Added on July 18, 2022  Sara Swanson

2022 Primary Election Guide for the Manchester Area

by Sara Swanson

On Tuesday, August 2, Manchester Area residents will be able to vote in the Statewide Primary at their usual polling place from 7am to 8pm. You will have to choose to vote either Republican or Democratic. If you aren’t currently registered to vote, you can register in person up through election day with proof of residency.

New districts were drawn last year splitting the Manchester Area between two state senate districts and between two state house districts. Manchester, Sharon and Freedom Township are now within the 47th state house district while Bridgewater Township is in the 33rd state house district. Manchester and Bridgewater Township are now in the 15th state senate district while Sharon and Freedom Townships are in the 14th state senate district. This means that you may not be voting in the same races your neighbors are.

We reached out to local and area candidates running in contested races and gave them the opportunity to get their message out to the Manchester area. Candidates on the ballot unopposed, will appear in the general election voters’ guide in the fall. Candidates for positions higher than state house and state senate are widely profiled in other publications. See vote411.org for information on races not covered here.

State Senate

District 14 candidates

Democrats in Freedom and Sharon Townships will chose between 3 candidates for State Senator: Sue Shink, Kelsey Heck Wood, and Val Cochran Toops. The winner will face off against Republican Tim Golding (who is unopposed in the primary), in the general election in November.

Democrat:

Sue Shink

I am a Democrat running for the Michigan State Senate to listen to residents and work with them and for them to achieve solutions to the challenges we face. Based on input from voters, I will work to protect the safe and secure we have already, reproductive freedom, protect air and water quality, reduce carbon emissions and clean up polluted land, increase access to physical and mental health care, invest in our public schools, including vocational education and trade school, and support families by fighting for fair wages and the growth of small and local businesses. I will also fight for the rights of Townships and their residents to determine their zoning and fight efforts by the state to pre-empt regulation of gravel mining.

I believe that some of the biggest challenges that this community faces and that I will work to address in the next two years include: supporting safe and secure voting by supporting our Secretary of State, increasing safety from gun violence, retaining access to safe abortions after the overturn of Roe v Wade, investing in our public education system, including in vocational education and trade school, and making it easier for families and small business owners to thrive. I will work to repeal the 1931 abortion law in Michigan and to provide safe reproductive health care including abortion, pass sensible gun laws to keep guns out of the hands of killers, protect marriage equality and ensure that everyone is our state is treated fairly by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act, invest in farmland preservation and work to pass polluter-pay legislation, support our farming families and invest in ensuring effective mental and physical health care is available to all residents. Other issues will come up and I will work with residents to address them.

As Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, I have been working on many of these issues and have already delivered on some, including increasing public engagement, investing in farming families through farmland preservation, the buildout of Broadband to every home in the county by 2024. The first family served by this effort was connected several weeks ago! I have also led increased access to childcare, provision of increased health care through pop-up clinics and mobile service units, and increasing the number of children attending pre-school. For others, like increased access to mental health care, changes must be made at the state level.

I am a mom, lawyer, farmer, conservationist, and Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. I graduated from U of M Law School with a masters degree in Natural Resource Policy from SEAS. I served as a Northfield Township Trustee from 2004-2008 and a county commissioner since 2019. I have provided free legal services to people who could not otherwise afford them, volunteered at school. I represent the Board of Commissioners on ALPAC, the Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Committee, Brownfields Authority, Parks and Recreation Commission, Ann Arbor SPARK!, Michigan Works! Southeast, Road Commission Liason, Statutory Drainage Board, Environmental Council. I have also served on the Huron River Watershed Council and serve on my township Land Preservation Committee.

Kelsey Heck Wood

I grew up in rural Northern Lower Michigan — my mom was a single mom, waiting tables to care for our family. We used services like Medicaid, food stamps, and Head Start. I was the first in my family to graduate from college. I believe I have a duty to hold the door open for people coming up behind me.

I’ve lived in Jackson for the better part of a decade and would be honored to serve as the first democratic state senator from Jackson since 1894(!). I was a staffer in Rebekah Warren’s state senate office and was also a legislative aide for Rep. Jeremy Moss. I’ve handled constituent concerns and learned how the process around committees, hearings, and bills works in the state legislature.

