The East Lansing City Hall in East Lansing on Sept. 21, 2021.
Editor's Note: This article was corrected on Wednesday evening to announce that Republican Daylen Howard won the 28th District State Senate race.
Michigan's primary election has set the stage for local Ingham County elections this November. Here's a look at the candidates on the local ballot and the proposals voters decided on.
28th District State Senate
Former East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh defeated Muhammad Salman Rais to earn the Democratic nomination. He will now take on Republican Daylen W. Howard, who defeated Madhu Anderson to earn his party’s nomination.
Singh was elected to the East Lansing City Council at the age of 24 and was elected as mayor in 2005. He also served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2013-18.
He expressed his support for the ballot initiative to allow voters to decide on abortion rights, as well as his disappointment in the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Howard was one of the youngest store managers at Helzberg Diamonds before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to his campaign, the pandemic “prompted Daylen to find a new way to help people after he saw the devastation one year could have on jobs and the economy.”
Howard's campaign focuses are workers' rights, small businesses, families and single-parent homes.
County Treasurer
Democrat Alan Fox ran unopposed in his primary while Republican Bruce A. Little defeated Renee Sumerix in their race. Fox and Little will not face off in November.
Fox was appointed as Treasurer last April after serving as Chief Deputy Treasurer five years prior. He also previously managed a small business as well as nonprofits.
Little has served as the Jackson County Equalization Director and Assessor and has over 40 years of property tax administration experience.
8th District County Commissioner
Both Democrat Robert Orlando Peña and Republican Evelyn Sue Davis ran unopposed in their respective primaries. The two will now face off in November for the County Commissioner job in the 8th district which includes part of the city of East Lansing.
Proposals
The Ingham County Animal Control Mileage proposal passed with nearly 42,000 yes votes compared to almost 14,000 no votes. The measure proposed an increase of $0.20 per $1000 of taxable limits that fund animal control programs.
Also passing was the Ingham County Juvenile Justice Mileage proposal. The yes votes won with a little over 40,000 people voting in favor and nearly 15,000 people voting against. The measure proposed a renewal of the tax limits that fund Ingham County’s housing and detainment operations of juvenile delinquents.
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