Several Pull Petitions in Ferndale, Still Time to Run for Mayor or Council
(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 29, 2019)
Ferndale, MI – Since Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter announced that he would not be running for another term, the Ferndale community has been abuzz with speculation about who will be running for the Mayor’s seat and the two City Council positions that are up for vote on Nov. 5.
Upon request, Deputy City Clerk Barb Miller provided Oakland County Times with a list of people who have pulled nominating petitions.  Requesting petitions does not always mean that the person is going to run. There is the possibility that they will fall short in collecting signatures, or otherwise be disqualified. Or they may simply decide not to.
Those who have pulled petitions as of April 29, 2019 morning are:
Raylon Leaks-May, current Councilperson – Council
Dan Martin, current Councilperson – pulled 2 packets but has not declared a position
Dustin Bowerman-Hagfors  – Council
Brian Stawowy – Mayor
Beau Perry – Council
Nada Daher – Council
Kat Bruner-James – Council
Melanie Piana, current Councilperson   – Mayor
Those wanting to run still have time.
According to the City of Ferndale website, The deadline to submit nominating petitions is Tuesday, July 23 at 4pm at City Hall.  The State has official petition forms which are available at City Hall.  Nominating petitions cannot be printed at home.
According to the website, “Per Chapter IV of the City Charter, prospective candidates must submit nominating petitions bearing no fewer than 100 and no more than 150 signatures of registered Ferndale voters.”
Voters should be aware that if they sign more petitions than there are available seats, their signature won’t be counted for any of the candidates.  For example, there is only one Mayor position.  So if someone signs on the petitions for two mayoral candidates, their signature won’t count.  There are two seats available for City Council, so residents should only sign the petitions of up to two potential candidates.
The website also recommends that candidates turn in more than the minimum, stating “There are many statutory reasons a signature may not be valid. It is highly recommended to exceed the 100-signature minimum, keeping in mind no more than 150 can be accepted.”
The City Clerk has 5 days from being turned in to determine the sufficiency of the signatures. Candidates will be notified in writing immediately if they do not have at least 100 valid signatures. As long as the July 23 at 4 p.m. filing deadline has not passed candidates may submit more signatures to make up the deficiency.
The City of Ferndale website has more information on elections here.
The Oakland County Clerk website has information about campaign finance reporting and other election-related information.
Oakland County Times 2019 Election page has ongoing coverage of local elections. If you value the work we do, please consider chipping in here.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.