In the 2021 race for Novi City Council, one candidate has already stumbled and been disqualified, while two others dropped out.
Less than a week after filing to run, Bin Qamruzzaman was disqualified as a candidate, for failure to file multiple documents relating to campaign finance, City Clerk Cortney Hanson said.
Qamruzzaman filed the paperwork to run for council on April 20, the filing deadline, but Hanson was notified by the Oakland County Elections Division in a letter that Qamruzzaman had not filed proper documents from his 2019 campaign and owed $2,800 in late fees. I didn t know about those late fees from two years ago, Qamruzzaman said on Monday. I didn t collect any money or spend any money in the last campaign, and I was running it myself and couldn t keep up with the workload.
The political race in Novi took shape Tuesday as the candidate filing deadline passed, but will change again as an incumbent plans to back out.
Longtime Novi Mayor Bob Gatt will face a challenge from newcomer Ajay Raman, and nine candidates filed for three city council seats up for election this fall.
However, Andrew Mutch, who has held one of those seats for 16 years, has already announced his intention to drop out of the race.
Mutch, who will complete his fourth term this fall, said by email that by the end of the week he will withdraw his name from the list of candidates. Friday afternoon is the deadline for candidates to withdraw their name from the race.
For the sixth time.
The Novi City Council approved a rezoning of the property on the north side of Grand River, east of Town Center Drive and south of 11 Mile Road, as well as a sixth amendment to the purchase of the city-owned parcel by Robert B. Aikens & Associates, LLC and Robertson Brothers Homes.
Both motions, which passed in 5-2 votes, have conditions attached. Council members Justin Fischer and Laura Marie Casey voted no.
“In an extremely difficult time, the developer wants to invest $60 million,” Mayor Pro-Tem Dave Staudt said during the council’s Jan. 11 meeting. “These (developments) will be few and far between going forward. I would like to see the original incarnation of the development, but things have changed dramatically in last 10 months and I’m pleased this is still going forward.”
Who’s new in the Michigan House of Representatives
Updated Jan 05, 2021;
Posted Jan 05, 2021
The House Chamber pictured at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Thursday, April 25, 2019.Neil Blake
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The new legislative session brings with it substantial turnover for the Michigan House of Representatives, which will have 28 new lawmakers serving their first full terms in office.
Most of the freshman class will fill House seats vacated by members who hit their six-year term limit serving in the state House, although some defeated incumbents or are replacing members who sought other offices last fall.
Speaker-elect Jason Wentworth, R-Clare, and Democratic Leader-elect Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township, will fill the leadership slots left open by the departures of former Reps. Lee Chatfield and Christine Greig.