Michigan Primary 2024 Voter Guide: Wayne County Commission
Learn more about the candidates running for the Wayne County Commission in the 2024 Michigan primary.
The 2024 Michigan primary takes place on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Wayne County has 15 board of commissioner seats on the ballot, though many incumbents are running unopposed.
Related: 2024 WDET Voter Guide
WDET distributed surveys to local, county and congressional candidates in key races on the August primary ballot to gain a deeper understanding of what’s motivating them to run. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Jumpt to district
District 1
Name: Tim Killeen (D-Incumbent)
Tim Killeen did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. He is running unopposed. You can find Killeen’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
District 2
Name: Jonathon Kinloch (D-Incumbent)
Jonathan Kinloch did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Kinloch’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
Name: Bobby Christian (D)
Bobby Christian did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find more information at Christian’s official campaign website.
District 3
Name: Martha Scott (D-Incumbent)
Martha Scott did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find her bio at Wayne County’s official website.
Name: Mohammed Alsomiri (D)
Mohammed Alsomiri did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request.
Name: Mohammed Hassan (D)
Mohammed Hassan did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request.
Name: Sigmunt Szczepkowski Jr. (D)
Sigmunt Szczepkowski Jr. did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request.
District 4
Name: Cara Clemente (D-Incumbent)
Cara Clemente did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Clemente’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
Name: Lisa Carter (D)
Lisa Carter did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find more information at Carter’s official campaign website.
District 5
Name: Irma Clark-Coleman (D-Incumbent)
Irma Clark-Coleman did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Clark-Coleman’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
Name: Steve Lett (D)
Steve Lett did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request.
District 6
Name: Monique Baker McCormick (D-Incumbent)
Monique Baker McCormick did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. McCormick’s bio can be found at Wayne County’s official website.
District 7
Name: Alisha Bell (D-Incumbent)
Alisha Bell did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Bell’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
District 8
Name: David Knezek (D-Incumbent)
David Knezek did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Knezek’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
District 9
Name: Terry Marecki (R-Incumbent)
Age: 67
Current Occupation: Wayne County Commissioner for District 9
Education: BS General Dietetics, Madonna University
Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
I have had the honor to serve as the Wayne County Commissioner since 2015. I am a retired registered dietitian by trade but have also served as a member of the Livonia Board of Education, the Livonia City Council and as Livonia City Clerk. I am married to Mark, have four children and seven grandchildren.
As a Commissioner, I serve as the Chair of Public Services, am on the Ways and Means committee, the Youth Commission committee, along with Health and Human services, the Zoo Authority and Criminal Justice Center. I also serve on several national commissioner committees. Locally, I am the secretary of the Livonia Community Foundation and the chair of the Community Prayer Breakfast.
Why are you running for the Wayne County Commission?
I am running for reelection because I so enjoy working hard for the people of my district by helping them remove any barriers that may be inhibiting their lives or businesses. As one of 15 elected Commissioners, we all work together for the betterment of Wayne County but we also represent our own district and stand up for the needs of our own people. I have a very good office staff who is very responsive to phone calls and emails which continually come in. We are here to serve.
What are the top 3 priority issues that Wayne County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?
- Pass a balanced budget each year (our primary role).
- Continue to work with the administration in getting the best roads for my district and throughout Wayne County.
- Continue to work with all the elected leaders in my districts. They have a pulse on what they need specifically from Wayne County. I have a close relationship with many of the leaders.
What actions/decisions by your opponent have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?
I recently voted no on an item in which the federal government was once again sending us huge amounts of money for COVID-related events. This was well after the pandemic itself. One could argue that this was “free” money to the county since it was coming from the federal level. However, all this “free” money is tax payer money, and the infusion of the huge amounts of money into the economy the past years has had serious repercussions.
