & Recommendation process. The process, which looks at candidates’ positions on education and labor issues, is decided by everyday educators who serve on S&R committees, based on policies and procedures adopted by members elected to the governing bodies of MEA and the MEA-PAC.

Other than statewide races (which are decided by MEA’s Statewide S&R Committee composed of educators from across the state), decisions about MEA candidate recommendations are made at the local level. Recommendations for federal offices are subject to final approval from the NEA Fund for Children & Public Education. If a local S&R committee chose not to make a recommendation in a federal or state race, it is noted below.

MEA S&Rs will continue for the next few weeks, especially in local races like school and community college boards. This list will be updated at MEA.org/media as new recommendations are received.

MEA recommended candidates for the Nov. 5 general election include:

Statewide and Federal

President & Vice President – Kamala Harris & Tim Walz

U.S. Senate – Elissa Slotkin

Michigan Supreme Court – Kyra Harris Bolden & Kimberly Ann Thomas

State Board of Education – Theodore Jones & Adam Zemke

Michigan State University Board of Trustees – Rebecca Bahar-Cook & Thomas Stallworth III

University of Michigan Board of Regents – Denise Ilitch & Shauna Ryder Diggs

Wayne State Board of Governors – Rasha Demashkieh & Mark Gaffney

 

Congressional Districts

U.S. House – District 1 – Callie Barr

U.S. House – District 2 – No Recommendation

U.S. House – District 3 – Hillary Scholten

U.S. House – District 4 – Jessica Swartz

U.S. House – District 5 – No Recommendation

U.S. House – District 6 – Debbie Dingell

U.S. House – District 7 – Curtis Hertel

U.S. House – District 8 – Kristen McDonald Rivet

U.S. House – District 9 – Clint St. Mosley

U.S. House – District 10 – Carl Marlinga

U.S. House – District 11 – Haley Stevens

U.S. House – District 12 – Rashida Tlaib

U.S. House – District 13 – Shri Thanedar

 

State Legislature

State House – District 1 – Tyrone Carter

State House – District 2 – Tullio Liberati, Jr.

State House – District 3 – Alabas Farhat

State House – District 4 – No Recommendation

State House – District 5 – Regina Weiss

State House – District 6 – Natalie Price

State House – District 7 – Tonya Myers Phillips

State House – District 8 – Helena Scott

State House – District 9 – Joe Tate

State House – District 10 – Veronica Paiz

State House – District 11 – Donavan McKinney

State House – District 12 – Kimberly Edwards

State House – District 13 – Mai Xiong

State House – District 14 – Mike McFall

State House – District 15 – Erin Byrnes

State House – District 16 – Stephanie Young

State House – District 17 – Laurie Pohutsky

State House – District 18 – Jason Hoskins

State House – District 19 – Samantha Steckloff

State House – District 20 – Noah Arbit

State House – District 21 – Kelly Breen

State House – District 22 – Matt Koleszar (MEA Member)

State House – District 23 – Jason Morgan (MEA Member)

State House – District 24 – Ranjeev Puri

State House – District 25 – Peter Herzberg

State House – District 26 – Dylan Wegela

State House – District 27 – Jaime Churches (MEA Member)

State House – District 28 – Janise O’Neil Robinson

State House – District 29 – Kyle Wright

State House – District 30 – No Recommendation

State House – District 31 – Reggie Miller

State House – District 32 – Jimmie Wilson, Jr.

State House – District 33 – Morgan Foreman

State House – District 34 – No Recommendation

State House – District 35 – Don Hicks (MEA Member)

State House – District 36 – No Recommendation

State House – District 37 – No Recommendation

State House – District 38 – Joey Andrews

State House – District 39 – No Recommendation

State House – District 40 – Matt Longjohn

State House – District 41 – Julie Rogers

State House – District 42 – Austin Marsman

State House – District 43 – Danene Shumaker

State House – District 44 – Jim Haadsma

State House – District 45 – Doug Murch

State House – District 46 – Daniel Mahoney

State House – District 47 – Carrie Rheingans

State House – District 48 – Jennifer Conlin

State House – District 49 – No Recommendation

State House – District 50 – No Recommendation

State House – District 51 – No Recommendation

State House – District 52 – No Recommendation

State House – District 53 – Brenda Carter

State House – District 54 – Shadia Martini

State House – District 55 – Trevis Harrold

State House – District 56 – Sharon MacDonell

State House – District 57 – Aisha Farooqi

State House – District 58 – Nate Shannon (MEA Member)

