<body><div>MACOMB COUNTY — Local incumbents and known names made out as the winners in races across Macomb County during the Nov. 3 election. Mark Hackel won his fifth term as Macomb county executive, the incumbent Democrat taking 251,325 votes (61.24%) over Republican challenger Richard Moore’s 157,965 votes (38.49%). <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2uMyj2_1GnTMII800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2uMyj2_1GnTMII800" width="1024" height="655" ></figure>Hackel attributes a bipartisan approach to running the county as the reason Macomb County residents made him the county’s highest vote-getter (his 251,325 received votes comfortably eclipsed the 213,204 votes received by the winning gubernatorial ticket), and he plans on continuing that approach over the next four years.“(I plan on) continuing that momentum and that willingness to work with everybody to solve the problems and identify those that want the support of the county,” Hackel said. “You have 27 municipalities. Some are going to have different leadership. For the past 16 years, I’ve dealt with many different people from many different parties, and our job is to figure out how to assist and support them at the local level, how do we work with those who are willing to support Macomb County at the state and federal level, and we’ve seen a lot of success.” Several matters Hackel plans to focus on during this term are infrastructure improvements, addressing mental health and substance abuse issues and countywide economic and workforce development. Elsewhere in Macomb County, Republican Douglas Wozniak will jump from the Michigan House of Representatives to become the state senator for the 24th District with 80,324 votes (60.11%) over Democrat Eldira Sako’s 52,850 votes (39.55%). Democrat state Sen. Veronica Klinefelt held onto the 11th District with 68,242 votes (61.44%) against Republican challenger Johnnie S. Townsend, who received 42,368 votes (38.14%). State senators serve four-year terms. For Klinefelt, there was much excitement about getting back to Lansing, with Democrats winning control of both chambers of the Michigan Legislature. “We told the voters that we were going to focus on them. We were going to focus on ways to make their lives easier, make things more affordable and we’re going to have to find creative ways to do that,” Klinefelt said. “We have a big task ahead of us and we know there are more cuts to healthcare coming from the bill that the Republicans put out a few years ago, and we’ve got to figure out how to get those folks covered. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” In the Michigan House of Representatives, Republican Sylvia Grot leaves the Macomb County Board of Commissioners for a two-year term as the 59th District’s representative, receiving 28,528 votes (61.24%) against the competing Democrat Jason Robbins’ 17,927 votes (38.48%). “The trust that the families of Shelby and Macomb townships have placed in me is profoundly humbling,” Grot said in a press release. “To every resident who cast their ballot, took a yard sign or shared their concerns on their front porch, thank you. I am deeply honored to be your voice in Lansing, and I make this solemn promise today — I will not let you down … Whether you voted for me or for my opponent, my door will always remain open to you. I will bring our community’s shared values, work ethic and common-sense leadership directly to the State Capitol. Macomb County deserves a representative who listens and delivers — and that is exactly what I will do every single day.” Incumbent Democrat Denise Mentzer held onto her seat as the 61st District’s representative, securing 23,381 votes (55.88%) over Republican Robert Wojtowicz’s 18,357 votes (43.87%). Though she was “completely and totally surprised” by the 12-point margin of victory over Wojtowicz, Mentzer said her thoughts after the election are on bipartisanship — both on getting elected, and how she plans to approach this coming term. “I’ve always said that Democrats aren’t always right and Republicans aren’t always wrong, and people at home just want us to work together to do things that will make their lives better,” Mentzer said. “I had quite a few Republicans contact me, either via text message or phone call or Facebook, to tell me that — I had one guy who’s a solid Republican in Mount Clemens tell me that I was the reason he couldn’t vote straight party, so that’s very humbling … I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get things done. I’ve always said that when it comes to Macomb, we should stick together. When Candice Miller needed money for the infrastructure, every single Macomb County representative signed onto the (bill) that Candice and I came up with … Macomb needs to stick together when it will make a difference for all of us.” With Democrats back in the House majority and now holding a trifecta of power in Lansing, Mentzer plans to reintroduce bills related to topics such as PFAS pollution, prescription drug prices, battery recycling and fireworks. Mentzer believes healthcare will be worked on by the Legislature “right away.” Mentzer’s neighboring Republican incumbents were able to hold onto their seats in Lansing. Republican Alicia St. Germaine held onto the coastal communities of the 62nd District with 21,559 votes (50.72%) over Democrat challenger Matthew Smith’s 20,780 votes (48.89%), while Republican Joe Aragona maintained his seat as the 60th District’s representative, receiving 25,435 votes (54.66%) against Democrat Amy Gray’s 20,985 votes (45.10%) in her bid to unseat him. The current chair of the House Regulatory Reform Committee called the events of Nov. 3 a “tough night” for Republicans in Michigan and beyond. “I think at this point, Republicans have to sit down and do a post mortem and figure out what went right, what went wrong and figure it out from there in the next two years,” Aragona said. “One of the big things is we’ll have to differentiate ourselves and communicate better to the electorate. Not (only) that we’re not Democrats, that we’re just the opposite. We want to say, ‘No, here’s our plan. That’s their plan, that’s what they’re telling you. This is what we’re going to drive at. Here’s what we’re going to get done.’ I think we’ve got to do a better job of that across the board, not just at the state level but at the national level.” Since the elected officials are not officially seated until Jan. 1, 2027, Aragona says there’s still the better part of two months for legislative Republicans to work with outgoing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to pass some final legislation during this term. But once the new Legislature is seated in the new year, there will be much to adjust to. “Next year we’re going to be in the minority, which is tough, but the job is still to show up, represent our districts to the best of our ability and try and get things done for our districts,” Aragona said. “At the end of the day, that’s the job of a state representative. If I think I can do something for Macomb, I’ll do it. Obviously, my outlook on how things should get done is going to be a little different than the majority party’s, but it is what it is. I’ll play the cards that I’ve been dealt to the best of my ability.” Call Staff Writer Dean Vaglia at (586) 498-1043. </div></body>

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MACOMB COUNTY — Local incumbents and known names made out as the winners in races across Macomb County during the Nov. 3 election. Mark Hackel won his fifth term as Macomb county executive, the incumbent Democrat taking 251,325 votes (61.24%) over Republican challenger Richard Moore’s 157,965 votes (38.49%).

Familiar names win Macomb county, state legislative races

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MACOMB COUNTY — Local incumbents and known names made out as the winners in races across Macomb County during the Nov. 3 election. Mark Hackel won his fift

Familiar names win Macomb county, state legislative races

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