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Dems retained majority on board in 2008
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008 8:22 PM EST
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY - In the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioner races, all incumbents except Jack Johnson and Kim Van Pelt, who did not seek re-election, retained their positions.
The Democrats held onto the majority on county board, with four Democrats and three Republicans winning.
n In District 1, Democrat Dan Stewart continued to serve as commissioner after defeating Republican candidate Richard Semans.
This will be Stewart's second term.
Stewart received 2,774 votes and Semans got 2,570 votes.
“I'm honored and excited to serve the people,” Stewart said. “I'm going to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
n Democrat Bruce Robb edged out Republican Gerald Alcorn to fill the empty spot for commissioner in District 2.
Alcorn received 1,522 votes and Robb gained 2,393 votes.
Current Shiawassee County Commissioner Kim Van Pelt, who held the seat for 22 years, did not seek re-election.
“I am appreciative to everyone who supported me, helped me campaign and contributed to my effort,” Robb said.
Robb is a retired Owosso High School industrial arts teacher. He also worked as a licensed contractor.
n Incumbent Democrat Jack Johnson was defeated by the fresh-from-retirement John Pajtas for the seat of District 3 county commissioner.
Pajtas spent two years as Caledonia Township supervisor and 12 years as Shiawassee County Clerk before retiring at the end of 2000.
“I'm glad to get back into politics,” Pajtas said. “Hopefully, I can bring some unity to the board of commissioners...There is a lot of dissension on the board.”
n Jon Michael Fuja, R-District 4, technically ran unopposed, but Democrat Les Schneider campaigned heavily as a write-in candidate.
Fuja won 3,293 votes and there were about 200 write-in votes.
Schneider attempted to get in November's general election through a primary write-in campaign, but was unsuccessful.
Fuja, who is in his 10th year as commissioner, said he was honored by the voters in his district.
“It is quite humbling,” he said.
Fuja is also the chairman of the County Board of Commissioner's economic and physical development committee and sits on the finance and administration committee.
n Gerald Cole, R-District 5, retained his spot after defeating Democrat Richard Musall.
Cole received 2,580 votes and Richard Musall received 2,464 votes.
Cole served as commissioner since 1998, but also held the same position from 1982 to 1992.
n Henrietta Sparkes, D-Laingsburg, defeated Republican Randy Woodworth by 500 votes to retain her spot as commissioner in District 6. She received 2,590 votes, while Woodworth gained 2,090.
“I am elated to think that they would elect me one more time,” Sparkes said. “I will do everything I can for the safety and the welfare for the citizens of Shiawassee County.”
n Incumbent Democrat Jaime Pavlica retained his position as county commissioner in District 7. He ran unopposed.
He received 3,532 votes, with 49 votes going to write-in candidates.
Other notable county events in 2008:
n The county commissioners approved a plan in March to renovate the first floor of the Shiawassee County Courthouse with an eye toward improving security.
According to County Administrator Margaret McAvoy, the renovations began in the summer and are estimated to be finished in early 2009.
“We have had a two-year plan to get both our courthouses in line with current security practices,” McAvoy said. “This is so people who come to work there and people who come there for services will be secure.”
The courthouse - which McAvoy has often referred to as the county's “crown jewel” - was built in the early years of the 20th century.
McAvoy and Phil Heavilin, buildings and grounds superintendent, had been working on renovation plans for about three years.
The work on the facility's east entrance removed the interior and exterior staircases, lowered the doorway to ground level and installed a security station and scanners. Security personnel will screen all people going into the building at what will become the courthouse's main entrance.
By removing the interior staircase and lowering the outer doors, a railing across the second floor arch and additional windows were installed. According to Heavilin, people entering the building will now have a view into the courthouse rotunda. More natural light also will flow into the facility.
Other portions of the plan, which has a total estimated cost of less than $425,000, will allow for more efficient use of space by the two county departments that have offices on the first floor, the Register of Deeds and Friend of the Court. Both departments agreed to contribute funds to their portions of the project.
The last major work at the courthouse took place about two decades ago and, according to McAvoy, at least one part of that renovation is in need of serious attention.
“The elevator is 20 years old, it's at the end of its useful life and...it has issues,” she said. “It doesn't always go where you think it's going to go.”
The estimated cost of replacing the elevator was approximately $65,000.
n After more than a decade and hundreds of cases, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Craig Wininger left Shiawassee County to become an assistant U.S. attorney.
The 35-year-old Owosso resident was appointed as an assistant prosecutor after he graduated from Detroit College of Law in 1997.
“He impressed me from the start and continues to impress me to this day...Just his attitude toward prosecution and his ability,” said Shiawassee County Prosecutor Randy Colbry, who appointed him chief assistant prosecutor in 2002.
Wininger had tried cases including a local police chief convicted of stalking and the arsonist responsible for destroying the Michigan State Police Owosso Post.
Originally from Detroit, Wininger said hearing a civil rights attorney speak and an internship at St. Clair County's prosecutor's office helped steer his career.
“I was always sort of raised to believe you have a duty to society, and for me, (law) was the one way to take any talent or ability I had and use it on behalf of society,” he said.
Sara Edwards was named Shiawassee County's new chief assistant prosecutor.
n Legislation is now headed to the governor that will give the Shiawassee County Health Board the authority to waive fees for nonprofit food licenses.
Both the House and Senate unanimously approved the bill. Gov. Jennifer Granholm now has 14 days to sign the bill into law.
State Rep. Dick Ball introduced House Bill 5992 after Shiawassee County officials expressed concern about whether they were still able to waive the fees. In a new food law enacted last year, there was the lack of a reference to local health boards' authority to waive the fees.
“Our local nonprofits provide a tremendous service to residents, and these groups need all the help they can get to save costs,” Ball stated in a press release.
n Officials also began looking into a new wage classification system and pay scale for Shiawassee County employees and elected officials.
McAvoy said she was researching various wage classification systems and will provide information to the board in the future.
“It's a very detailed professional situation that affects all of our employees,” she said. “Nothing like this is going to happen without a lot of information.”
The county currently uses the Rye Classification System. Employees are rated on 11 factors and each position is given a numerical value.
Shiawassee County has 14 pay grades and five steps for each position.
n The Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners voted in October to approve a millage that had been available but unused for more than a century.
Public Act 214 - which was established in 1899- allowed commissioners to levy up to one-tenth of a mill for relief for indigent veterans or their families and active-duty military personnel and their families.
The millage was levied, beginning on the December 2008 tax bill. The one-tenth mill levy will generate $135,000 a year. It will be reviewed on an annual basis.