Written by Tanya Terry
The Genesee County Board of Canvassers certified election results for the Flint City Council 3rd Ward on Wednesday, August 13. The results showed write-in candidate LaShawn Johnson to be the winner of the election.
According to the Genesee County, MI website, official results of the City of Flint Council Member Ward 3 election are as follows. LaShawn Johnson received 322 votes, or 43.16% of them. Beverly Biggs-Leavy received 226 votes, or 30.29% of them and AC Dumas received 192 votes, or 25.74%.
The election result is expected to be an important one as it could affect the balance of power on the council. The Flint City Council has been deadlocked at 4-4 on many important votes.
“As the Genesee County Board of Canvassers officially certified the results of the Flint City Council 3rd Ward election, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and responsibility,” stated Johnson. “This moment represents the trust and confidence the residents of the 3rd Ward have placed in me, and I am deeply honored to serve.”
Other candidates and some of their supporters stated they had reason to believe that the ballots in the election had been mishandled.
Cheri Hardmon, senior press secretary for the Michigan Department of State- Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued the following statement to the Courier: “We did receive a complaint regarding a violation of Michigan Election Law. It was forwarded to the Office of Investigative Services (OIS) to investigate. We can’t comment on an active/ongoing investigation.”
Johnson stated: “I understand that in any election, there will be differing opinions on the results. However, this process was conducted according to the laws and procedures in place, and it has now been validated by the Board of Canvassers. My hope is that, regardless of where we stood during the campaign, we can put differences aside and focus on working together for the good of our community.
“The first things I plan to do as councilperson include meeting with community leaders and residents to listen to their concerns directly, addressing immediate issues such as neighborhood safety, blight and infrastructure repairs, and ensuring that the 3rd Ward has a strong voice in city decisions from day one.”
Clerk/Register of Deeds for Genesee County Dominique Clemons said he felt the certification of the results went smoothly with no surprises. He stressed the importance of voting in general so area residents can make their voices count. He also stated no one who was openly opposing the results was present at the meeting in which the results were certified.
Clemons said candidates have up to 48 hours to request a recount after the election results being certified.
Clemons also said it is definitely not unheard of for a write in candidate to win an election.
“I think most notably and the biggest is the mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan won his campaign as mayor as a write in candidate,” Clemons said. “He won his race with thousand of votes. When we’re talking about a council race with only about 300 votes for the top candidate, that’s nothing compared to the thousands of votes that Mike Duggan got.”
Duggan is credited with stepping in at a time when Detroit was largely controlled by the state after the city filed bankruptcy in 2013. In 2014, Detroit exited bankruptcy. The city’s exit from bankruptcy was primarily orchestrated by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and a plan supported by state legislature. However, Duggan did play a role in the recovery and subsequent management of the city.
Johnson said she hopes to do great things for Flint.
“My long term priorities are centered on economic development, neighborhood revitalization and building stronger community engagement,” she said. ” I want to foster partnerships that bring resources into the ward, create opportunities for youth and families and work toward policies that improve quality of life not just for today, but for generations to come.”