State House – District 59 – No Recommendation

State House – District 60 – No Recommendation

State House – District 61 – Denise Mentzer

State House – District 62 – Michelle Levine-Woodman (MEA Member)

State House – District 63 – No Recommendation

State House – District 64 – John Anter

State House – District 65 – No Recommendation

State House – District 66 – Shawn Almeranti-Crosby

State House – District 67 – No Recommendation

State House – District 68 – Matt Schlinker

State House – District 69 – Jasper Ryan Martus

State House – District 70 – Cynthia Neeley

State House – District 71 – Mark Zacharda

State House – District 72 – No Recommendation

State House – District 73 – Julie Brixie

State House – District 74 – Kara Hope

State House – District 75 – Penelope Tsernoglou

State House – District 76 – Angela Witwer

State House – District 77 – Emily Dievendorf

State House – District 78 – No Recommendation

State House – District 79 – No Recommendation

State House – District 80 – Phil Skaggs

State House – District 81 – Stephen Wooden

State House – District 82 – Kristian Grant

State House – District 83 – John Fitzgerald

State House – District 84 – Carol Glanville

State House – District 85 – No Recommendation

State House – District 86 – Abby Klomparens

State House – District 87 – Will Snyder

State House – District 88 – Tim Meyer

State House – District 89 – Lois Maassen

State House – District 90 – No Recommendation

State House – District 91 – No Recommendation

State House – District 92 – No Recommendation

State House – District 93 – No Recommendation

State House – District 94 – Amos O’Neal

State House – District 95 – No Recommendation

State House – District 96 – Rudy Howard, Jr.

State House – District 97 – No Recommendation

State House – District 98 – No Recommendation

State House – District 99 – No Recommendation

State House – District 100 – No Recommendation

State House – District 101 – No Recommendation

State House – District 102 – Kathy Pelleran-Mahoney

State House – District 103 – Betsy Coffia

State House – District 104 – No Recommendation

State House – District 105 – No Recommendation

State House – District 106 – Trina Borenstein

State House – District 107 – Jodi Decker

State House – District 108 – No Recommendation

State House – District 109 – Jenn Hill

State House – District 110 – No Recommendation

 

School Board:

Allendale School District Board Member – Aaron Brauschneider & Troy Lampen

Allen Park School District Board Member – Kyle Waligora

Anchor Bay School District Board Member – Michael Moses & Brian Powers

Ann Arbor Public Schools Board Member – Torchio Feaster, Megan Kanous, Ernesto Querijero (MEA member) & Leslie Wilkins

Armada School District Board Member – Michele Meerschaert, Chad Nikkel & Susan Neiman

Battle Creek Public Schools Board Member – Ryan Hoaglin-Jackson & Jamesia Nordman

Bark River-Harris Schools Board Member – Jeanette Peltier

Bay City Public Schools Board Member – Wendy Legner, Mason Pressler & David Welch

Berkley Schools Board Member – Keith Logsdon & Jon Heger

Birmingham Public Schools Board Member – Amy Hochkammer, Jennifer Rass & Jason Tejani

Bloomfield Hills Public Schools Board Member – Jason Abel, Michelle Southward & John VanGemert

Brighton School District Board Member – Roger Myers, Matt Morneault, Glenn Hodges, & Ken Stahl

Byron Center Public Schools Board Member – Brenda Hondorp, Rob Hughs, Nathan Jeruzal & Brad Wierchertjes

Chippewa Valley School District Board Member – Donald Kuntz & Talitha T. Mahome

Clarkston Community Schools Board Member – Greg Need (Term Ending 12/31/26), Stefanie Crane (6 Year Term) & Jaclyn Sivers (6 Year Term)

Clio Area Schools Board Member – Robert Love, Carrie Ammons, Robert Love Jr, Robert Gaffney & Dawn Renkiewicz

Comstock Public Schools Board –  Pamela Dickinson, Paul Lamphear, Karen Howes, & Kristie Poulson

Dewitt Public Schools Board Member – Brad Weaver & Hana Carpenter

Eaton Public Schools Board Member – Melissa Eckman

Evart Public Schools Board Member – Jamie Hulliberger

Farmington Public Schools Board Member – Claudia Heinrich & TR Carr

Flint Public Schools Board Member – Chad Schlosser

Forest Hills Public School District Board Member – Kelly Kermode & Shawn Colley

Fowlerville School District Board Member – Tony Coln & Lindsey Redinger

Fraser School District Board Member – Kathleen Moco

Grand Haven Public Schools Board Member – Kristal Boyd & Cyndi Casemier

Grand Ledge Public Schools Board Member – Coban Holmes, Matthew Oppenheim, & Kali Stevens

