Brighton, Howell City Council candidates to participate in forums

LIVINGSTON COUNTY — Before voters in Brighton and Howell elect city leaders on Nov. 7, a local nonpartisan group is hosting candidate forums to help residents choose.

The League of Women Voters of Livingston County is gearing up to record three virtual candidate forums in September, and voters are encouraged to submit potential questions.

Seats on city councils in Brighton and Howell are up for grabs, and there's a contested mayoral race in Howell.

Also on the ballots, voters in Brighton will decide on a police tax proposal, and voters in the Howell Public School District will decide on a $258 million bond proposal.

More: City candidates in Howell and Brighton vying for votes in November

"We've got a really good turnout," League President Ellen Lafferty said Wednesday, adding most of the candidates have already agreed to participate. All were invited.

For each forum, candidates will meet virtually on Zoom and answer questions submitted by the public and the league. While local voters won't be able to watch the Zoom sessions live, the league, with help from local libraries, will record the sessions and publish them on multiple online platforms as soon as the videos are processed — likely sometime the following day or soon after.

Candidates running for Brighton City Council have been invited to participate in a forum the evening of Sept. 14, with support from the Brighton District Library.

Two forums for Howell races — one for the mayoral race and one for the city council race — will be held the evening of Sept. 21, with support from the Howell Carnegie District Library.

Videos will be posted on VOTE411.org and lwvlivingstonco.org and the organization's YouTube channel.

Voters are invited to submit questions for consideration by email to lwvlivcoforums@gmail.com by Sept. 7.

"It should be a question that can go to everybody, not gotcha questions (directed at one candidate)," Lafferty said. "It's about asking those pertinent questions of what's going on in Howell and Brighton. ... What are the hot topics?"

Some questions will likely be posed by league members.

"We don’t change or edit anything, unless they disparage a person or derail (the conversation)," Lafferty said.

The league will also publish an online voter guide Sept. 25. Their guides include what's on the ballot, polling locations, candidates' responses to questions and recordings of the forums.

What's on the ballot in Howell?

The race for the next mayor of Howell will be a showdown between the current and previous mayor.

Current mayor Bob Ellis was elected in 2021 following six years on city council. He's running for reelection to another two-year term. His predecessor, Nick Proctor, served as mayor from March 2015-November 2021, after serving on city council. He's thrown his hat back in the ring.

Four city council candidates will run for three seats in Howell, all four-year terms, include incumbent city councilmembers Erin Britten, Alexander Clos and Nikolas Hertrich, whose terms all expire in November. Challenger Adam Smiddy currently serves as chair of the city's board of zoning appeals and is a former director of Livingston County Veterans Services.

More: Howell Schools puts $258 million bond on November ballot. Here's what's in it.

The Howell Public Schools Board of Education has placed a $258 million bond proposal on the ballot for voters in the school district. If approved, the bond would provide funding to construct new buildings for Northwest Elementary and Southwest Elementary, plus a new community center and investments in all of the district's buildings. It would maintain the district’s current tax rate of 5.5 mills.

What's on the ballot in Brighton?

Six city council candidates in Brighton are vying for four seats. The top three vote-getters will serve four-year terms, and a fourth will serve a two-year term.

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Three incumbent city councilmembers are seeking reelection, including James Bohn, Susan Gardner and Paul Gipson. The three challengers are candidates Ken Schmenk, Dennis Nauss, and Susan Bakhaus.

Voters in Brighton will also decide whether to authorize what's known as a "headlee override" millage for the police department. If passed by voters, the 10-year tax levy would partially restore a previously approved rate for the purchase and maintenance of public safety equipment and buildings. The city would levy 0.5 mills from 2024-2033 to generate about $280,000 annually.

— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com. 

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brighton, Howell City Council candidates to participate in forums