Michigan Voter Guide 2022: Macomb County Board of Commissioners

Michigan voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 8, for the 2022 midterm elections. All 13 seats on Macomb County’s Board of Commissioners are on the ballot.

Keep reading to learn the candidates’ answers to the questionnaire they received from WDET. To see what’s on your ballot, click here.

Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity. This post will be updated as candidates submit their responses. Opinions are the candidates’ own.

County Commissioner – 1st District (One 2-year term)

Michael E. LaBuhn – Democrat

Did Not Respond

Don Brown – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 2nd District (One 2-year term)

Michelle Merriwether – Democrat

Did Not Respond

Phil Kraft – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 3rd District (One 2-year term)

Ken Reid – Democrat

Occupation:Retired public school educator

Education: Associate of Arts-Macomb Community College, Bachelor of Science-Western Michigan University, Master of Education-Wayne State University, Juris Doctor-University of Detroit

Previously elected offices: I have held the elected positions of local union president (Macomb Intermediate Federation of Teachers), vice president for statewide union (AFT-Michigan), recording secretary for a local sportsmen’s club (Detroit Sportsmen’s Congress) and parish council facilitator (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton-Troy). I have not held an elected position in local, county or statewide government elections.

Goals if elected: Recruiting and maintaining high quality jobs in the county is and always will be a main goal. Accessibility to county services for our aging population and veteran population needs to be reviewed and updated where necessary. Pollution control of our natural resources. Alternatives to incarceration must be addressed.

Sylvia Grot, Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 4th District (One 2-year term)

Gary E. Cynowa – Democrat

Age: 74

Current occupation: Retired, former L’Anse Creuse Public Schools teacher from 1968-2004

Education: Utica H.S. Diploma in 1965, Oakland University B.A. in Education with Majors in Spanish and Social Studies in 1968, Wayne State University M.A./Ed. in Foreign Language Education in 1972

Tell us about yourself.

Resident of Macomb County for 73 years and Macomb Township for 44 years. Married to C Gloria Cynowa for 54 years. Father of three, grandfather of Six, great-grandfather of one, foster father to two dozen children through Oakland Family Services where his wife once worked. Member of First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Clemens. Served as deacon and elder. Currently active in programs to nourish needy people by preparing and serving through Blessings in a Backpack, Feed the Hungry and Salvation Army. Active Board of Directors member of Friends of Macomb Township. Community Foundation as its secretary, chair of its scholarship committee and a community volunteer for Halloween Trunk or Treat and Run the Plank.

Why are you running for the Board of Commissioners?

I want to be able to contribute more to the community and county in which I have lived for so long. I want to increase county services in essential areas. I have a good knowledge of how government can work for the good of the communities it serves. I have had experience with balancing budgets, negotiating contracts and serving as president of some 5,000 school employee union members in 16 school districts for nine years.

What are the top three priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them? 

1. Examine and help to carefully reprioritize the budget to focus on our essential services and securing the work force we need that is skilled enough to perform its work on an excellent service basis for our citizens. I would actively pursue additional grants from state, federal ,and private sources along with making wise use of the current tax dollars produced in the county. I would also encourage more work with our cities and townships and the tri-country area in joint partnerships for services and infrastructure.
2. Prioritize water and sewage systems to provide adequate clean and safe water, control pollution and address flooding and old infrastructure repairs and replacement. Roads currently have a state and federal tax for repair and replacement, but our water systems currently rely on water and sewer rates paid by the consumer and occasional grants for certain water infrastructure problems like lead pipes. Water is essential for life and attracting business and is a necessary priority.
3. Mental health is a growing problem in Macomb County and throughout the United States. Our recent bouts with the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence in some schools and public places, and added economic stress exacerbated by personal issues, PTSD, alcohol and drug abuse have caused much of this problem. Mental health needs to be looked at a s part of a complete health concern, not by itself as its impact affects people in multiple ways. I would prioritize continued work with the state and county to integrate these services, along with current individual and group health insurance  plans to facilitate complete medical service to those who need them.

Joe Sabatini – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 5th District (One 2-year term)

Robert Mijac – Democrat

Did Not Respond

Don VanSyckel – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 6th District (One 2-year term)

Carole Chi – Democrat

Did Not Respond

Joseph V. Romano – Republican

Age: 80

Education: Macomb Community College

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.

Six years in the military as a medical corpsman. Appointed by the Sterling Heights City Council to the Board Of Review, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Board of Tax Review. Elected and served 20 years on the Sterling Heights City Council. Currently elected and serving toward my sixth year as a county commissioner. I personally chair Records and Public Safety commission.

Why are you running for re-election for the Board of Commissioners?