Grand Rapids Public Schools Board Member – Jordoun Eatman, Amber Kilpatrick, Eleanor Moreno & Ismailis Nuñez

Grandville Public Schools Board Member – Jason Heyboer & Sally VanEck

Grosse Pointe Public Schools Board Member – Clint Derringer, Laura Hull, Tim Klepp & Colleen Worden

Harper Woods Public Schools Board Member – David Calus, Ramona Dunn-Simmons, Diana Nimmons & Stacey White

Hartland Consolidated Schools Board Member – Jeff Campbell, Cindy Shaw & Julie Tucker

Hazel Park School Board Member – April Beaton (four-year term), Nate Becker (four-year term), Chris Johnston (four-year term), & Darrin Fox (four-year term)

Holland School Board Member – Liz Colburn & Diane Ybarra

Howell Public Schools Board Member – Crystal Zurek

Hudsonville School Board Member – Jaime Fleming

Huron Valley Schools Board Member – Lindsay Cotter & Laura Dodd

Jenison School Board Member – Jennifer Postema & William Waalkes

Lake Orion School District Board Member – Danielle Bresett, Susan Flaherty, Birgit McQuiston, Scott A. Taylor, & Jeff Faber (MEA)

L’Anse Creuse School District Board Member – S. George Icsman & Andrew Parski

Lansing Public Schools Board Member – Deyanira Nevarez Martinez (Partial Term), Josh Crim
& Cirea Strode

Livonia School District Board Member –Karen M. Bradford, Crystal Dawn Frank, Madelin Acosta & David J. MacFarland

Lowell School District Board Member – Jessica Curtis, Annie McMahon-Whitlock, Brian Krajewski, Laurie Kuna

Ludington School District Board Member – Michael Winczewski & Alan Neushwander

Mason Public School Board Member – Matt Bennett & Matt Hall

Mason County Central School District Board Member – Nicole Bernadette Birkett (MEA) & Nicole Sherretz

Marysville School District Board Member – Nicole Winston, Amanda Kettlewell-Busch, & Jen Settel

Mount Pleasant School District Board Member – Melissa Isaac & Nathan Tomson

Muskegon School District Board Member – Kwame Kamau James & G. Lynnette Marks

New Haven School District Board Member – Mark Goralczyk & Val Pod

Northville Public Schools Board Member – Ron Frazier, Jena Mabrey, Meredith Maurer & Lisa McIntyre

Novi Public Schools Board Member – Mary Ann Roney, Tom Smith & Jamie VanderMass Kliebert

Owosso Public Schools Board Member – Adam Easlick & Marlene Webster

Oxford Community Schools Board Member – Ann Acheson (2-year seat) & Any 3 of Erin Reis (write-in candidate), Randal Kreger, Mike Aldred, and Shane Gibson for the three 4-year seats

Port Huron Public Schools Board Member – Laurie Oldford & Matthew Ruiz

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board Member – Patti McCoin

Ravenna School District Board Member – Jon Swenor & Cory Kraai

Richmond School District Board Member – Sarah Gillies & David Mangune

Rochester Community School District Board Member – Barb Anness (2 year term), Michelle Bueltel (2 year term), Julie Alspach (6 year term), Jayson Blake (6 year term) & Richard Kaczanowski (6 year term)

Rockford Public Schools Board Member – Tricia Anderson, Jake Himmelspach, Kelley Freridge & Andrea Jackson

Romeo School District Board Member – Christy Seitz, Jason Smith & Wayne David Conner II

Royal Oak School District Board Member – Erica Alexander, Tim Ciechorski, Maryanne VanHaitsma, & Matt Wickey

Saginaw Township Community Schools Board Member – Marianne Burd & Janice Collison

Saline Area Schools Board Member – Darcy Berwick, Brad Gerbe, Jason Tizedes & Jennifer Steben

South Haven School District Board Member – Malissa Acosta, Graaflower & Doug Ransom

South Lake School District Board Member – Ryan Rumohr & Gail T. Weathersby

St. Johns School Board Member – Jessica Parker-Sternburgh & Timothy Jackson

Traverse City School Board Member – Scott Newman-Bale, Josey Ballenger, & Ty Schmidt

Utica Community Schools – Michael Austerman, Kimberly Becker & Kelli Rankin

Vicksburg School District Board Member – Elizabeth Castleberry, Lucas Hillard & Ron Centofanti

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools Board Member – Susie Crafton, Ron Lippitt, Michael Smith & Marc Siegler

