Parks & Rec., NOTA millage requests approved

Orion voters decisively passed all three millage requests in Tuesday’s primary election, based on unofficial results posted by the Oakland County Elections Division.

Local voters also narrowed the fields in some contested candidate races, setting up the races for the Nov. 6 general election.

Orion Twp. Parks and Recreation millage

The proposed 1-mill Parks and Recreation request passed with 5,301 ballots (57.2 percent) supporting the request and 3,967 (42.8 percent) against.

The millage is for five years, from 2018-2022, and will help fund parks and recreation operations, services and facilities, programming, equipment, personnel, maintenance, acquisition, capital improvements and all related costs of the department.

The millage is estimated to bring in $1,674,921.87 in the first year.

Safety Path Millage Renewal

Voters approved the township’s Safety Path Millage Renewal with 5,995 (64.68 percent) supporting the request and 3,273 (35.32 percent) opposed.

The renewal authorizes the township to levy of up to .2293 of 1 mill for a period of 10 years, starting with the December 2018 tax levy through December 2027.

The funds will be for the establishment, construction, repair and maintenance of safety paths within the township. The millage is estimated to bring in $384,059.59 in the first year.

North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA)

Millage renewals to support the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) operations were approved by voters in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships.

Orion voters passed a five-year, 0.2405-mill tax for NOTA with 6,386 ballots for, and 2,885 against.

Oxford residents voted 3,369 to 1,172 to pass a five-year, 0.2409-mill tax for NOTA operations.

Over in Addison, the five-year, 0.2419-mill NOTA tax was approved 1,132 to 502.

Established in 2001, NOTA provides low-cost, publicly-subsidized transportation for senior citizens, individuals with physical and/or developmental disabilities, and low-income folks living in the three townships and their respective villages.

Last year, NOTA provided a total of 38,859 rides. Most of those rides were given to residents of Orion (18,672) and Oxford (18,094). The remaining 2,093 rides went to those living in Addison Township.

Local Candidates

State Senate – 12^th District

Michael D. McCready narrowly edged out Jim Tedder in the Republican primary. McCready received 12,512 (45.29 percent of the ballots cast) votes to Tedder’s 12,224 (44.25 percent). Candidate Terry Whitney received 2,071 votes (7.5 percent), while Vernon Molnar received 766 votes (2.77 percent). There were 51 write-in ballots cast in the race.

McCready will face Democrat Rosemary Bayer and Libertarian Jeff Pittel in the general election. Bayer and Pittel ran unopposed in the primary.

State Representative – 46^th District

Mindy Denninger won the Democratic primary with 6,393 votes (78.76 percent), besting Tom Watson, who received 1,708 votes (21.04 percent). There were 16 write-in ballots cast.

Denninger now faces incumbent Republican John Reilly, who ran unopposed in the primary. Reilly received 11,115 votes (99.52 percent). There were 54 write-in ballots cast.

County Commissioner – 1^st District

Republican Michael J. Gingell ran unopposed, receiving 6,518 votes (99.53 percent of the ballots cast). There were 31 write-in votes.

In November, Gingell will face Democrat Michelle A. Bryant, who ran unopposed, receiving 5,504 votes (99.66 percent). There were 19 write-in ballots cast.