There’s plenty of work to do, from environmental protections to affordable child care to housing shortages to addressing learning loss in K-12 schools, we deserve a champion with a record of taking on tough fights – and winning. I’m ready to hit the ground running for residents of the new SD-14.

My website is www.kelseyheckwood.com and you can find me on Facebook (@KelseyHeckWood), Twitter (@KelseyHeckWood), and Instagram (@Kelsey.Heck.Wood).

Val Cochran Toops

Val Cochran Toops was contacted but did not respond.

District 15 candidates

Republicans in Manchester (including the Village) and Bridgewater Townships will chose between 2 candidates for State Senator: Scott Price and Wyckham Seelig. Both Price and Seelig were contacted but did not respond. The winner will face off against Democrat Jeff Irwin (who is unopposed in the primary), in the general election in November.

Michigan State House

District 47 candidates

Republican:

Republicans in Manchester (including the Village), Freedom and Sharon Townships will choose between 2 candidates for State House representative: Tina Bednarski-Lynch and Teresa Spiegelberg. The winner will face off against the winner of the Democratic primary race in the general election in November.

Teresa Spiegelberg

Hi, I am Teresa Spiegelberg. I grew up in Sharon township, went to Manchester schools. Received a BS from Adrian College and now live in Freedom township. I am conservative and believe in common sense. I have worked for over 30 years in health care. If elected to represent the newly formed 47 district I will do my best to help with the needs of everyone in the district. I have been attending several township meetings and while each township has its own problem one theme that still comes through is roads. We see a lot of work being done on highways, but not so much on the back roads that a lot of us live on. I would like to see more work done on the back roads, before seeing more round abouts being put in. We should be able to have roads that we can drive on with out blowing a tire, bending a rim or ruining our cars suspension. I would work to see more funding go directly to townships for their roads. This is just one thing that seems to come up in every township. Over the next couple of years we need to be aware of the rising cost of food, gas and other goods that we need. I would like to find a way of having these items be available from local sources. We have lots of wonderful people here that can grow food, manufacture goods, we just need to encourage this. I am not a politician, I am like the people here in the district, I work hard for what I have, but I do see things we need and hear what others are saying we need. Thank you for taking the time to read about me. Whether you vote for me or not please vote. If you would like to ask a question please reach out to me through my website: www.taspieg.wixsite.com/staterep

Tina Bednarski-Lynch

Tina Bednarski-Lynch was contacted but did not respond.

Democrat:

Democrats in Manchester (including the Village), Freedom and Sharon Townships will choose between 2 candidates for State House representative: James Johnson Jr. and Carrie Rheingans. The winner will face off against the winner of the Republican primary race in the general election in November.

James Johnson Jr.

My name is James Johnson Jr. and I’m a journey-level union electrician and organizer for the IBEW LU 252. I live in Clarklake and my career has had me working in every bend of our district. Beyond work, community service is my passion. I serve on many boards and commissions, advancing affordable housing, LGBTQ+ rights, and social services for low-income families including as Vice Chair of the United Way of Jackson County, and as a member of the City of Jackson Planning Commission, Housing Commission and Human Relations Commission. I am also the Treasurer of the Jackson County Democratic Committee.

I’m running for office because meaningful and sustainable change in Michigan’s state government is long overdue, and I know I can be an effective steward for you. My union work focuses on advocating for workers’ rights, safe workplace conditions, equitable pay, and people-first environmental policies. In doing this, I’ve seen firsthand that many of our problems are intricately related. This means, to affect positive change on any issue, we must commit to addressing them all, including climate change, reproductive rights, broadband access, social, environmental, and economic injustice, job training, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, human rights, voting rights, public education, common sense gun safety, healthcare, tax reform and others.

In Lansing, I’ll defend reproductive rights and civil rights and vote to repeal Michigan’s “trigger law.” Every person has the right to control their own body and to have their reproductive health needs met — including access to safe and legal abortion. Every person has the right to fair and equal treatment under the law, no matter who they are, who they love, or the color of their skin.

