Hancock City Council seats open to write-ins for Nov. 4 election

HANCOCK -- Not only was Aug. 5, 2008, the date of Michigan Primary elections for state and township officials and judges, but it was also the deadline for registering as a candidate for Hancock City Council seats to be determined by the Nov. 4 General Election.

According to Hancock City Clerk Karen Haischer, Ward I Councilor and Mayor Pro-Tem William Laitila was the only person to register by the Aug. 5 deadline in order to be considered a candidate for (re-) election. Haischer noted no one applied to run for the two other open Council seats that are to be determined by the Nov. 4 election. Hancock Mayor and Ward III Councilor Barry Givens and Ward II Councilor Sarah Heinonen have indicated they do not wish to run for re-election to the Council, Haischer explained. Thus, two seats on the Council remain open with no candidates running for them.

The remaining seats on the City Council include At Large Councilors Lisa McKenzie, James Hainault, Tom Gemignani and Ted Belej -- who continue to serve their terms of office.

Haischer said any residents who wish to run for City Council as write-in candidates must register with her by Oct. 24, 2008, for the Nov. 4 election.

Primary Results

U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-Detroit), unopposed within his Democratic Party, received more votes in the Primary than his Republican opponent, Jack Hoogendyk, Jr., who will face Levin in the Nov. 4 election for U.S. Senator.

U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) will run against Tom Casperson, who earned the Republican party nomination over two other Republican Primary candidates, Don Hooper and Linda Goldthorpe.

Michigan Representative Mike Lahti (D-Hancock), who represents the 110th District in the Michigan House of Representatives, easily defeated Democratic Primary candidate John L. Faccin. Republican candidate John Larson will run against Lahti in November.

The proposal for renewal and allocation of Houghton County's operating millage passed, as did the Keweenaw County proposal for .1-mill to provide support and assistance services to veterans.

See Jane Nordberg's article in the Daily Mining Gazette, for details on the Primary Election results.