I am running because I would like to finish some of the things that are still in my agenda.

What are the top priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?

1. Making sure that police in public safety are funded properly.
2. Continued inspections and repairs of our infrastructure, which is way overdue.
3. Working with our local judges to make sure criminals are prosecuted and stay in jail instead of early releases.

County Commissioner – 7th District (One 2-year term)

James M. Perna – Republican (running unopposed)

Occupation: Retired

Education: St Joseph High School, Lawrence Tech

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less: Married to Deborah, three daughters, six grandchildren, one great grandchild, resident of Macomb County for 35 years, 42 years private sector businessman, previous Macomb County Commissioner 8 years plus, veteran, involved with several charities, board member for Huron Academy charter school, member of St Thecla Church. As a previous County Commissioner and chair of Finance Committee not to my 42 years in the private sector I will bring the experience needed to manage various budgets. My private sector experience provides the skills necessary to work with all people,listen,understand their needs,problems,concerns,and develop possible solutions. My experience as a CEO taught me negotiation skills.

Why are you running for the Board of Commissioners? I love Macomb County. It’s been my home for several years. I want our Townships to prosper so that we have the jobs we need to support our families. I want to see safe streets and strong schools. I strongly support our veterans and senior citizens. I have the experience in government and the private sector needed to get the job done. As county commissioner these will be my priorities.

What are the top three priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them? Jail improvements, not to mention no tax increases. We need more bipartisanship cooperation to accomplish goals of county and taxpayers. Improve infrastructure for more development, which will increase tax revenue. Improve seniors and veterans programs. Continue to keep our water and beaches safe.

County Commissioner – 8th District (One 2-year term)

Antoinette Wallace – Democrat

Age: 42

Current job: County Commissioner/Realtor

Education: Bachelor of Science in Advertising

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.

Over the years I have worked hard with other community leaders to help in improving our community and outcomes for our youth. I am seeking re-election for county commissioner to represent the new District 8 and to keep working for the people.

In my first term I have been able to question other departments about contracts the county holds, making sure we are being fair in who we hire. I have worked with local school districts and school-aged youth to see how the county could assist them or how the community and profit or nonprofit business could help them grow. I have been a cheerleader for our small business by promoting them, educating them on grants available and continuing to by from small businesses. I have also been an advocate for mental health in this county and joined the Macomb County mental health board.

Why are you running again for county commissioner and why should voters re-elect you?

In this term I want to:

• Work more with our unions to see how I can be a voice for them
• Continue to ensure small businesses are given a chance to partner with the County and educate them on grants and other opportunities they may not know about
• Continue to serve our schools, our youth and our seniors to give them more of a partnership with the County and resources they need

District 8 is a district where many of our residents feel unseen with no voice. I believe the improvement of this district is important for our entire County. I am here to use this platform to bring light to these issues and so many more.

What are your accomplishments as county commissioner?

I have been a cheerleader for our small business by promoting them, educating them on grants available and continuing to buy from small businesses. I have also been an advocate for mental health in this county and joined the macomb County mental health board.

What are the top 3 priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?

1. Continue to repair and rebuild our infrastructure above ground and water infrastructure. As commissioner I need to be more involved in what is going on and how we are building in our county. This is easy to do as commissioners are always welcome to be a part of infrastructure repairs and building.
2. Continue to advocate for small businesses. I will do this by continuing to connect our small businesses with opportunities to work with the county and make them aware of grant opportunities out there for them.
3. Be an advocate for our seniors. As the COVID relief funds dwindle our seniors will still need assistance that they had during COVID. In this case I will work with the county to find the needed resources for our seniors that our county has to offer. Many resources our community just do not know are available so I will be an advocate for them in this case.

Lisa Valerio-Nowc – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 9th District (One 2-year term)

Dana Camphous-Peterson – Democrat

Age: 59

Current occupation: Macomb Family YMCA – Revitalize and Thrive Campaign Coordinator

Education: L’Anse Creuse Schools, Kings College, Cottey College, Southeast Missouri State University, Northwood University

Tell us about yourself.

I was appointed to the Macomb County Commission in 2006, elected for two additional terms (four years). I was born and raised in Harrison Township. I went away to college, but returned home to raise my family and to further my involvement in the community. I am the co-founder of Care House in Macomb County. Care House provides cost-free services to children who are victims of sexual and physical abuse and their families. Family values are important to me. One of the most important lessons I learned from my parents is “you get what you give in life.” This simple but valuable principle has served as a guide in my personal and professional life. I have established myself as a no-nonsense, hard-working leader. I put people first and I am not afraid to try new approaches for problem solving. You can count on me to have an unwavering commitment to providing the best for Macomb County residents.

