GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — West Michigan voters went to the polls Tuesday, many voting for mayor and one district selecting a new state senator.
About 13% of eligible voters in Kent County had returned their absentee ballots. Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons said the highest off-year turnout overall was 20% in 2019.
SPECIAL ELECTION
In Kent County, there was a special election to fill the state Senate 28th District seat after former Sen. Peter MacGregor vacated it to become the county treasurer. The 28th District covers parts of western and northern Kent County.
Rep. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker won the race with about 60% of the vote. He was up against former Kent County Commissioner Keith Courtade, a Democrat; electrical contractor Theodore Gerrard of the U.S. Taxpayers Party and Libertarian Alexander Avery.
“I serve on the board of the Salvation Army, and their motto is ‘doing the most good.’ I think that’s a good rule for life. How do we do the most good with the people’s money,” Huizenga said when asked what is first thing on the agenda is when he gets to the Michigan State Senate. “There’s no secret that there are billions of dollars on the balance sheet right now with the COVID relief fund, and how do we do the most good with those things right now?”
MAYORAL RACES
In the Grand Haven mayoral race, challenger Catherine McNally beat incumbent Robert Monetza.
In the Kalamazoo mayoral race, incumbent David Anderson beat challenger Benjamin Stanley.
In the South Haven mayoral race, incumbent Scott Smith beat challenger Ahmmad Goodwin.
OTHER ISSUES ON THE BALLOT
An amendment to Grand Haven’s city charter that will replace he, him and his pronouns with gender-neutral language passed.
A Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools $16.5 million bond request passed. It will pay for a new athletics complex, more classrooms and a dedicated secure drop-off area for preschoolers.
A 20-year, $23.5 million millage in Plainfield Township failed. It would have funded a new 52,000-square-foot community center that would include gym, meeting, kitchen and senior citizen program space.
—All results in West Michigan can be found on the election results page.