Name: Carol Souchock (D)
Age: 63
Current Occupation: Retired, Plymouth District Library Director
Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
I have worked in leadership positions for local governments, including the city of Southfield and Macomb County throughout my career — most recently serving as the director of the Plymouth District Library and as a department head for the city of Adrian. My career and volunteer work has been devoted to public service, the support of community organizations and economic development. Volunteer leadership experiences include Rotary, Plymouth Township Historic District Commission, the Plymouth Historical Museum and the Northville/Novi American Association of University Women. I am passionate about making sure that our communities are places that community members want to live, work and play and supporting our local economic development. Doing so provides a better quality of life for all and provides more and better jobs.
Why are you running for Wayne County Board of Commissioners?
I am running for Wayne County Commissioner in District 9 to continue my lifelong commitment to community service and to honor those elected officials who have positively influenced my communities and me. Working for local governments in leadership positions, I have been responsible for creating budgets, maintaining fiscal oversight, responding to community needs, providing communication and being responsive to community members. I believe that all of these skills are important for Wayne County Commissioners and other local government officials.
What are the top 3 priority issues that Wayne County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?
The challenges Wayne County faces include: infrastructure and road maintenance and replacement, unfunded employee and retiree pension liabilities, businesses (and the county) maintaining current employees and filling open positions.
I will work to make Wayne County a better place to work, live and visit by bringing my previous government budget experience and knowledge of federal and state grants to assist the county in managing the budget to fulfill these financial obligations.
What actions/decisions by the current board of commissioners have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?
The need for improved communication with constitutes, county employees and retirees is one area that can be improved upon. I will set up regular office hours to meet with community members at local libraries similar to those that our state representatives provide. In addition, I commit to meeting with each of my local government commissions on a regular schedule, attending county employee and retiree gatherings to listen to staff and retiree concerns and expanding online and print communication with all.
District 10
Name: Melissa Daub (D-Incumbent)
Melissa Daub did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Daub’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
District 11
Name: Tim Craiger (D)
Age: 64
Education: Associate Business Degreee, Washtenaw Community College | Continuing business education at Eastern Michigan University
Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
I am 64 years old, have two grown children and five grandkids. I have lived in Wayne County for 25 years. I am a 30-year General Motors UAW retiree, locals 735/14. Former firefighter in Van Buren Twp. Currently a realtor with Moving The Mitten Brokage in Belleville. My hobbies are playing in the Men’s Senior Baseball League and coaching little league baseball and flag football. I am a member of the Van Buren Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Huron River Watershed Council and the Belleville Lake Waterski Club.
Why are you running for the Wayne County Commission?
Years ago, as a young man, I watched and helped my father Dillard Roy Craiger run for the office of County Commissioner in Washtenaw County. My deceased father was well respected and held that position for 18 years — and throughout those years, he instilled in me the importance of doing your part to help make your community a better place to live and helping create a local government that is responsive to the needs of its constituents. So, you ask me why I am running. It is because of those very same values. It’s my civic duty to help improve the community with which we live in and being available to listen to the needs and concerns of our constituents. In short, I just have a passion for helping my fellow citizen and improving our communities.
What are the top 3 priority issues that Wayne County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?
Not being a career politician with no political agenda, some of my goals are to try and create a less divisive political climate amongst our county board, seeking common ground so we can tackle some of our important local issues within each of our districts. In three of my districts, the Huron River plays an important part in their community and it has had issues with water quality — such as the chemical PFAS and sewage spills from Ann Arbor. So, one of my goals is to improve the water quality of the Huron River by holding the polluters accountable.
Our electrical grid fails us way too often — it’s time we demand our electrical companies invest more heavenly in capital improvements.
And my third goal is to improve our roads and infrastructure. My district has the most gravel roads in any of the 15 districts and it’s my goal that we improve on the scheduling of maintaining these roads and drainage ditches to help with the water flow in these high water table areas.
What actions/decisions by the current Wayne County Commission have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?
As [previously] stated, I am not a career politician with a political agenda, so [I] am going into this with a clean slate with the hope of my personality of a
“uniter not a divider” that I will be able to create consensus on issues before us and improve the government for its citizens.
