Nov. 5 General Election preview of local candidate races

By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
ORION TWP. — When Orion voters head to the polls on Nov. 5 for the General Election they will have a whole slate of township, village, county and school board candidates before them.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.
The Orion Township Municipal Complex, 2323 Joslyn Rd., is also an early voting location, with voters being able to cast their ballots in person now through Nov. 3. Early voting is from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m., except on Thursday when voting is open from noon to 8 p.m.
Anyone with questions on early voting, or those who are unsure of which precinct to vote in can contact the Orion Township Clerk’s Office at 248-391-0304 ext. 4001.
Ballot drop box locations are at the Orion Township Municipal Complex, The Orion Center, 1335 Joslyn Rd., and Lake Orion Village Hall, 21 E. Church St.
This week the Review provides a rundown of the local races.
Orion Township Board of Trustees
All seven seats on the Orion Township Board of Trustees are up for election, which includes supervisor, clerk, treasurer and four trustee seats. Terms are for four years, beginning on Nov. 20, 2024.
Supervisor Chris Barnett is running unopposed in his reelection bid, as are Trustee Julia Dalrymple for clerk and Trustee Matt Pfeiffer for treasurer.
Trustee Micheal Flood, Jr. is seeking reelection and newcomers John Carson, Carrie Hilgendorf and Jack Lovat will join him as trustees. All are running unopposed for the four trustee seats.
Trustee Brian Birney did not file for reelection, Treasurer Kim Urbanowski was not on the ballot and Clerk Penny Shults lost her election bid for treasurer in the primary.
Lake Orion Village Council
There are four seats up for election on the nonpartisan seven-member Lake Orion Village Council with five candidates seeking the positions.
Incumbents Michael Lamb and Stan Ford are facing challengers Alex Comparoni, Jr., George Dandalides and Matthew Szadyr.
The three candidates with the most votes will serve four-year terms, while the fourth-place candidate will serve a two-year term.
Council President Jerry Narsh and Councilmember Ken Van Portfliet did not seek reelection.
Lake Orion Community Schools Board of Education
Voters will have two sections on the ballot for school board candidates.
The first section has five candidates running for four seats, each for a four-year term. The candidates appearing on the ballot are Danielle Bresett, Joel Cole, Susan Flaherty, Birgit McQuiston and Scott Taylor.
In the other section for school board, Jeffrey Faber and Shawn Fox will appear on the ballot. They are seeking a term ending Dec. 31, 2026. Voters must choose one candidate for the position.
Orion Twp. Public Library Board
The nonpartisan library board has six members with all six seats up for election in the General Election. Terms are for four years.
There are six candidates running for the seats, but three are running as write-in candidates.
Nathan Butki, Theresa Fougnie and James Phillips will appear on the ballot. Candidates James Abramczyk, Mary Pergeau and Mary Anne Thorndycraft are all running as write-in candidates. Voters must write in the names of those candidates.
Representative in Congress, 9th District
Incumbent Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) faces Democratic candidate Clinton St. Mosley from Lake Orion, Libertarian candidate Kevin Vayko from Dryden and Working Class Party candidate Jim Walkowicz from Detroit in the General Election for a two-year term in Congress.
State Representative, 54th House District
Incumbent state Rep. Donni Steele (R-Orion Twp.) will face Democrat Shadia Martini of Bloomfield in the General Election for a two-year term.
House District 54 includes the city of Bloomfield Hills, Orion Township, a portion of the city of Auburn Hills and portions of Bloomfield Township and Oakland Township.
Oakland County Commissioner, 6th District
Incumbent Commissioner Michael J. Gingell (R-Orion Twp.) will face Democrat Christina Joy Root from Lake Orion in the General Election.
The position is for a two-year term.