Westland
Voters in Westland have chosen their first newly-elected mayor in nearly 20 years.
Voters chose current State Rep. Kevin Coleman to lead the city with 8,144 votes. Current interim Mayor Mike Londeau was the choice of 5,630 voters. The four-year position pays pays $121,574 annually. The two candidates were selected by voters from a field of six hopefuls in an August primary election.
Coleman, 40, served on the Westland City Council, the veteran's association and the Westland festival committee, prior to his election to state office. Coleman was defeated by former Mayor William Wild in his first bid for the top job in the city. A special election to fill his unexpired term as the representative from the 25th District will now be scheduled.
Following the resignation of long-time Mayor William r. Wild, current members of the city council chose Londeau to serve as interim mayor until the election. Prior to his election to the city council, Londeau chaired the city Downtown Development Authority and was a member of the master plan steering committee. He is a graduate of Wayne Memorial High School.
Voters also chose four members of the city council.
Incumbent Michael McDermott garnered 8,944 votes; incumbent Melissa Sampey received 7,629 votes; Council President Pro tem Andrea Rutkowski received 7,470 votes and Emily Bauman received 7,211 votes. DeLano Hornbuckle was the choice of 5,376 voters and Edward Pruett received 4,622 votes. Hornbuckle was appointed to fill Londeau's seat when he left the council to become the interim mayor. Bauman, 6,826 votes, and Hornbuckle, 4,543 votes were also seeking to fill the remainder of Londeau's unexpired council term.
Councilmembers are paid $18,040 annually while the council president is paid $18,953.
Inkster
Inkster voters chose Byron Nolen as the new mayor of the city and selected city council representatives in three districts.
Nolen received a total of 1,662 votes, while incumbent Mayor Patrick Wimberly was the choice of 1,153 voters.
Nolen will return to the office which he left in 2019. An attorney for 27 years, he cited the city budget $3.3 million surplus when he left office and the relief from state receivership in 2019, as accomplishments of his previous term in office. Nolen was first elected in 2015 with 87 percent of the vote.
Wimberly, 49, is currently under indictment by federal authorities and is accused of demanding cash from a developer hoping to purchase city-owned property. Wimberly was elected to the mayoral position which pays $105,000 annually in 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Voters chose Felicia Rutledge as the city council representative for District 1. Rutledge received 1,615 votes while Timothy Williams was the choice of 1,046 voters. Rutledge has worked in government for more than 16 years.
She is a Victim Advocate for the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office Victim Service Unit.
Williams serves as Mayor Pro Tem on the Inkster City Council and is a former state legislator.
In Inkster District 4, Steven Chisholm, the incumbent, received 1,585 votes and opponent Rebecca J. Daniels received 1,076 votes. Chisholm, a real estate broker, has served on the city council for 7 years.
In District 6, Dee Coleman Richardson defeated Dennard Orlando Shaw. Richardson received 1,397 votes while Shaw was the choice of 1,144 voters. Coleman Richardson previously served on the council.
