NAACP to host candidate forum Thursday in Adrian

ADRIAN — Candidates in the Aug. 2 primary election for district judge, the Michigan Legislature and the U.S. House are scheduled to take part in a forum Thursday.

The Lenawee County branch of the NAACP is hosting the forum at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 23, at the Julianne and George Argyros Performing Arts Center at Adrian High School, 785 Riverside Ave.

The following candidates are scheduled to appear:

• Lenawee County district judge: Christopher Fleming, Ashley Hanson-Grimes, David Lacasse and Judge Todd M. Morgan.

• Michigan House 34th District: Republicans Julie Moore, Ryan Rank and state Sen. Dale Zorn.

• Michigan Senate 16th District: Democrat Katybeth Davis.

• U.S. House 5th District: Republican Elizabeth Ferszt.

More: Challengers line up to take on Walberg, other incumbents in August primary elections

Morgan was appointed district judge in March by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He took the bench in April. He most recently had been an assistant Lenawee County public defender.

Fleming is an assistant Lenawee County prosecutor, and Lacasse and Hanson-Grimes are attorneys in Adrian.

The 34th District is the new state House district that covers most of Lenawee County. Moore is a nurse from Adrian Township, and Rank is a former Madison Township fire chief. Zorn cannot run for reelection to the Michigan Senate because of term limits. He moved from his longtime home in Ida to his family Cottage at Sand Lake in order to run for the House.

Democrat John Dahlgren of Clinton is unopposed in the primary in the 34th District.

The 34th District seat is open because Rep. Bronna Kahle, who lives in the district, cannot run again due to term limits.

Davis, of Monroe Township, is the only Democrat running for the 16th Senate District position. The Republicans seeking their party’s nomination are state Reps. Joe Bellino of Monroe and TC Clements of Temperance.

The new 16th District covers most of Lenawee, Hillsdale and Monroe counties. It does not cover the Clinton, Tecumseh and Macon area.

Ferszt, of Jackson, filed to run against incumbent Rep. Tim Walberg of Tipton in the new 5th Congressional District, which stretches across southern lower Michigan. However, the Michigan State Board of Canvassers found that she did not file enough valid signatures. It disqualified 382 of the 1,345 signatures she turned in because stickers appeared to cover up some mandatory elements of the headers on the petitions, which explain who she is and what office she is seeking. Candidates need to file at least 1,000 valid signatures to make the ballot as a U.S. House candidate.

Ferszt is now running a write-in campaign, Lenawee County NAACP President Jeanette Henagan said.

Also running against Walberg for the Republican nomination is Sherry O’Donnell, an internal medicine physician from Stevensville.

One Democrat, Bart Goldberg of New Buffalo, is running in the 5th District.

Henagan said Walberg is unable to attend the forum because the House will be in session.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: NAACP to host candidate forum Thursday in Adrian