DETROIT – The recent elections in Wayne County saw residents throwing their weight behind current Democratic officials. In addition to this show of confidence, two important proposals were successfully passed.
Located in the heart of Michigan, Wayne County houses around 1.74 million people. Among the leaders reassured of their roles include County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who was unopposed in the Democratic races and is thus set to continue her run since 2004. Sheriff Raphael Washington won the Democratic nomination for sheriff with a whopping 64 percent votes, beating out competitor Joan Merriwether quite comfortably.
In addition to these wins, Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett secured another term after a thumping win against Arab American candidate Hadi Tarraf. She won with a substantial 88 percent votes. Similarly, County Treasurer Eric Sabree received an outpouring of support from Democratic voters and, as a result, will continue in his role.
The position of the registrar of deeds will see Bernard Youngblood again because voters gave him an encouraging 169,000 votes in the uncontested Democratic race. When it comes to the County Commission, residents across all the county’s 43 cities and townships showed faith in their respective representatives.
Wayne County voters also came out in support of renewing the property tax (millage), aimed at funding public parks. An impressive 74.4 percent voters supported this cause, agreeing to extend this tax for another five years, starting from 2026 till 2030.
The county’s auditing procedure also saw an amendment with 54.2 percent of voters supporting a proposed change. Now, the contract period for selecting financial auditing firms will be reduced to three years. This will be carried out through a competitive bidding process.
In other neighbouring counties like Macomb and Oakland, the elections did not spring any major surprises. Key executive officials won their primary races without a hitch.
In conclusion, Wayne County voters have once again put their confidence in their incumbent officials and shown a progressive spirit in approving the two significant proposals. As the second wave of the election approaches in November, it remains to be seen what other decisions the residents will make. Regardless, the spirit of democracy is surely alive and well in Wayne County.
