Voters going to the polls on Aug. 8 will determine who will continue on to the Nov. General Election as the Republican candidate in races for District 3 Oakland County Commissioner, 46th District State Representative, and US Congress Representatives for the 8th and 9th Districts.
The race for 12th District State Senator is uncontested in the Primary, with Republican Mike Bishop of Rochester running for another four-year term, against Democrat Joseph Barrera of Lake Orion.
In the race for District 3 Oakland County Commissioner, incumbent Republican Eric Wilson seeks another two-year term, challenged by Republican Michael Gingell.
Democrat Kate Zielinski of Rochester Hills is unopposed in the Primary.
In the race for 46th District State Representative, incumbent Republican Jim Marleau seeks another two-year term, challenged by Republicans Tom Poulin and Dan Myslakowski, both of Lake Orion.
Democrat Bill Pearson of Oxford is unopposed.
In the race for 8th District US Congress Representative, incumbent Republican Mike Rogers seeks another two-year term, challenged by Republican Patrick Flynn of Hamburg.
Democrat Jim Marcinkowski of Lake Orion is unopposed.
Finally, incumbent 9th District US Congress Representative Joe Knollenberg of Bloomfield Hills, a Republican, is challenged by Republican Patricia Godchaux of Birmingham.
Democrat Nancy Skinner of Birmingham runs unopposed.
Below are candidate profiles received by The Review. The polls will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Aug. 8.

Eric Wilson
Lives on: Menasha, Lake Orion
Family: Married to wife Carol for 29 years, five children
Age: 58
Employment: Attorney at Wilson & Wilson, P.C.
Education: St. Benedict, Class of 1965; post-grad, Western Michigan University, Detroit College of Law
Clubs/Organizations: North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA), member of Orion Veterans Memorial Board of Directors, member of Lake Orion Knights of Columbus, Lake Orion American Legion (United States Army honorable discharge, Vietnam veteran), Orion Historical Society member, nine years as an Orion Township trustee, 10-year member of Orion Zoning Board of Appeals (eight as chairman), chairman of Oakland County Sanitary Appeal Board, vice-chaired Planning and Building Committee, current member of Finance/General Government committees.
Chairman of Jail Overcrowding Task Force, that over 15 months brought together the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, County Executive, County Sheriff, Chief Judge and other members of the criminal justice system to create a Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, and develop 56 ideas to enhance the system, not only to promote effective use of county resources, but to also protect citizens? rights and public safety.
Why are you running for office? My wife and I raised five children in this great community. We found it was a great place to raise a family.
I would like to continue to give back to the community, and to assist the citizens, as I have been doing for the last 13 years, both as an Orion Township trustee and as your county commissioner, in enhancing the quality of life for families, seniors and citizens of Oakland and Orion townships, and the Village of Lake Orion.
I have the experience to be able to provide sound fiscal judgment and assistance at the county level. The opportunity to continue to provide answers and help to the residents of District 3, would be a continued honor.
Important issues: Jobs: Creation of a climate that promotes jobs in the state of Michigan, providing employment and elimination of the SBT. Oakland County, through the County Executive and County Commissioners, has taken an active role in promoting small businesses and the creation of jobs.
Roads: From a recent survey I did in my district, and door-to-door conversations, the citizens are concerned about the lack of funding necessary to keep local roads upgraded to handle the large volumes of traffic. I have raised this issue regularly in my trips to Washington, D.C. and Lansing with our elected officials. Road improvements will be a key issue that I will work on, as I most recently did at the county, involving the Tri-Party Fund. I identified $750,000 in the county budget, earmarked for infrastructure improvement, which was added to the Road Commission and Orion Township contributions to fund the resurfacing of Flintridge and Pine Tree roads.
Environment: Storm water run-off and Detroit Water and Sewer Board (DWSB) representation of Oakland, as well as other counties, with the DWSB; maintaining and increasing open spaces in Oakland County by enlarging parks and preserving green space.

Michael Gingell
Lives on: Kossuth Road, Lake Orion
Family: Wife Karen, children Jacqueline, 7; Justin, 4.
Age: 34 (turning 35 on Aug. 8)
Employment: Vice President at R.L. Polk & Co. in Southfield
Education: Oakland Christian School, college prep curriculum; BS in Business Administration from Oakland University, MBA from Wayne State University
Clubs/Organizations: Orion Township trustee for two terms (2000, 2004), Orion Township Zoning Board of Appeals for four years, Vice Chair of ZBA for one year, Orion Veterans Memorial Board of Directors, Union Church Governing Board, Orion Township Safety Path Committee, various township boards and committees, member of Oakland County Republican Committee, Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit member, Detroit Economic Club member, Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) member, Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) member, 2006 recipient of the Automotive Hall of Fame Young Leadership and Excellence Award.
Why are you running for office? I am seeking this office so I can proactively represent the citizens of Oakland and Orion townships, and the Village of Lake Orion. I believe that the combination of my governmental experience, educational background and business experience is a unique asset that can make a positive impact on the management of Oakland County.
I have been involved in local government directly for the past eight years, and indirectly all of my life. My family started the town of Gingellville over 100 years ago, and has served the community for decades. My grandfather, Francis, great-uncle, Harold, father, Frank, and uncle, Niles Olson, dedicated their lives to community issues and to serving the public. These are the values and principles that I learned at a young age.
My purpose in running for office is not about being a career politician. Rather, my purpose is to truly serve the people and make sure that the right decisions are made on their behalf.
Important issues: Traffic congestion and road infrastructure issues; economic viability and stability (strengthening local businesses and diversifying our business base), jail overcrowding and the early release of prisoners.