I’ll work to restore workers’ rights and reduce income inequality. When people stick together and bargain for safe working conditions, fair wages, and government contracts that support middle-class jobs for local workers, everyone benefits — not just those at the top. We need permanent and inflation-pegged increases to minimum wage, and to repeal “Right to Work” and other disastrous anti-worker laws. We need equitable access to broadband and infrastructure upgrades.

I’ll also work to transition Michigan to a green energy future providing high-quality jobs for all. Climate change is real, and we need to prepare now for how we meet our energy needs for the next century. As a skilled tradesperson, I assure you the “choice” between a sustainable environment versus job security is a completely false choice. Together we can build a smart, green, economy that meets our energy needs through good paying, middle-class jobs for Michigan residents.

You should vote for me in the Democratic primary on August 2 because I promise to listen to you, learn from you, and represent you in the way you want to be represented. As a person of color with a working-class background, I know how it feels to be unseen and unheard by those in power and I’m going to fight like hell to change it. Please visit https://www.electjamesjohnsonjr.com/ to learn more about my positions, see a list of my endorsements and why I received the Gun Sense Candidate distinction from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Carrie Rheingans

Carrie Rheingans, MPH, MSW, is a health policy expert, educator, and community organizer with decades of experience bringing people and organizations together to tackle complex systems issues that improve health and reduce disparities. Running on a platform of Healthy People, Healthy Families, and Healthy Communities, Carrie believes that we can create conditions for each and every one of us to thrive to the top of our potential. With rising mental health demands, increasing drug overdose and gun-related deaths, including over half of all gun-related deaths being suicide, and other health problems exacerbated by increasing severe weather, there has never been a better time to send a public health and health policy expert to Lansing.

After watching her mother struggle with mental health and substance use disorders for years, unable to get treatment, Carrie was devastated when her mother died from her health conditions just three months before giving birth to her daughter in 2016. That was after years of working to get low-income residents enrolled in new health insurance options as she helped roll out the Affordable Care Act in Michigan, and after having worked to help people living with HIV and AIDS access services from housing to healthcare. Carrie has worked for years to improve systems as a community advocate and currently as a contractor for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, where she works on projects related to Michigan’s behavioral health services systems and healthcare transformation. In these roles, Carrie has sought the voices and experiences of those affected by policy to guide her when she makes policy decisions. This is a key principle she highlights when she teaches graduate students about healthcare policy at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. After decades of pushing these systems to be better, Carrie knows that she can make bigger and longer-lasting, structural changes to these systems as a legislator.

Coming from a small town in Michigan and living in Ann Arbor for over 20 years, Carrie understands the issues that reach every corner of this district. As a Millennial parent, she knows the challenges of making ends meet with rising housing costs, student loans, and high childcare costs. Carrie is active in her union, the U-M Lecturers’ Employee Organization, American Federation of Teachers Local 6244, and serves on her county’s Emergency Medical Services Commission and Board of Health. She is also on the executive board of her local Democratic club and the national organization Communities Joined in Action, which supports community leaders and organizations to improve health equity and reduce disparities in their own backyard.

Find Carrie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rheingans4Rep; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rheingans4rep/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rheingans4Rep; and Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rheingans4rep

District 33 candidates

Both Republicans and Democrats in Bridgewater Township have candidates for State House representative running unopposed. In the general election in November, Republican Robert Borer will face Democrat Felicia Brabec.

Judicial

14A District Judge of District Court (1 position/six-year term) non-incumbent candidates

Both Democrats and Republicans in all four Manchester Area townships will choose between 4 candidates for 14A District Judge. This position is non-partisan.

Fawn Armstrong

I have been a Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the past 10 years. I currently handle a felony criminal docket at Circuit Court, and previously served three-years in the Appellate Division, handling matters in the Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court. Of my almost-six-years of practice in Washtenaw County District Courts, I worked directly in 14A District Courts for approximately five years. One of my other duties at the Prosecutor’s Office was to train law enforcement and advise police departments and the attorneys at my office on legal changes and caselaw. I am also a Veteran, having served eight years in the United States Army Reserves with one tour of duty in Iraq in 2005-2006. I am also the mother of a 13-year-old daughter, and my husband is a criminal defense attorney. My 10-years as an Assistant Prosecutor, along with my previous work in civil law, has given me the requisite legal experience and knowledge to serve as a District Court Judge. I will bring my dedication, sense of honor, duty, and integrity, and leadership training from my eight years of military service into my service to this community as its 14A District Court Judge.