Why are you running for the Board of Commissioners?

I am running for county commissioner to help make a difference. In all these years, I have never changed my phone number or email address. Today, I still receive calls for help from my past constituents and their friends. I believe that our county offers the best quality of life. Macomb County has a great balance of attributes, which draw people with diverse interests. I am committed to doing everything possible to maintain the high quality of life and to improve the excellent services that residents expect and deserve.

What are the top 3 priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?

Top Priorities:

Issue: Advocating for transparency in county government.
Action: I would work with other local officials to watch the bottom line.

Issue: Repairing, maintaining roads and local water quality.
Action: Working with our elected officials across party lines is a must.

Working with our colleagues in Lansing is important to help secure the funding needed for our projects.

Issue: Expanding Senior, Veteran, Mental Health Services.
Action: I would:

• Help to bring back programs like grandparents raising grandchildren.
• Assist Veterans and their families to get the services they deserve.
• Work with our representatives in the House and Senate to further funding for mental health.
• Expand the court to include a mental health court.

As a past county elected official and worker, I know firsthand the problems local government face due to revenue sharing cuts. I will work to make sure we provide services to help families!

Barbara Zinner – Republican

Age: 70

Current job: Macomb County Commissioner District 10. 

Education: Shaperio School of Nursing, licensed practical nurse – 47 years, Macomb County Community College

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.

I am a lifelong Macomb County resident. My husband of 43 years and I raised our three daughters here as well. I now have two wonderful son-in-laws and five beautiful grandchildren. I worked as an LPN for over 30 years, caring for patients in hospital and private settings. I have volunteered for the Republican Party for 30 years and have been a precinct delegate for over 20 years.  I have served on the Republican state committee. I have served and I am on the executive committee for the county Republican Party. I also had an appointment by Gov. Engler to the Michigan State Board of Social Work for seven years.

Why are you running again for county commissioner and why should voters re-elect you?

Being a county commissioner allows me to continue to help people and be responsive to citizens as I stand for what they want in their American values, property rights, constitutional rights and freedoms. I want to continue to stop corruption, safeguard our money, work against this issue of inflation and the increased cost of living.

What are your accomplishments as county commissioner?

I have stood for people’s constitutional rights. I have also voted against increased taxation. I have also served on the Tri-County Summit, water infrastructure committee. 

What are the top 3 priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?

The top three issues facing Macomb County are inflation, taxes and water quality. To take on the issues of inflation and taxes I will help raise awareness of current programs and resources that help people and businesses in times of need. I will also continue to vote against wasteful and unnecessary spending. We need to keep Lake St. Clair as clean as possible and we need to take steps to hold Oakland County accountable for the overabundance of CSO discharge into our waterways.

County Commissioner – 10th District (One 2-year term)

Harold L. Haugh – Democrat

Did Not Respond to Questions Asked

Adam Shane Pelt – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 11th District (One 2-year term)

Mai Xiong – Democrat

Age: 37

Current job: Small Business Owner, Mai&Co LLC

Education: BFA, College for Creative Studies

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.

My name is Mai Xiong (pronounced: My Song) and I’m married to my best friend, Adam Kue. We are parents to four children, ages 3, 5, 7 and 10. Our three oldest attend Warren Consolidated Schools. I have over 15 years of experience in the marketing and web industries. In 2018, using my experience, I built an e-commerce store and founded the Hmong American clothing brand, Mai&Co, out of our home in Warren. My parents fled war and persecution in the aftermath of the Vietnam War in Laos. As a result, I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1984. My family and I sought asylum in the U.S. and we were accepted in 1987.

I was the first in my family to start preschool and have a full public school education experience. Even though my parents didn’t speak or write English very well or have a formal education, they instilled in me the importance of hard work and education. I am a current graduate student enrolled in Western Governors University, and I was awarded the 2022 Taubman Fellowship for Senior Executives in State and Local Government where I recently attended a summer program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Why are you running again for county commissioner and why should voters re-elect you?

I am running for re-election to serve others and to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much. As a small business owner and a mom, I understand firsthand what our working families are going through as we face higher prices at the grocery store and at the gas pumps. I will continue to work hard to be a voice for all families in Warren. I will work to improve our county and make it an even better place to live by supporting our seniors, protecting our environment, and getting our fair share of road repair funding. I believe our community is a great place to raise a family, find a job, and grow a business. Together, we can make it even better.

What are your accomplishments as county commissioner?

