The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 - 3A
Deitch, Ilitch
win regents
seats
Board maintains
current balance with
six Democrats, two
Republicans
By CAITLIN SCHNEIDER
Daily StaffReporter
Two Democrats were elected
to the eight-member University
of Michigan Board of Regents last
night, maintaining the board's
current partisan balance.
Incumbent Larry Deitch
(D-Bingham Farms) was elected
to his third term as regent and
Detroit businesswoman Denise
Ilitch (D-Bingham Farms) was
elected to her first term. It was
her second campaign for a spot on
the board.
Nine candidates vied to fill two
open seats on the board. The other
candidates were Republicans Susan
Brown and John LaFond, Green
Party candidate Ellis Boal, Lib-
ertarians Eric Larson and Kerry
Morgan and U.S. Taxpayers Party
candidates Richard Ryskamp and
Joe Sanger. Incumbent Democrat
Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann Arbor)
did notrun for re-election.
After yesterday's election, the
political makeup of the Universi-
ty's main governing body remains
the same, with six Democrats and
two Republicans.
Throughout the campaign sea-
son, financial concerns dominated
the regental candidates' rhetoric.
Most vowed to combat annual
increases to tuition costs and
offered plans to increase Univer-
sity revenue.
The hopefuls offered similar
stances on most of the Univer-
sity's pressing political issues.
With the exception of LaFond, all
major party candidates said they
backed Proposal 2, which passed
yesterday and loosened the state's
restrictions on embryonic stem
cell research.
Deitch, a corporate attorney at
Bodman LLP in Detroit, has been
a regent for 16 years. He has said
maintainingthe caliber of the Uni-
versity is a top priority as a means
of strengthening Michigan's over-
all economy. During his time as a
regent, Deitch has garnered atten-
tion for his stance against the
Michigan Stadium expansion and
involvement in adding sexual ori-
entation to the University's non-
discrimination statement.
Ilitch is an entrepreneur and
lawyer, familiar to many because
of her family's prominence in
Detroit. The Ilitch family owns
Little Caesars Pizza, the Detroit
Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings,
and Ilitch served as president of
the company for a time. Ilitch
said she will be focused as regent
on keeping University education
affordable and using her business
experience to find new revenue
streams.
Regents serve eight-year terms
and are not bound by term limits.
CiF REEDER/Daily
Kate Donovan, a grad student, greets a voter around 9:45 a.m. at the Community High School, where lines in the morning lasted for more than 45 minutes.
Election Day anecdotes
"It's just great to
think that my kids
will grow up to
think it's normal to
have a black
president."
Liz Peters
LSAsophomore
(Of the mob) "It's
spontaneous,
growing, utterly
unplanned, and
shockingly sober."
John Bacon
University lecturer
"I feel this is the
greatest moment of
our lives..."
Rose Balzar.
LSA sophomore
To tell your election storylog ontowww.michi-
gandaily.com/story
See more photos atwwwflickr.com/photos/
michigandaily
THE CAM PUS VOTE Comparinglrunout andchoices in 14 Ann Arbor precincs near campus.
BUSH OTHER McCAIN
19.11% 1.98% 14.99%
OTHER
1.93%
t
REGISTERED VOTERS AND
PARTICIPATING VOTERS NEAR CAMPUS
Despite long lines,
Mich. votes without
major problems
35000
-KERRY
78.91%
OBAMA
83.08%
39vts 15,483 votes
2004 2008
WASHTENAW COUNTY CLERK AND THE MICHIGAN DAILY
2004
2008
Democrats sweep City Council races
Only challenged
Democrat in the city
wins seat
By SARA LYNNE THELEN
Daily StaffReporter
The winners of Ann Arbor's
City Council Democratic prima-
ries in August made another clean
sweep of yesterday's polls.
With nearly all precincts
reporting in Wards 1 through 4,
the democratic candidates beat
write-in candidates by an average
8,000 to 100 margin.
