The primary election is weeks away but voters can learn more about candidates for many races before casting a ballot on Aug. 6.
The League of Women Voters of Oakland Area is hosting a series of forums starting with Waterford Township supervisor and trustee candidates on Tuesday, June 11. Fourteen people have filed to run for the township board’s four open trustee seats and three have filed to replace long-time supervisor Gary Wall.
Christine Allen, the league’s director of candidate forums, said candidates have been invited to answer questions that will be posted at www.vote411.org.
“We have a very busy time ahead. It’s a big year,” Allen said.
The June 20 Sixth Judicial Circuit Court non-incumbent race forum has a slightly different format, she said.
The league partnered with the Oakland County Bar Association for the court’s candidates: Tricia Dare, Nicole Sophia-Calhoun Huddleston and Moneka Sanford. The bar association has its own questionnaire with more questions related to the law, Allen said.
Instead of a single moderator, the judicial candidates will face a panel of representatives from the bar association and the Detroit Legal News, with a member of the league posing questions submitted by the audience.
Anyone can attend the forums, Allen said.
“You have to have a curiosity about who the candidates are and what they stand for,” she said. “Other than that, we ask people not to wear any political statements – no shirts, hats, jackets, T-shirts or buttons, et cetera, because we are a non-partisan organization.
The league covers all county races except for Troy’s.
“The Troy area has its own League of Women Voters because they have enough people for that and they only cover their city’s races,” said Allen, a Beverly Hills resident.
Most of the forums will feature a non-partisan moderator who asks each candidate the same set of questions.
“Candidates will address the audience with their feelings, beliefs and plans. This is not a debate,” Allen said.
Each candidate will have a one-minute opening statement and a one-minute closing statement Candidates who can’t attend can have an opening statement read by a league member.
Volunteers will collect questions from the audience so similar questions can be condensed. Videos of each forum will be posted to the league’s website.
Some communities may broadcast an event live or show the videos on the public access channel, she said.
After the primary, the league will host a second series of forums for those competing in the Nov. 5 general election.
Allen said league members are very grateful for the city councils, chambers of commerce, school officials and others who provide free facilities and audio-video support for the forums.
“They have all been fabulously cooperative and supportive in all they do so we can have these forums,” she said.
The forums:
• 6 p.m. Tuesday June 11: Waterford Township supervisor and trustees, at the township hall auditorium, 5200 Civic Center Drive. Supervisor candidates are Democrats Mary Craite and Republicans Anthony M. Bartolotta and Darla Jaros.
• The 14 candidates for four trustee seats: Democrats Sam James, Matthew K. McClure, Robin McGregor, John Paul Torres, Joseph Williams and Republicans Gina Feistel, Art Frasca, Jeff Gilbert, Sam Harris, incumbent Marie Hauswirth, incumbent Mark J. Monohon, Michelle D. Morrell, Tyler Soncrainte and outgoing Supervisor Gary Wall.
• 6 p.m. Monday, June 17, State Representative District 5, at The Community House, 2121 Midvale St. in Birmingham: Democrats Crystal Bailey, Kevin Keys III, Eric Love, Regina Weiss and Republican Will Sears. All the candidates are Oak Park residents.
• 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, 12th Congressional District at West Bloomfield Middle School, 6000 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield: Democratic incumbent Rashida Tlaib of Detroit and Republican challengers James D. Hooper of Livonia and Linda Sawyer of Detroit.
• 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20, Sixth District State Representative and District 1 county commissioner at Royal Oak City Hall, 203 S. Troy St.:
• Sixth district state representative candidates: Democrats Joseph R. Fisher of Royal Oak and incumbent Natalie Price of Berkley; Republican Brent M. Lamkin of Royal Oak.
• County Commission District 1 candidates: Democrats Charlie Gandy and incumbent Dave Woodward and Republican Regina Wilk, all of Royal Oak.
• 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 20, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court non-incumbent race at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Auditorium, 1200 Court Tower Blvd. in Pontiac: Candidates Tricia Dare, Nicole Sophia-Calhoun Huddleston and Moneka Sanford.
This forum is free and open to the public, but organizers require pre-registration. To learn more, visit: ocba.org/judicial_candidates.
• 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20 State House 55th District at Rochester Hills City Hall, 1000 Rochester Hills Drive: Democrat Trevis Harrold of Rochester and Alexander Hawkins of Rochester Hills and Republican incumbent Mark Tisdel of Rochester.
• 7 p.m. Thursday June 27, 10th Congressional District at Macomb Community College, 14500 Twelve Mile Road in Warren: Democrats Emily Busch of Oxford, Carl J. Marlinga of Sterling Heights, Tiffany Tilley and Diane Young, both of Warren, and Republican incumbent John James of Shelby Township.
• 6 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. Oakland County Treasurer and Water Resources Commissioner at the Bloomfield Township Library, 1099 Lone Pine Road in Bloomfield Township
• Treasurer candidates are Democratic incumbent Robert Wittenberg of Huntington Woods and Republicans Donna Blake of Oxford, Isaiah Hellner of Oxford and Susan Kuhn of Troy.
• Water Resources Commissioner candidates: Democratic incumbent Jim Nash of Farmington Hills, Jim Stevens of Rochester Hills and Republicans Steve Johnson of Highland Township and Steve Klein of Waterford Township.
• 6 p.m. Monday, July 8, State Representative 51st District at Milford City Hall, 1100 Atlantic St. in Milford: Democrats Debbie Llewellyn of Milford and Sarah May-Seward of White Lake and Republicans Matt Maddock, the incumbent, and Kevin Ziegler, both of Milford.
• 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, Eighth District State Representative and Third County Commission District at Madison Heights City Hall, 300 W. 13 Mile Road.
• Eighth District State Representative candidates: Democrat Chris Gilmer-Hill and Helena Scott, both of Detroit, and Republican Alex Kuhn of Ferndale. Democratic incumbent Mike McFall is running for the state’s 14th District House seat.
• Third County Commission District candidates: Democratic incumbent Ann Erickson Gault of Troy and Roslyn Grafstein of Madison Heights and Republican Douglas K. MacLean of Madison Heights.