My role as county commissioner is to represent the residents in my district as best as I can; working to improve their quality of life, ensuring the needs of our seniors are met and finding ways to improve our roads and support public safety. I believe that I have accomplished this role, since being elected in 2020, however, I also want to acknowledge that this is a role that we must continuously work on, in order to improve our residents’ quality of life. Some of the most important decisions I’ve made have included supporting the improvement of senior services by voting to provide over 1,000 seniors access to a new grocery delivery service that quickly and safely delivered food and essentials to their homes during the pandemic. In addition, I’ve personally volunteered and supported funding for Meals on Wheels, a home delivery meal program that feed 3,000 seniors who are home bound or unable to cook for themselves. I also supported public safety by voting to ensure that our 911 dispatch services are funded and that our dispatchers and first responders have the resources they need to answer our residents’ emergency calls. In addition, I will continue to stand up for Warren to get our fair share of road funding so that we can make the long overdue improvements our roads require.

What are the top 3 priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?
I believe that the top three issues Macomb County residents are facing are the economy and its effect on working families; infrastructure, including roads, and taking care of our senior citizens. Everyone is feeling the effects of higher prices at the grocery store and at the gas pump. When I look at the county budget, I do so from the perspective of a mom who must raise a family on a limited income and how the decisions I make will affect our residents’ ability to put food on the table for their families. I want to ensure that the money we are spending on public services have a direct and positive impact in aiding families.

We recently passed Resolution 2022-8565 to allow voters to decide in the November election how they want to fund SMART, our public transportation system. We must work together to ensure our residents are able to get to where they need to go – whether it is to their doctor’s appointment, to work or school, efficiently and at an affordable cost. In addition, in densely populated cities like Warren, where I live and represent, our infrastructure is old and our roads are heavily used, meanwhile, our communities are not given the fair share of funding that it needs to fix this issue because too often funding for roads is distributed unfairly to rural or northern areas to pave new roadways. I would support our Department of Roads’ effort to work cooperatively with state and federal agencies to find solutions that will fix the current roads we have now, before we invest in building new ones.

Finally, we must protect those who have protected us our whole lives. My priority is keeping our senior citizens as independent as possible and in their own homes where they feel most comfortable. I will work to make sure our senior programs are adequately funded to meet the needs of our present and future senior populations.

Clifford Frost – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 12th District (One 2-year term)

Michelle Nard – Democrat

Did Not Respond

Bill Clift – Republican

Did Not Respond

County Commissioner – 13th District (One 2-year term)

Sarah Ann Lucido – Democrat

Current job: Eastpointe City Council Person and Mayor Pro-Tem

Education: Graduate of East Detroit High School, Michigan State University Extension Citizen Planner Program, and Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors Training Program

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.

I am a wife and a mother of three boys aged 12-18. My family is my greatest accomplishment. I spent the early years of their lives as a full-time mother. Once my youngest started school I ran for office and won a seat on Eastpointe’s City Council. I won reelection in 2019, and I currently serve as Eastpointe’s Mayor Pro-Tem. In my seven years on City Council I served as liaison to six different Eastpointe commissions. I currently serve as Board Vice Chair for both SEMSD (Southeast Macomb Sanitary District), and SMDA (South Macomb Disposal Authority). I understand the workings of municipal government. I believe that this background as an elected official would allow me to be an effective county commissioner right from the start. I am a 35-year resident of the district. My husband also grew up in the district. We chose to stay here to raise our three sons. This area of south Macomb County is where I live, work and play. It is my family’s home, and we will never have another.  I am 100% committed to its future.

Why are you running for the Board of Commissioners?

I have spent the last seven years working for the residents of Eastpointe on the City Council. In that time, I have learned a great deal about local government. I learned about the process of listening to and representing my constituents. I learned about the legislative process. I learned about the importance of the proper allocation of funds in a budget and what a tremendous difference that can make. This is why I am running. I want to take what I have already learned and apply it in my new role as County Commissioner so that I can continue to serve the residents of my community.

What are the top 3 priority issues that Macomb County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?

My general priority is to ensure that the funds in our budget are being distributed fairly in all areas of Macomb County and to make sure that we are not allowing our residents’ hard earned tax dollars to be wasted. Fair distribution and zero waste, that is my goal. All the departments are important, and our residents need the services provided in all areas. I don’t like to think of priorities as being pitted against each other. I know residents that have loved ones in need of mental health services that can’t get them, and I know residents that experienced damage to their basement because of our drainage infrastructure. To them these are the most important funding priorities. Other residents who are concerned about crime might prefer to have law enforcement as their top budget priority, others, myself included, are very concerned about pollution in Lake St. Clair and the Clinton River. As their representative, I pledge to the residents of Macomb County to work to better understand the priorities of all the residents, and not merely to impose my own. By diligent focus on equity in distribution and cutting waste we can ensure that the maximum funds are available to address the priorities of all our residents.

Randell J. Shafer – Republican