by
Metro Detroit voters by and large chose the status quo on Election Day.
Controversial Warren Mayor Jim Fouts cruised to his fourth term, beating challenger City Councilwoman Kelly Colegio with 57.5 percent of the vote to her 42.5 percent, based on unofficial results.
In Ferndale, two socialists who'd sought to limit big development and put city buildings on a path to total energy efficiency lost in council and mayoral races. Mayoral candidate Brian Stawowy fell to opponent Melanie Piana, a longtime city councilwoman, who won with 66 percent of the vote. A sitting councilwoman and newcomer Kat Bruner James, a civil rights attorney, were elected to open council seats over socialist candidate Nada Daher.
Royal Oak's mayor, Michael Fournier, who has brought big, controversial developments to the city's once-eclectic downtown, was re-elected with 57 percent of the vote to opponent Stephen Miller's 43 percent. Two of Fournier's allies on the city commission — Patricia Paruch and Kyle DuBuc — were also re-elected. According to Crain's:
Fournier and commissioners [Paruch and DuBuc] were targeted by a citizens' group over awarding contracts for a new city hall, police station and other projects without seeking bids.
In an at least superficial departure from the status quo, a woman, Maureen Miller Brosnan, was elected mayor in Livonia. She beat Laura Toy, also a woman, by about 100 votes, according to uncertified results.
Voters shook things up in Flint, Detroit's closest large urban neighbor. There, State Rep. Sheldon Neeley ousted embattled mayor Karen Weaver by about 200 votes, though as of late Tuesday night, Weaver had not yet conceded and told local media she was not ruling out a recount. Weaver was accused by Flint city council of steering work to a preferred contractor who had lost previous rounds of bidding.
It was also mostly a losing day for pot, locally. Four cities — Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Walled Lake and Keego Harbor — were considering whether to approve the regulated sale of marijuana within their borders. Only Lincoln Park voted to do so.
You can find more election results from around the region here.
