Featured photo: Racheal Boggs – City of Burton clerk, Genesee County Clerk & Register of Deeds John Gleason, Cindy Bryan – Vienna Township Clerk
FLINT, Mich. — January 31, 2022 — Genesee County Clerk & Register of Deeds John Gleason was recently named the recipient of the Loretta J. Manwaring Memorial Award by the Genesee County Governmental Clerks Association (GCGC), a bipartisan association of 28 municipal clerks in the county.
“These past few years have been challenging professionally and personally for many election officials in Genesee County,” Gleason said.
Since first elected Genesee County clerk & register of deeds, Gleason’s responsibility included making elections accessible for anyone eligible to vote, and ensuring election officials had the necessary equipment and support to run an election. Amidst a growing pandemic and record voter turnout, the Gleason team at the county worked to ensure every election official had the resources needed to handle the massive voter turnout. This included organizing pallets of election materials and equipment for the 28 municipalities and providing clerks with examples of what each precinct should receive.
“As soon as you get done with one election, you take a deep breath and start planning for the next one,” Gleason said. “In my opinion, every single clerk and election official deserves this award for their work in ensuring people had access to voting. I appreciate the work they do, despite being under a microscope, and I am grateful for this honor, which reflects my team working at the county.”
“This award was named after former Flint Twp. Clerk Loretta Manwaring,” said Association President Kathy Funk, a former Flint Twp. Clerk. and now election supervisor for Genesee County.
“Loretta was a trailblazer and was innovative in her work on behalf of the people in Flint, Twp. and the county,” Funk continued.
Funk along with Kim Courts, Karen Miller, Tere Onica and Ida Reed are past honorees. The recipient of this award is selected by their peers for their dedication to their community, overall leadership, innovation, ground-breaking work practices and commitment as a public servant. Gleason is the first county clerk to receive this award.
Gleason has served as the Genesee County clerk/register of deeds since first elected in 2013. He was first elected to the Genesee County Board of Commissioners in 1994. He moved on to be elected to the state House of Representatives in 2002, was elected to Michigan Senate in 2006 and was re-elected state senator in 2010.
Gleason visited every municipality to each precinct to ensure precincts were accessible and ADA compliant. He works with the Latino community and students to ensure that new voters are familiar with the voting equipment and feel safe and secure when voting. Gleason is also an advocate for other clerks and election officials throughout the state of Michigan. Last year, Gleason organized a bipartisan group of county clerks in support of Sheryl Guy, the antrim county clerk targeted by the campaign of former President Donald Trump.
“Like Loretta, John is a trailblazer and passionate about keeping elections accessible for all voters & dedicated to the people whose job is to ensure everyone has the chance to exercise their right to vote,” Funk said.
The state primary is August 2, 2022, and the state general election is November 8, 2022. To vote in the primary, people can register to vote with their local clerk and with proof of residency until 8 p.m. on August 2, 2022, and for the general, up until 8 p.m. on November 8, 2022.
