Note: All election results are unofficial until they are certified
Election results in Flint and Genesee County are still unofficial and total vote margins are being tabulated, but clear winners have already emerged in key races in the city, including current Sixth Ward Councilwoman Tonya Burns unseating incumbent Mayor Sheldon Neeley, who was seeking a third term in office.
Burns was first elected to City Council in 2021, and built a strong reputation as a constituent voice within her ward and beyond — in an interview prior to the August primary, she called herself the “Councilwoman at large” because Flint residents would regularly call her for challenges they were having even if they lived outside of her ward. Her responsiveness seems to have resonated with voters.
She also built a reputation on Council as a frequent critic of the Neeley administration, and in an election cycle nationally where incumbency was often a disadvantage, voters opted for a change. As of 8 a.m. on November 4, Burns had collected about 54 percent of the total vote.
The outcome also isn’t entirely surprising as the August primary showed signs voters were ready for a change in administration. Neeley was the top vote-getter in that primary, but the other three candidates (Burns, Micaiah Owens, and Roshanda Womack) collectively had more votes than he did.
Neeley’s loss will mark the first time since 2005 he hasn’t held an elected office in Flint. He was on the Flint City Council from 2005-2014, served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2015-2019, and was elected Mayor in 2019.
One Neeley will remain in office, though, as Cynthia Neeley, Sheldon Neeley’s wife, won re-election to her Michigan House seat.
Burns will officially take office on November 9.
City Council
Seven of nine seats on the Flint City Council will be new representatives. Here’s a quick look at results in each ward:
- First Ward: Newcomer Debra Coleman defeated community activist Arthur Woodson. Coleman will replace incumbent Leon El-Alamin, who ran in the Third Ward due to ward boundary changes after the last election.
- Second Ward: Two incumbents faced each other, as Ladel Lewis, PhD, was challenged by Third Ward Councilwoman LaShawn Johnson. Johnson switched wards due to boundary changes. Johnson, a frequent Neeley ally, defeated Lewis to win the seat.
- Third Ward: Newcomer Paradise Williams, the niece of late Councilman Quincy Murphy, is leading his former seat over El-Alamin. Write-in Beverly Biggs also ran in the ward. Williams leads by about 500 votes with one precinct left to report as of 9 a.m. on November 4.
- Fourth Ward: Ramie Yelle, the only person officially on the ballot, appears to have won the seat. Incumbent Councilwoman Judith Priestley was among three candidates running as official write-ins. According to unofficial results, Yelle has over 1,200 votes while write-ins have less than 400.
- Fifth Ward: DeWaun Robinson defeated Joel Arnold with about 54 percent of the vote. Arnold was the top vote-getter in a crowded four-person August primary, with former Councilman Wantwaz Davis endorsing Arnold and the other primary opponent, Jeron Dotson, endorsing Robinson. Robinson overcame a big fundraising advantage for Arnold to win the seat. Robinson replaces Jerri Winfrey-Carter, who didn’t seek re-election.
- Sixth Ward: Dakota Starr won Burns’ former seat, as the only name officially on the ballot. Gregory Ahejew ran a write-in campaign, but write-in options have fewer than 100 of the more than 1,800 votes cast in the ward according to unofficial results.
- Seventh Ward: Candice Mushatt, the current City Council President, was the only incumbent to hold her seat in the ward she currently represents, defeating Darell Brown.
- Eighth Ward: Ezekiel Harris defeated former Flint School Board member Casey Lester to represent the Eighth Ward. He’ll replace former Councilman Dennis Pfeiffer, who didn’t seek re-election.
- Ninth Ward: Michael Harris ran unopposed and won the Ninth Ward seat currently held by Jonathan Jarrett. Jarrett was disqualified from the ballot in the spring and chose not to run a write-in campaign.
Flint Board of Education
Three seats were open on the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, with two of the three incumbents running retaining their seats.
Joyce Ellis-McNeal, PhD, and Terae King Jr. were elected to new terms, while newcomer Dominique McGlown will replace Laura MacIntyre, who finished fourth in a field that included eight candidates.
McGlown and King were endorsed by United Teachers of Flint, Flint’s teachers’ union, while the union advocated specifically for voting against MacIntyre and Ellis-McNeal.
Mott Community College Board of Trustees
In perhaps the most peculiar result of the night, the top vote-getter in the race for two open seats on the Mott Community College Board of Trustees was Elizabeth Warren.
Warren was on the ballot but didn’t appear to campaign for the position at all. She didn’t reply to a candidate questionnaire coordinated by Flint. Daily. and East Village Magazine, didn’t participate in any candidate forums, and based on anecdotal feedback from readers, no one received any candidate information, mailers, or saw her at events.
A campaign Facebook page associated with her only has six followers and hasn’t been updated since September 2. There are a few campaign-related posts on her personal Facebook page, including images that show a sign and shirt that use designs similar to those of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Incumbent Santino Guerra retained his seat for the second spot on the board.
Guerra and Quentin Groce, who finished third, were both endorsed by Mott’s faculty union and the UAW.
Millages
Genesee County and Flint voters approved several local millage renewals, including Genesee County millages for Animal Care and healthcare services, a Mott Community College operating millage, and city of Flint millages for public transportation, police and fire, and parks.
A Flint Township proposal to change the municipality’s name to Oak Hills Township failed.
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