Two former Brandon School Board colleagues will face off in November for a county commissioner seat.
Beth Nuccio won the Republican nomination for the 1st District County Commissioner in Tuesday’s primary election. In a field of seven candidates, she took 1,999 votes, or 28.90 percent. Her closest competitor was Oxford resident James R. Porritt, Jr. with 1,607 votes, or 23.23 percent.
In the race for the Democratic nomination, Ken Quisenberry won with 799 votes, or 54.17 percent, over his sole opponent Ken Christie, who took 674 votes, or 45.69 percent.
District 1 includes about 50,000 residents in Addison, Brandon, Groveland, and Oxford townships and the villages of Oxford, Leonard, and Ortonville. It also encompasses two voting precincts in Independence Township.
Nuccio said Wednesday that her bid for the county commissioner seat is driven by a desire to keep tax dollars spent on services that northern Oakland County residents use. She would also like to continue a strong, balanced budget and a waste management plan that includes conservation, recycling, and composting, with no landfills.
‘I think it will be an interesting race,? she said. ‘I think it’s quite interesting to have two Ortonville people (competing for the seat) when we haven’t had a county commissioner from this area in many years.?
Quisenberry said he would have been fine running against any of the Republican candidates and it doesn’t change anything that it is Nuccio, with whom he served on the Brandon School Board for several years.
‘There is mutual respect between us and always will be, but I think I’m the better candidate,? he said. ‘I will do better for north Oakland County than she will. I want to run for better efficiency in government, with lower taxes and I guarantee that my voice will be heard. I am not one to sit quietly in the back of a room.?
In the race for the Republican nomination for the Brandon Township Trustee seat, Cheryl Gault received 973 votes or 52.94 percent, over Dana DePalma’s 856 votes, or 46.57 percent. Gault was appointed by the township board in February following the death last December of Trustee Charlene Carlson. Gault will run unopposed in November for the partial term that ends in 2012.
In both Brandon and Groveland townships, voter turnout was nearly 30 percent, and voters approved the Oakland County Parks millage renewal by an overwhelming margin? 67.81 percent yes to 32.19 percent no in Brandon and 71.30 percent yes to 28.70 percent no in Groveland’joining the rest of the county voters in support of the parks.
The Oakland Community College millage renewal, which ultimately passed by a comfortable margin in the rest of the county, had a much narrower gap with Groveland voters, 52.79 percent yes to 47.21 percent no, and failed amongst Brandon voters, with 50.51 percent voting no to 49.49 percent voting yes.
In the governor’s race, both Brandon and Groveland voters, like the rest of the state, gave the nod to Rick Snyder (34.68 percent of the vote in Brandon, 37.54 percent of the vote in Groveland) and the Democratic nod, again like the rest of the state, went to Virg Bernero, (60.42 percent Brandon, 69.90 percent Groveland).
In other races, Republican Mike Rogers will face off in November against Democrat Kande Ngalamulume for the 8th District Representative in Congress; Republican Dave Robertson will face Democrat Paula Zelenko for the 26th District State Senator seat; and Republican Brad Jacobsen will go up against Democrat David Jay Lillis for 46th District Representative in State Legislature.
In the 51st District, incumbent Representative Republican Paul Scott will try to retain his seat against Democrat Art Reyes.