Warren Consolidated Schools Board Member – Leah A. Berdy & Brian White

Warren Woods School District Board Member – Scott Hiller, Jenny Nitz, Michael A. Schulte & Nicole L. Spicer

Waterford School District Board Member – Elizabeth McGregor

West Bloomfield School District Board Member – Nick Hersch & Julie Beaty

West Ottawa School District Board Member – Cynthia Martinez, Mary Remenschneider, Cathy Lebster, Tyson Smith

Wyoming School District Board Member – Danielle Burzynski & Jennifer Lewis

 

Local School Millages:

Carman-Ainsworth School Bond – Vote YES

Coleman Community Schools Bond – Vote YES

Leslie Sinking Fund Millage Renewal – Vote YES

Wayne RESA Enhancement Millage Renewal – Vote YES

Livingston Educational Service Agency Special Education Millage – Vote YES

 

Community College Board:

Grand Rapids Community College Board of Trustees – Micah Perkins

Jackson Community College Board Member – David Hammontree, Danielle Mackey & Donna Lake

Lansing Community College Board of Trustees – Hope Lovell, Chatum Taylor & Ryan Smith

Mott Community College Board Member – Kenyetta V. Dotson, Anne Figueroa & Perci Whitmore

Oakland Community College Board Member – Meg Lambert & Pam Davis

Schoolcraft Community College Board Member – Candy Little

St. Clair Community College Board of Trustees – Mukund Wankhede, Penelope G. Peck & Patrick Yanik

 

Judicial:

Court of Appeals – 2nd District (Macomb, Oakland & Genesee Counties) – Randy Wallace and Latoya Willis

3rd Circuit Court – John Larkin

6th Circuit Court – Nicole Sophia-Calhoun Huddleston

16th Circuit Court (Non-Incumbent Position) – Anthony R. Servitto

18th District Court – Mike McNamara

35th District Court – Michael Woodyard

41A District Court (Non-Incumbent Position) – Both Eric Shepherd and Pat Sierawski considered “highly qualified”

46th District Court – Robin Dillard-Russaw

52-3 District Court – Laura E. Polizzi

Macomb County Probate Court (New Position) – Aaron J. Hall

Muskegon County Probate Court Judge – Gregory C. Pittman

 

County & Municipal:

Eaton County

Delta Township Trustee – Fonda Brewer, Beth Bowen, Andrea Cascarilla & Michelle Hart

 

Ingham County

County Clerk – Barb Byrum

County Commission – District 5 – Myles Johnson

County Commission – District 6 – Rachel Willis

County Commission – District 7 – Thomas Morgan (MEA)

County Commission – District 10 – Gabrielle Lawrence

County Commission – District 13 – Tanya Pratt (MEA)

County Commission – District 15 – Michelle Rosa

Meridian Twp. Supervisor – Scott Hendrickson

Meridian Twp. Clerk – Angela Demas

Williamston Twp. Trustee – Jim Brinker

Leslie Sinking Fund Millage Renewal – Vote YES

 

Kent County

County Clerk – Scott Urbanowski

County Commission – District 6 – Nicholas Vander Veen

County Commission – District 8 –Chris Herweyer

Grand Rapids Township – Supervisor – Justin Sheldon

Grand Rapids Township – Treasurer – Krystina Orzechowski

Grand Rapids Township – Clerk – Teresa Stapleton

Grand Rapids Township – Trustee – Lori Kirkhoff, Tim Russ (MEA), Andy Shackelford & Jose Teixeira

 

Livingston County

Livingston Educational Service Agency Special Education Millage – Vote YES

County Commission – District 1 – Michelle Spisz

County Commission – District 7 – Bob Sexton

 

Macomb County

Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney – Christina Hines

Macomb County Sheriff – Anthony M. Wickersham

Macomb County Treasurer – Mathew T. Churchwell

 

Muskegon County

County Commission – District 3 – Sandra Boone-Thomas

 

Oakland County

County Executive – Dave Coulter

County Treasurer – Robert Wittenberg

County Prosecutor – Karen McDonald

County Clerk – Lisa Brown

Bloomfield Township Supervisor – Dani Walsh

 

Wayne County

Wayne RESA Enhancement Millage Renewal – Vote YES

Canton Township Supervisor – Anne Marie Graham-Hudak

Canton Township Treasurer – Dian Slavens

Canton Township Clerk – Michael Siegrist

Canton Township Trustee – Ammara Ansari, Kate Borninski, Sommer Foster & Tania Ganguly

Garden City Council – Brendan MacArthur

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