Winning with 98.82 percent
of the vote, Ann Arbor business
owner Sandi Smith will succeed
Ron Suarez's vacant Ward 1 city
council seat. Ward 1 encompasses
West Quad Residence Hall, Tower
Plaza, the Law Quad, the Martha
Cook Building, Betsy Barbour
Residence Hall, Helen Newber-
ry Hall, University Towers and
Bursley Residence Hall.
Ward 2, which covers North-
wood Community Apartments,
the Hill Living Area dormitories
and many Greek houses, will be
the charge of seasoned politician
Tony Derezinski, who has worked
as an Eastern University Regent,
deputy sheriff and a state senator
from Muskegon.
He won 98.80 percent of the
vote.
Derezinski will replace Demo-
crat Joan Lowenstein, who didn't
run for reelection in order to
focus on her bid for 15th District
Court judge.
From the 3rd Ward, 98.84 per-
centvoted for AnnArbor attorney
Christopher Taylor. The 3rd Ward
stretches from the South Univer-
sity area to East Quad Residence
Hall and most of the neighbor-
hoods between Washtenaw Ave-
nue and Packard Street.
Incumbent Margie Teall ran
unopposed and enters her seventh
year representing the 4th Ward.
Ward 5 was the election's
only two-party race. Ann Arbor
attorney and business owner
Carsten Hohnke defeated Repub-
lican John Floyd, an accountant,
79.48 percent to. 20.08 percent
with ninety percent of precincts
reporting.
The seat opened when current
Councilmember Chris Easthope
decided not to run for reelection,
instead focusing on his campaign
for 15th District Court judge.
With Easthope gone, one of the
two City Council-Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly liaison positions is
open. This committee works with
MSA to discuss student issues.
The Democratic primary in
August was closely contested
between Hohnke and local busi-
ness owner Vivienne Armen-
trout. Hohnke finally won a
third recount 1,608 votes to 1,555
votes.
Newly re-elected mayor John
Hieftje had given endorsements
to all of the yesterday's winning
candidates.
Yesterday's results will likely
strengthen the mayor's support
among the Council.
Voters in Macomb and
Detroit waited it out
and cast their ballots
By JACOB SMILOVITZ
Daily StaffReporter
WARREN, Mich. - Despite con-
cerns over the potential for mal-
functioning voting machines and
erroneous challenges to voters'
eligibility, clerks, poll workers, and
voters throughout southeast Michi-
gan said they experienced a smooth
Election Day with almost none of
the anticipated problems.
Those at the polls yesterday in
Detroit and Macomb County said
that despite long lines in some plac-
es and some minor problems with
voting machines, the day went off
without a hitch.
In Macomb County, poll workers
reported unprecedented turnout
and a willingness on the part of vot-
ers to wait in the longest lines the
county has ever experienced.
As of early Wednesday morning,
nearly 80% of registered Macomb
voters went to the polls Tuesday.
Poll workers throughout the
county said they saw no evidence
of political operatives from either
party using foreclosure lists to chal-
lenge the eligibility of some voters.
In September, the Michigan
Messenger quoted James Cara-
belli, chair pf the Macomb County
Republican Party, as saying "We
will have a list of foreclosed homes
and will make sure people aren't
voting from those addresses."
Carabelli later said those quotes
were falsified and has filed a lawsuit
against the Messenger.
Macomb had federal poll moni-
tors watching its election precincts.
The Department of Justice chose
Macomb as one of 59 jurisdictions
in 23 states where federal workers
would monitor the polls. It was the
only county in Michigan chosen.
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, Dep-
uty City Clerk Sonja Buffa said the
use of foreclosure lists to challenge
voter eligibility hadn't been a prob-
lem. The only problem she cited
was the -"gigantic" turnout in her
county.
"This is the busiest election in
history," she said.
Ron Hood, a building engineer at
Warren Woods Tower High School
in Warren, said people started lin-
ingup at his polling place as early as
6:15 a.m. and that by 6:30 a.m. the
line was out the front door.
