Who's running for Livingston County Board, so far?
LIVINGSTON COUNTY — The upcoming race for Livingston County Board of Commissioners is beginning to come into focus.
Nearly all of the current commissioners are running for re-election as Republicans, though Seventh District Commissioner Martin Smith told The Daily he's still considering whether to run. If he does, he'll face a Republican challenger in August.
Livingston County Democratic Party Chair Judy Daubenmier said Democrats will run in all nine districts. As of Friday, eight have filed.
Republican and Democratic Priorities
Livingston County Republican Party Chair Rob Rodriguez-Pelizzari told The Daily he's proud of the county's broadband internet infrastructure project, low tax rate, AAA bond rating, and constitutional county declaration. He expressed a desire to avoid tax increases.
He said Republican areas of focus include stretching the county's income to handle inflation rates and finishing ARPA expenses.
Daubenmier, meanwhile, said Democrats will focus on expanding public transportation and supporting a health department that relies on science. She opposes "attacking" people who support diversity, masking and vaccines. She expressed displeasure with the county's declaration as a second amendment sanctuary.
"There will be no focus on culture wars or symbolic gestures that don't make our lives better," she said.
The Candidates
District 1: Fowlerville, Cohoctah Township, Conway Township, Howell Township and a portion of Handy Township
Republican incumbent Doug Helzerman is a retired principal of Fowlerville Baptist School who also served on the Fowlerville Village Council. He's served on the county board since 2017. Democratic challenger Michelle Spisz is a science teacher at Fowlerville Junior High.
District 2: Deerfield Township, Tyrone Township and a portion of Oceola Township
Republican incumbent Dave Domas, a retired businessman, served on the board from 1994-2018 and was elected again in 2022. Democratic challenger Lisa Wojciechowski works in public health at the University of Michigan.
District 3: Pinckney, Iosco Township, Putnam Township, Unadilla Township and portions of Hamburg Township and Handy Township
Republican incumbent Frank Sample, a field supervisor at Assemblers Precast and Steel Services, is serving his first term. Democratic challenger Pamela Bethune is a lead auditor at Cottleston Quality.
District 4: Hartland Township and a portion of Oceola Township
Republican incumbent Wes Nakagiri has a background in mechanical engineering and is a former Tea Party leader. He's served on the county board since 2019. Democratic challenger Ella Nikitin is a 2019 Hartland High grad with a degree in computer science from UM-Flint. She's the first openly trans woman to run for office in the county.
District 5: Howell and Marion Township
Republican incumbent Jay Drick, an attorney, served on the county board from 2011-2012 and was elected again in 2020. No challengers have filed as of Friday, but a Democrat is expected to run.
District 6: Portions of Brighton Township, Genoa Township and Oceola Township
Republican incumbent Roger Deaton owns Equity Home Inspection and has a background in logistics. He was elected to the board in 2022. Democratic challenger Matthew McClanahan founded Moving Forward Marketing, an advising services firm.
District 7: Brighton and a portion of Brighton Township
Republican candidate Melvin Paunovich is an attorney and former police detective. He served as Brighton Township's supervisor from 1991-1994. Democratic candidate Bob Sexton is a retired Fowlerville High School teacher.
District 8: Portions of Genoa Township and Hamburg Township
Republican incumbent Nick Fiani works in finance. He's a former Brighton Area Schools board member and was elected in 2022. Democratic challenger Elizabeth Hauptman is a field coordinator for Moms Clean Air Force.
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District 9: Green Oak Township and a portion of Hamburg Township
Republican incumbent Jerome Gross is retired from General Motors. He was appointed in 2020, then elected. Democratic challenger Mary Witalec is a systems analyst at UM's Ross School of Business.
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Who's running for Livingston County Board, so far?
