Newcomers Melissa Johnson and Jane Pacheco among those elected to City Council

Mayor:
Jason Lindauer– 742 votes

4-year seats (vote for three)
Melissa Johnson – 617 votes
Jim Myles – 563 votes
Cheri Albertson – 410 votes
Dustin Suntheimer – 388 votes
Marcia Parker – 306 votes
Jeff Blazok – 123 votes

2-year seats (vote for 2)
Jane Pacheco – 619 votes
Frank Hammer – 487 votes
Susan Moore – 469 votes

unofficial election totals – 959 votes cast, 4,284 registered voters

When the Chelsea City Council meets on Nov. 18, there will be some new faces on the dais following Tuesday’s election.

With a total of 959 voters casting ballots, Mayor Jason Lindauer, who ran unopposed, was re-elected with 742 votes.

“I’m privileged to continue the good work of the will of the citizens of Chelsea,” he said, adding, “I’m grateful for the newcomers to the leadership team as well as those who led by example from the previous administration.”

Of the five candidates running for three 4-year seats, Melissa Johnson led the way with 617 votes in her first run for elected office.

“I want to thank my supporters who contributed their time and their encouragement,” she said, adding that she learned a lot from the experience of going door-to-door and talking to residents.

“I’m excited to get started,” she said.

The former assistant attorney will bring Planning Commission experience to the table as well as her standing as a longtime Chelsea resident.

Back for another four years on City Council is Jim Myles who received 563 votes and finished with the second highest vote total of the candidates running for a 4-year term.

Myles served eight years on council previously and was a member of the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority for 12 years.

He, too, wished to thank everyone who voted for him, but said he was disappointed that the turnout wasn’t higher with the large number of candidates who chose to run.

“This is a new start,” he said. “We’ll be addressing issues from a new perspective than we did before.”

Myles said he planned to work on transparency and accountability.

“I’m looking forward to making a difference in the future of the city,” he said.

Cheri Albertson was the third 4-year candidate to be re-elected to City Council with 410 votes. She’s served on the City Council for 10 years.

“I’m very, very sincerely grateful for everyone who supported me,” she said. “I’ll continue to work on behalf of the citizens because the city belongs to them.”

She said she plans to “assure (residents) that every penny of every taxpayer dollar is used judiciously until it squeaks.”

Marcia White Parker finished with 306 votes and Jeff Blazok, who has moved out of the city but it was too late to withdraw his name from the ballot, had 123 votes.

In the race for the two 2-year seats, Jane Pacheco led the way with 619 votes, the second highest total of all the candidates.

“I’d like to thank all the people who supported me and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with council.”

This was Pacheco’s first time running for an elected office.

“I’m excited to be part of this new City Council and I’m optimistic about the progress of Chelsea’s future.”

Also returned of office was incumbent Frank Hammer, who received 487 votes. Hammer has been on City Council since 2004 and was on the Chelsea Village Council from 1990-2002.

Since 2008, he’s been the chairman of the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority.

“I’d like to thank the voters for giving me the opportunity to continue to serve,” he said.

For Dustin Suntheimer, who was appointed to the City Council to fill a vacancy, he finished with 388 votes and wasn’t enough to get him elected to council.

“I’m disappointed I didn’t win,” he said after the final tally was in, “But I was honored to be part of the process.”

Susan Moore received 469 votes and although she wasn’t elected in her first time running for office, she said, “I’m pleased that I did as well as I did,” and she vowed to continue to be involved in the future of Chelsea.

Moore lost by 18 votes.