May 10, 2010

Celebrate Filing Day with the Liv. Co Democrats


For political geeks like me, tomorrow. May 11, is akin to a national holiday. Tuesday is filing day, the day candidate for the August 3 primary and November 2 General election must officially file to run for elective office.

Every single state office is up for election this year, from the Governor on down, including the Secretary of State, Attorney General and the state Senate and House, as well as local offices that are on two years cycles, like the Livingston County Board of Commissioners.To mark that event, the Livingston County Democratic Party is celebrating Filing Day at 6:30 p.m. with pizza. The HQ is located at 10321 E. Grand River, Suite 600, Brighton.

You can come out and meet the full slate of Democratic candidates, as well as hear from former East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh, who is presently running for the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, to discuss campaigning and local and state issues.

In predominately Livingston County, the Democratic Party has set some realistic goals,and they have been meeting since March on ways to be successful in areas where Republicans hold a majority.
The plans is to field a candidate in every race, and to focus its resources on one or two races that are winnable on the nine-member Livingston County Board of Commissioners. The board has been all Republican since 1996, but the Democrats have a plan to change that. So far, it has a candidate in all the districts but one; the 4th District that includes the Townships of Handy, Iosco and Unadilla, the Village of Fowlerville and parts of the township of Howell and Marion. That’s a little disturbing because the last Democrat on the board came from Unadilla.

Here is the excellent field of candidates:
District 1 Pam Green
District 2 Thomn Bell
District 3 Dane Morris
District 4 TBA
District 5 Dave Berry
District 6 Keith Tianen
District 7 Kelly Raskauskas
District 8 Amir Baghdadchi
District 9 Barry McBride

In the state Legislature, Hamburg Township resident Garry Post is running for the 47 District seat that includes the townships of Cohoctah, Conway, Deerfield, Hamburg, Handy, Hartland, Howell, Iosco, Putnam, Tyrone, and Unadilla, most of the city of Howell, and that portion of Marion Township included within the city limits of Howell.

Post has actual business experience as the owner and operator of a manufacturing business, as well as managing real estate. Post is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Detroit College of Law and the Duke University Fuqua School of Business’ “mini-MBA” program. Post practiced law in Michigan and co-founded a law firm from 1980-1988 before moving to North Carolina to pursue a career in manufacturing. He rose to become President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Athol Manufacturing Corporation. Athol supplied vinyl coated fabrics for cars, truck and buses including major mid-level automotive companies.

After the sale of Athol in early 2000, Post began pursuing a career in real estate and rental property management. In his present position, Post manages rental properties near the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor with a focus on student housing.

In the State Senate, Green Oak Township resident Chuck Fellows is running for the 22nd District seat held by term limited Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Marion Township. Fellows is a member of the Green Oak Township planning commissioner, a teacher and a member of the Michigan Department of Community Health Board.

The deadline to withdraw from the race is 4 p.m Friday, May 14. Other important dates are July 6, the last day to register for the August primary, and the last day to register for the General Election is Oct. 4.

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