As to goals if elected, one is to partner with local community organizations to find potential mentorships, community service, or employment opportunities and alternative treatment and rehabilitation programs and providers. The goal is to ensure that probationary sentences can be as individualized as possible, so that we can truly treat a person’s specific needs and provide the tools and support to motivate them to change. I will also make it a priority to establish a specialty or treatment court in 14A. Treatment courts provide a team of people to support a client through very intensive programming with the goal for long-term recovery. The benefits to clients engaged in these courts is the potential for a reduction or dismissal of the charges, and the potential to regain driving privileges sooner with sobriety courts.

I believe one of the biggest challenges facing our community over the next two years will be a continued recovery from the COVID-19 shutdowns. I think it’s so important for the judge to have the insight as to how people were impacted, including the loss of income, jobs, businesses, and housing, and take that into consideration when determining sentences or violations. The other challenge the Court will face is continuing to catch up on the docket backlog due to the shutdown of the physical courtrooms.

As 14A District Court Judge, I will serve the people of my community with the fairness, wisdom, and experience that the position and this community deserves. I want to ensure that Constitutional rights and the laws are upheld; the public welfare is served with respect and justice; public safety concerns are taken seriously; and that compassion and understanding is provided to defendants and litigants brought before the Court.

Karl Barr

My roots and ties to the community run deep and one of many reasons why I am the best candidate to represent the community. I am the only candidate that grew up and attended the school system within the 14A2 District Court. I graduated from Northern Michigan University and MSU College of Law. I am the only candidate who has prosecuted, and defended criminal cases, as well as handled civil cases in the 14A2 District Court. I am the only candidate that has worked in and served the 14A2 Community for more than 20 years. As an Assistant City Attorney, I have cleaned up over a dozen nuisance properties for Ypsilanti. I created the Administrative Hearings Bureau (Blight Court). I am the only candidate endorsed by the outgoing Judge, Kirk Tabbey, who knows the most about the 14A2 District Court and the needs of the community.

My top goal is to rebuild trust between the community and the judicial system. It is of the utmost importance that the citizens of this community be heard and get a fair treatment in my courtroom. I will expand the use of Specialty Court programs that focus on rehabilitation, community support and reduction of recidivism. I would like to reestablish the bench bar. The bench bar was a regular meeting between the court, police, municipal officials, prosecutor and defense bar. This opens communication about procedural and community issues so everyone involved in these important roles can work together in a collaborative way, the community is best protected and their concerns are heard.

As your next Judge, I will be keenly aware that it is my job to protect a defendant’s constitutional rights, and also keep victims and the community safe.

I believe addressing racial disparity in sentencing and reducing recidivism are priorities for the Court. With regards to the racial disparity in sentencing, as your Judge in 14A2, I would conduct a yearly equity audit to give transparency to the fact that I will be a trusted and fair Judge for all. With regards to recidivism, I plan to enact specialty courts to treat the true cause of a defendant’s problems. Once the root cause is addressed, the person is much less likely to reoffend.

It is vitally important that the public have trust and respect for the judicial system and that the law is applied equally. I will do my best to conduct myself and the court in a manner that will create that trust and respect. For instance, it is important for a court to produce fair, impartial decisions. Decisions should include thoughtful reasoning and the law relied on for the result.

I believe in the Constitution and the Rule of Law. The Rule of Law is a set of principles and ideals, for ensuring an orderly and just society and that no one is above the law. I also believe in Equitable Justice for All. A concept whereby everyone is treated fairly and equally under the law, everyone is held accountable to the same laws, there are clear and fair processes for enforcing laws, there is an independent judiciary, and human rights are guaranteed for all.