Name: David Hotz (D)
Age: 45
Current Occupation: Corporate security supervisor
Education: Some college
Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
I’m a 45-year-old working class security manager and a longtime Democratic organizer from Romulus. A working class single father who lives paycheck to paycheck. I’ve spent the last 10 years involved in healthcare as an advocate and was a home healthcare worker for 24 years taking care of my mom. Dealing with the private healthcare insurance companies inspired my efforts into political organizing and advocacy. I was previously a candidate for Wayne County Commissioner in 2020 during the pandemic but fell short by only 6%. Through local groups like the Romulus Democratic Club, I’ve organized several events including forums on healthcare or political debates. Other issues that I’m passionate about are living wages, the environment, rent control and the protection of animals.
Why are you running for the Wayne County Commission?
Because I care about our communities, and I want to leave the world in a better place for my son. Sometimes the only way to solve problems is getting into office yourself. Many people feel like they have been abandoned while they struggle with economic, environmental and infrastructure issues. We need to represent those lost voices in the Wayne County Commission.
What are the top 3 priority issues that Wayne County faces and what actions would you, as commissioner, take regarding each of them?
We need to invest in modernization of infrastructure, not just repair and maintain. New parking lots should have solar canopies or more EV charging stations available. Infrastructure includes addressing our fragile energy grid and our faulty drain systems. I will work with groups like EGLE to plan an effective repair strategy to solve local flooding.
The affordable housing crisis requires new dense housing with energy efficient technology built-in. This would reduce utility costs and dependency on our energy grid. We need far more housing options for fixed income, working class and single parent residents. I’ve already met with state legislators on rent controls and will use the county platform to help our most vulnerable in all levels of government.
Public transit is vital to create access to new living wage opportunities. A rail system would provide revenue and work in conjunction with our SMART bus system. I want to ensure access to higher quality of jobs and reduce the costs imposed on residents to provide the transit required. We should consider all forms of transit moving forward including bike lanes. Every community has its own needs and challenges, not every municipality will have the same plan.
What actions/decisions by the current board of commissioners have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?
I believe that the Wayne County Commission needs to find creative funding to expand services and development without placing a heavy tax burden on residents. We need a tax freeze until wages begins to catch up with the high costs of living. Everyone would like to have taxes reduced, but that would cause cuts to services which we cannot allow to happen. New green infrastructure would bring less reliance to energy grid and bring down our overall costs.
Residents want more transparency and communication from the Wayne County Commissioners. Our campaign has knocked 0ver 10,000 doors to listen to our constituents and learn how best to help them. As commissioner, I want to implement more social media updates to the communities to inform them of our progress. We should consider term limits and longer term lengths. Having a rotation of fresh ideas are healthy for good governing. Two-year terms mean we are campaigning every other year which reduces our body of work and a wasteful amounts of spending. Three-year terms with a max of 4 total terms would be reasonable to consider.
Wayne County Commissioner is considered a part-time position, but it should be a full-time service to our communities. I intend to leave my day job once elected to provide the attention to issues the public deserves.
Name: Jeremy Cady (D)
Jeremy Cady did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request.
Name: Joe Richert (D)
Joe Richert did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find more information at Richert’s official campaign website.
Name: Allen Wilson (D)
Allen Wilson did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request.
District 12
Name: Glenn Anderson (D-Incumbent)
Glenn Anderson did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Anderson’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
Name: Allen Downer (D)
Allen Downer did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find more information at Downer’s official campaign website.
District 13
Name: Sam Baydoun (D-Incumbent)
Sam Baydoun did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Baydoun’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
District 14
Name: Alex Garza (D-Incumbent)
Alex Garza did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Garza’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
District 15
Name: Joseph Palamara (D-Incumbent)
Joseph Palamara did not respond to WDET’s questionnaire request. You can find Palamara’s bio at Wayne County’s official website.
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