Green Party Candidates Announced in Various Races in Oakland County, State
(Crystal A. Proxmire, June 30, 2020)
Pontiac, MI – The Michigan Green Party has announced their candidates for the Nov. 3, 2020 ballot.
Republican and Democratic candidates are decided upon in the Aug. 4, 2020 primary, while “third party” nominations happen within the parties themselves.
In June, a Green Party Oakland County Caucus and the Party’s state convention nominated seven county residents as candidates for the November 3 election.
Clyde K. Shabazz is running for the 14th Congressional District which includes which includes Pontiac, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Southfield and other cities in Oakland and Wayne Counties.  He is the host of “In the Green,” an environmental, social justice, political talk show. He owns Alkebulansoul, a production company for young African-American talent in Detroit. His platform includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income of $1,000 per month; the money to fund this program would come from a 2/3 cut in the U.S. Defense budget. Shabazz also favors the legalization of marijuana nationally.
Sherry A. Wells of Ferndale, is running for State Representative in the 27th District, which includes Berkley, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, the Charter Township of Royal Oak. Sherry is known as a community activist who was elected to the Charter Revision Commission, chairing it for two years. Wells previously ran for State Board of Education. While she was not elected, she did learn by attending meetings in Lansing and local school districts.
“I want to use all the knowledge I’ve gained about our school system in Michigan. The Michigan legislature is the logical place, because the Michigan Constitution charged it with funding education,” Wells said.
Nicholas Rowley is running for County Commission District 18, which includes Huntington Woods, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Oak Park and Royal Oak Township.  He introduces himself as “a leftist British immigrant who has been a naturalized citizen since 2009.”
Rowley said, “We need politicians who are willing to adopt the approach of nations that are successfully tackling COVID19 by adopting actual people-focused policies and actions.”
Destiny Clayton is running for County Commission District 17, which includes Lathrup Village, the west side of Oak Park and east sections of Southfield. “I am an Army veteran, who had the opportunity to travel into many different areas in our country, from Alaska to Alabama. There are certain problems that I saw no matter where I went,” Clayton said.  Among other issues, she wants to see the county provide more mental health resources by redirecting the excessive funds used for jailing people. “We need reliable transportation. Oakland County can continue to be at the front of technology and use it for all.”
Jessicia Venture is running to become the Waterford Township Clerk. Among other community activities, she adopted Fish Hatchery Park to help keep it clean and appealing.
“I have over a decade’s experience in working elections as an election inspector. As a Green, I want to bring renewable options to the local community. I want a township board that listens to its constituents,” Venture said.
Michael Mawilai resides in Oak Park. He attended the University of Michigan for four years. He has been involved in film/TV/video production, environmental activism, and home property tax foreclosure prevention, first as a volunteer, then hired. He is running for the University of Michigan Board of Regents. “An important issue in my campaign is the ability of university investment and divestment to create nonviolent social change,” Mawilai said.
Brandon Hu, a Troy resident, is one of two Greens running for the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. He is a senior at Michigan State University. Computer Science major. He is an Asian Pacific American Student Organization representative to the Associated Students of MSU.
As a student, he says he sees that “An important issue is the lack of transparency between the students and the Board of Trustees and the Administration that the Trustees have a duty to oversee.”  The other Green candidate for that position is, Robin Laurain of Lansing.
Learn more about the Michigan Green Party at https://www.migreenparty.org/.
Oakland County Times 2020 Candidate Interview Page. New videos are added frequently up until Election Day, so please check back often!
For a complete list of candidates and ballot issues, visit the Oakland County Clerk’s Election Page.
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