Election petitions due in July for Village Council, City Charter Commission

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by Marsha Chartrand

This year’s elections in the Village of Manchester will look somewhat different from past years.

Village Council representatives have in recent years been elected in even years, for rotating four-year terms. In 2020, three trustees and the Village President were elected. This year, on November 8, 2022, three (3) trustee positions will be up for election. The current trustees whose terms are expiring include Marsha Chartrand, Cynthia Dresch, and Amelia Woods.

Candidates for Village Council must be registered electors residing within the Village of Manchester. Electors who wish to appear as candidates on the ballot must submit an Affidavit of Identity and a Village Nonpartisan Nominating Petition with signatures of a minimum of twelve (12) qualified electors residing in the Village of Manchester to the Manchester Township Clerk, 275 S Macomb, Manchester, MI 48158, by 4pm on July 26, 2022.

Also on the November 8 ballot, Village voters will be asked to select nine (9) members to a newly forming City Charter Commission. Candidates must be registered electors residing within the Village of Manchester. Electors who wish to appear as candidates on this ballot also must submit an Affidavit of Identity and a Village Nonpartisan Nominating Petition with signatures of a minimum of twenty (20) qualified electors residing in the Village of Manchester to the Washtenaw County Clerk/Register of Deeds at 200 N Main St, Suite 120, Ann Arbor, by 4pm on July 26.

City Charter Commission members will be charged with drafting a proposed “charter“ for the yet-to-be-formed city, which is based on a template provided by the State of Michigan. It will be customized for Manchester by the commission, which must meet within 10 days after the November election to begin the process.

The process of writing the charter is anticipated to take approximately 90 days, and then it will be submitted to the governor for approval. Once it receives the governor’s approval, an election can be set for the village electors to approve both the charter and a new City Council.

The new Council may be made up of members of the current Village Council, new candidates, or a combination of both. So although three Village Council members will be elected for a four-year term in November, they may only serve a part of that term if the City Charter is approved and new members of City Council are elected.

Affidavits of Identity and Village Nonpartisan Nominating Petitions may be obtained at any of the following locations: Washtenaw County Clerk/Register of Deeds-Elections Division 200 N Main St, Suite 120, Ann Arbor; Village of Manchester, 912 City Rd, Manchester; and Manchester Township Clerk, 275 S Macomb, Manchester.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.