Phone: 734.218.4582
Email: karl@karlbarrforjudge.com
Website: https://www.karlbarrforjudge.com/

Stuart Collis

Stuart is running for judge in the 14A District Court because after 26 years of litigating cases, he has personally witnessed the injustices and unfairness inherent in the system. Stuart believes that the court system has a duty to correct those problems and to lessen the burden of the system on all individuals. He strongly believes in the concepts of justice and fair play and does not believe that anyone should be unfairly disadvantaged in the legal system, whether the case is a criminal or civil matter. 

Michigan District Courts handle a variety of matters, including small claims, traffic, landlord-tenant, civil matters under $25,000, and misdemeanor criminal charges. While these cases may seem small in nature, Stuart understands these cases have a direct and immediate impact on individual’s lives. Therefore, the utmost care and consideration must be given to each case before the court.

[…] Prior to Zoom, people might have to take a half day or full day off of work just to participate in a five-minute hearing. This created a burden on everyday people, especially those who survive paycheck to paycheck or who live below the poverty line. Stuart intends to increase the court’s use of Zoom and other technology advances to reduce the burden on people and increase their participation in the judicial process.

[… T]he small claims process has become a quagmire rather than the efficient and quick judicial remedy for small matters. While some judges might find these cases to be a nuisance to them, these cases are first and foremost in people’s minds. Rather than the current system, where a litigant may have to come back for numerous court dates, Stuart wants to return small claims to its roots and get these cases resolved in as little as one day. Small problems should not become larger ones requiring multiple days off work.

Most people are surprised that while our Constitution guarantees people the right to counsel in a criminal case, there is no such guarantee for civil cases. The rationale for this is that a person has their liberty taken away from them in a criminal case by being placed in jail, while in a civil case, a person may only lose money. However, sometimes financial judgments can be harder on a person and their family than a period of incarceration. 

The cruelest thing about these cases is that many suits are for legally small financial values such as $1000 – $5000 where attorneys will not take the cases because the attorney will cost as much, if not more, than amount being sought by a corporate plaintiff. Worse, the sued individual must follow the same court rules as the attorneys. This generally places unrepresented individuals at a disadvantage against a corporate plaintiff who is using a well-educated and experienced attorney. To right these unfair advantages, Stuart wants to work with attorneys in the area to set up a task force to assist people in representing their interests so the system can be rebalanced to be fair for all parties.

[This response has been edited for length in order to conform to our requirements.]

Torchio Feaster

The state of Michigan pays millions in housing criminal defendants in our penitentiary system each year. We lose millions of dollars in potential tax revenue with our high rate of incarceration. We need to make changes to our current system and help steer people into productive opportunities; I have done this throughout my entire career. Whether by getting people off the streets and back to work through the creation of a Homelessness Court or serving as judge of a Teen Jury Program. I have spent over 15 years meeting people where they are and redirecting them into constructive opportunities. My goal is to expand my reach by serving as a judge and partner with the probation department, community groups and the non-profit sector to reduce recidivism. I am a level headed individual who has the education, expertise, experience and humility to be an effective judge. I have served in a quazi-judicial role as a Blight Court Judge which gave me the hands-on experience and know-how to deal with people and address complicated matters while doing what is in the best interest of the community. My over 14 years in private practice, as the founder of T.W. Feaster Attorney at Law PLLC, allowed me to practice criminal defense, family law, landlord-tenant, wills and trust and bankruptcy. That experience provided me with a well-rounded view of every area that a District Court judge will encounter and more. While serving as a Washtenaw County Public Defender has provided me with local on the ground training in working with some of our least fortunate residence. I firmly believe that these experience as a lawyer, teacher, and judge have prepared me for this role and to serve Washtenaw County and her citizens well!

Proposals

Dexter Community Schools Proposal

A small number of voters in Freedom Township live in the Dexter School District and will have the following recreation millage proposal on their ballots:

Recreation Millage Proposition

Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property in the Dexter Community Schools, Washtenaw and Livingston Counties, Michigan, be increased by and the board of education be authorized to levy not to exceed 1 mill ($1.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 20 years, 2022 to 2041, inclusive, for the purpose of providing funds for operating a system of public recreation and playgrounds; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect for such recreation program if the millage is approved and levied in 2022 is approximately $1,441,238?

Anne Adams assisted in assembling this voters guide