Jim Marleau
Lives on: Sandoval, Lake Orion
Family: Wife Thea, son Jim, daughter Cristina
Age: N/A
Employment: N/A
Education: Associates in business and finance from University of Toledo, Certified Municipal Finance Administrator, Central Michigan University
Clubs/Organizations: Businessman in Michigan for almost 35 years, retail manager for eight years, manufacturers representative for 20 years, small business owner in Orion for 13 years, full-time Orion Township Treasurer for eight years.
As a long-time Oakland County resident, I’ve been actively involved in many community organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, Paint Creek and Polly Ann trailways, founding board member of the North Oakland Transportation Authority, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Why are you running for office? Since being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, I’ve joined Republicans in the battle to reduce spending and remove impedimentary burdens on job providers. Once elected, I was appointed to Key Leadership Chair of the Joint Committee of Administrative Rules, Vice Chair of the Committee on Employment Relations, and a member of the Tax Policy, Commerce and Insurance committees.
My experience as treasurer for eight years and a member of the Orion Township Planning Commission for six years has contributed greatly to my leadership in Lansing.
Important Issues: Economic development: For all the talk over the past three decades about cutting our ties to the old economy, 26 percent of all Michigan jobs in 1960 were auto-related. Today, it’s still 24 percent. We must do more to diversify our economy–particularly, in the biotech, information technology and fuel cell areas.
I don’t support more MEDC giveaways–they only address the real issues at the edges and create artificial economic activity. I’d rather we invest through our universities in the research needed to change our economy.
Improving roads: Half the new jobs in Michigan are in Oakland County and our road system is an embarrassment. M-15, M-24 and Baldwin Road all require improvements to handle traffic loads. It’s too late to say that excessive development should be thwarted. The jobs and the people are there. We need to build the infrastructure to meet demand.
Funding education: This year is the first increase in K-12 funding in the past three. That’s unacceptable. Everybody agrees that our schools need to be firstrate to meet the requirements of the new economy in Michigan. Roads and schools are my two funding priorities.

Tom Poulin
Lives on: S. Newman, Lake Orion
Family: Wife Cheryl, two children
Age: 50
Employment: Deputy Sheriff for Oakland County Sheriff’s Department
Education: BA, Michigan State University, criminal justice
Clubs/Organizations: North Oakland Sportsman’s Club, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 128, Society of Automotive Engineers, Michigan Association of Traffic Accident Investigators, MSU Alumni Association, National Rifle Association, North Oakland Republican Club
Why are you running for office? I have served the people of Oakland County for 28 years. I still wish to serve, but in a different capacity. I want to take my knowledge, experiences and vision to Lansing to continue to serve our citizens.
Important Issues: Keeping our communities safe, developing our local economy, keeping our citizens employed, smart community growth and development, fiscal responsibility, educating our children for successful futures, focusing on the concerns of our citizens.

Dan Myslakowski
Lives on: Browning Drive, Lake Orion
Family: Married 25 years to wife Dee, two children, Daniel and Ryan
Age: 54
Employment: Manager/project manager–contract GM, worked my way through college for 4 1/2 years on the Dodge main car assembly line. Mandatory nine-hour days, six days a week.
Elected Oakland County Commissioner, former finance manager, managed 80 people for multi-million dollar P&L responsibility
Education: Associate’s degree in dental technology from Ferris State University, BS in business administration from Ferris, Master’s degree in public administration from Central Michigan University, HP UNIX Technical Certification, Microsoft Windows Technical Certification, Michigan Builder’s License, project manager professional
Clubs/Organizations: Coached Orion/Oxford Soccer League, Eucharistic Minister–St. Joe’s, served on Keatington Homeowners Association and as beach manager, Lake Orion Boy Scouts of America Troop 186 committee person, team leader for Lake Orion Friendship Park playground project, worked on Polly Ann Trail beautification and sign marker project, endorsed by the Sierra Club.
Why are you running for office? I am running for state representative because I’m tired of all the rhetoric, partisan politics and the endless blame game coming out of Lansing from both parties. Michigan’s economy has never been this bad, not since the Great Depression. The highest unemployment rate in the nation, 7.2 percent, record home foreclosures in Oakland County, middle class people losing their pensions and their family’s health care coverage.
Record high, double-digit increases for our kids? college tuitions, when they need college degrees most for good paying jobs. Our current elected representatives let this all happen during their watch. They are not doing a good job. I won’t be an obstructionist–I will do what’s best for Michigan. I will take action and produce results.
Important Issues: Economy: ‘Jobs, jobs, jobs? is the rhetoric coming out of Lansing, but where are they? What’s the plan? For nearly two years, partisan, obstructionist politics came out of Lansing, instead of an ‘economic stimulus package,? while many families and businesses suffered.
One of my plans to stimulate good paying jobs in Michigan is to ‘home grow? our doctors and pharmacists, instead of getting them from Indiana, or India. The baby-boomers are about to start retiring, and there’ll be a huge hole to fill. It takes 10 years to educate a doctor, so we need to increase the class sizes in our Michigan colleges now.
Education: We need to concentrate on getting a competitive 21st Century global workforce. To do this we’ll need to have a highly educated workforce to fill highly skilled jobs in health care, energy, biotech and leading edge high tech.
We’ll not be able to accomplish this if we continue to cut funds for education. We must make a college education affordable to all, or we’ll pay for it later with higher crime rates. We can’t afford to leave anyone behind.
Michigan homeland security: Our current representatives have sold Michigan short–no one remembers that Michigan is an international port, and border state. We aren’t getting the necessary federal dollars to truly protect ourselves from a terrorist attack. About 80 percent of all US northern border traffic/crossings happen in Michigan at the Blue Water and Ambassador bridges, and the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel.
Bear Stearns estimates that we currently have 20 million illegal aliens in the US. If we can’t protect our borders, how can we protect our citizens? The laws are on the books; start enforcing them. Stop being soft on crime.