"Before 7:00, there was 150
people waiting in line, easy," Hood
said.
The lines continued through the
morning, according to poll workers
at Warren Woods Tower.
At3:00p.m., onepollworker,who
wouldn't give his name because he
See VOTING, Page 7A
Incumbent mayor crushes 'U' student
Easthope edges out Gutenberg
for seat of 15th District bench
Heiftje routes Liberterian
Plourde to serve fifth term
' By SARA LYNNE THELEN
Daily StaffReporter
An 18-year-old high school student
* became the mayor of Hillsdale, Mich.
when he defeated Hillsdale's incumbent
mayor in 2005. More recently, a 22-year-
old student from Bloomsburg University
in Pennsylvania ran unopposed and won
his city's mayoral election last year.
But LSA senior and Libertarian Eric
Plourde had no such luck last night.
Plourde, 20, fell short yesterday in an
effort to unseat popular incumbent Demo-
crat John Hieftje, who was elected for a
fifth two-year term. Hieftje received 84.73
percent of the vote, while Plourde received
14.72 percent.
"I'm ecstatic with those results,"
Plourde said.
Plourde, 20, founded the University's
chapter of College Libertarians as a fresh-
man. During his campaign, he has cited a
lack of variety and libertarian voices in gov-
ernment as his main reasons for running.
"I always knew it was going to be tough
to overcome the mayor's electoral advan-
tage," he said. "But as far as getting ideas
out there, talking about the things I want-
ed to talk about, I really think this cam-
paign was a success for me."
Washtenaw County Libertarian Party
representatives approached Plourde last
year with the party's nomination because
of Plourde's political presence on campus.
He received Ron Paul's public endorse-
ment in April.
Plourde's platform included looser pen-
alties for alcohol violations and lobbying
for the drinking age to be lowered to 18.
This drew skepticism from current
councilmembers.
"He'd have to teach the city council
that there was a real benefit to a slap-on-
the-wrist as opposed to a stop-in-your-
tracks punishment, which is the current
goal," said Councilmember Sabra Briere
(D-Ward 1) to the Daily in October.
Hiefjte's platform concentrates on envi-
ronmental initiatives including contin-
ued Greenbelt preservation, expanding of
biking and walking paths and improving
options for alternative transportation in
the city.
In his next term, Hiefjte said he hopes to
continue the financial plan that he has said
saves the city $10 million in operating fees
each year.
EarlyWednesdaymorning,headdedthat
he looks forward to working with the newly
elected City Council in his upcomingterm.
"I'm pleased to have a strong group of
councilmembers as we go into what could
be an uncertain future financially," he
said.
Defense attorney has been,
on City Council
since 2000
By SARA LYNNE THELEN
Daily StaffReporter
Democrat Chris Easthope, alocal defense
attorney, was successful yesterday in his bid
for election as 15th District Court judge. He
has served as a 5th Ward councilmember
since 2000. He was Ann Arbor's mayor pro
tempore from 2003 to 2007.
He also owns and manages the Law
Office of Chris Easthope, handling civil
infractions, misdemeanors and preliminary
hearings for felony charges.
Easthope narrowly defeated Eric Guten-
burg, first assistantcprosecuting attorney for
Washtenaw County, by a 18,952 to 16,996
margin with 89 percent of precincts report-
ing.
From 1991 to 1998, Gutenburg worked in
the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office.
He has gained most of his experience with
felony cases since becoming the assistant
prosecuting attorney for Washtenaw Coun-
ty in1998.
Gutenburg had many endorsements,
including some from former mayors, coun-
cilmembers, current county commissioners
and the past two 15th district court judges.
State of Michigan Rep. Pam Byrnes
(D-Chelsea), City Councilmembers
Joan Lowenstein and Stephen Rapun-
dalo (D-Ward 2), Leigh Greden (D-Ward
3), Margie Teall and Marcia Higgins
(D-Ward 4) and Ann Arbor Mayor John
Hieftje were among those backing East-
hope.