Independent candidate files for township supervisor

By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — Candidates have been solidified for positions on the city council and school board. The filing deadline for seats on the Clarkston City Council and Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education were on July 23. Because city councils and school boards are non-partisan seats, candidates will be on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot.
Clarkston City Council
There are four seats up for election on the Clarkston City Council this year including three councilmember seats and one mayoral seat.
Mayor Sue Wylie and councilmembers Mark Lamphier, Peggy Roth and Amanda Forte all have seats up for election.
Wylie is running for reelection unopposed. So, unless someone files as a write-in candidate, she will be reelected to a two-year term as mayor.
Lamphier and Roth are also running for reelection as incumbents. Newcomers Al Avery, Erica Jones, Lily McLean and Lisa Patercsak are also running for a two-year term as councilmembers.
Forte is not seeking reelection.
Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education
There are three seats up for election on the Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education. Board President Greg Need, Board Vice President Stefanie Crane and Trustee Jaclyn Sivers are all running for reelection.
There are two seats with six-year terms up and one two-year term (term ending Dec. 31, 2026) seat.
Crane and Sivers are running for the six-year term seats as incumbents along with newcomers Sharon Blumeno, Mike Clark and Jessica McDonald.
Need is the only person running for the two-year term so unless someone files as a write-in candidate, he will be reelected to his seat.
Independence Township
While there are four republican candidates for Independence Township Supervisor and no democratic challengers, there will still be a contested race for the seat on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot.
Resident Darwin Moore has recently filed as an independent candidate for the seat and will appear on the ballot on Nov. 5.
Write-in candidates
There is still time to file to be a write-in candidate for seats on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot.
To file as a write-in, you must submit a Declaration of Intent to your local clerk’s office by 4 p.m. on the second Friday before the election.