Michael D. Bishop
Lives on: Great Oaks Blvd., Rochester
Family: Wife Cristina, three children
Age: 39
Employment: Attorney
Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan, law degree from Detroit College of Law
Clubs/Organizations: Various Chambers of Commerce, American Bar Association, Michigan Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, State Bar of Michigan, Washington, D.C. Bar, Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice for Children
Why are you running for office? From a very young age, my parents taught me the importance of participation and service to my community. Those lessons have guided me through my life and into my present role in elected government.
I was born and raised in the community that I represent, and my wife and I are now raising our three kids in the very same community. Very clearly, I have a vested interest in the future of this community, and our quality of life. I have always viewed my role in the legislature as an opportunity to support those things that contribute to our quality of life, such as, safe streets, exemplary schools, a clean environment and a vibrant economy.
These are the natural attributes of our community, but now more than ever, we can’t take them for granted.
My decision to run for re-election for my final term in the state senate is a decision that I take very seriously. The challenges facing our state today are unlike anything we’ve seen in years. Now more than ever, we need strong leadership to seek out solutions to the challenges of our time.
Important issues: As we all know, while the rest of the nation appears to be experiencing robust economic growth, Michigan’s economy continues to falter. We need bold leadership to prop up our state’s ailing manufacturing sector, and we need to diversify our economy and create a welcoming environment for our current Michigan businesses, and other businesses that would like to come to Michigan.
Our children are our future, and they deserve a world-class education. While Oakland County is fortunate to have some of the best schools in the state, other areas of our state aren’t so lucky. We can’t be satisfied with failure and neglect. Our legislature must continue to focus on public policy that fosters the best possible learning environment for our children.
Environment–Michigan’s greatest asset is our natural resources. We must be ever vigilant in, among other things, protecting our Great Lakes from diversion and polluters; manage our landfills and bring an end to the importation of Canadian trash; and teach our children the values of conservation and respect of nature and our beautiful state.

Joseph Barrera
Lives on: Correll Drive, Lake Orion
Family: five children
Age: 49
Employment: Pesticide applicator
Education: Three years of college at Henry Ford and Schoolcraft, diploma in carpentry from OCC
Clubs/Organizations: Lake Orion Democratic Party member, producer for ONTV, Food for Peace member, Club of Life, Schiller Institute, Hospice volunteer; Arts, Beats & Eats, WDET fundraising, Detroit Blues Society
Why are you running for office? At first glance, the position of state senator doesn’t appear to carry national implications–but not to consider the strategic importance of much larger events occurring at a rapid pace that affect our homes, businesses, community and state, as well as our country, would be extremely foolish.
Unquestionably, much can be learned and better understood by taking a ‘top down? perspective and approach to solving those major issues facing our city, state and our country at this time.
Important issues: Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that our current leadership, both in Lansing and Washington, doesn’t appear to have a clue about what actions are necessary to get the citizens of Michigan, or the rest of the country, out of the current mess we’re in.
This is especially tragic when you consider that we used to have a system that worked. Sure, it had flaws, but it worked. Forget the ‘talking heads? in the media who tell us the recovery is underway. The bottom line is the system of free trade is finished–until we put forward a New Bretton Woods financial monetary system, echoing the kinds of successful steps previously taken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt; that would be the only way of saving the nation and the rest of the world from the dark days of the New World Order.

Patrick Flynn
Lives in: Hamburg
Family: Wife Laura, seven children
Age: 46
Employment: Business manager for Holy Spirit Church
Education: Undergraduate degree in advertising art
Clubs/Organizations: Livingston Organization for Values in Education (LOVE), Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce
Why are you running for office? Because now is the time for true conservatives to bring the Republican Party back from the brink of moral compromise.
Important Issues: By far, life and family–without them, there is no other governing high ground. Secondarily–our national security, immigration reform, Second Amendment protection, reduction in government and lower tax burdens.