Saline MI
11-02-2026 8:54pm

EDITORIAL: How We See the Local Elections

As publisher of The Saline Post, I offer my thoughts on the election.

Mayor

Michael McVey is the most legitimate opponent Brian Marl has had as Mayoral Candidate. As President of the Board of Education, McVey has shown he can lead a legislative board. One of the arguments for McVey might have been temperament. Marl had raised more questions than provided answers with his decisions on the fire chief and city manager search. But despite those questions, Marl seems to have hit a stride when it comes to managing the board. That's happened as the city has enjoyed positive developments with the Mill Pond path and the Jazz at the Mansion event at the Davenport-Curtiss Mansion. And if the city has indeed raised more than $12 million for the Rec Center, that could solve a major issue.

While McVey provides a legit opponent, this option comes when, perhaps, there's never been a better reason to allow Marl to continue as Mayor. I support Mayor Marl.

Council

Voters will elect three people to Saline City Council. There are four candidates, but only three appear on the ballot as Miri Weidner is a write-in candidate. Janet Dillon is the only incumbent and Council can use her knowledge and leadership. We also will be voting Dan Burgess, a tireless volunteer for the city with experience on a civic board. Despite some concerns, we will support Pollington. The issues in Pollington's past were 20 years ago. Whatever you might think, as a true liberal from Canada and a believer of the Young Offenders Act, I subscribe to the idea that a person grows and can move beyond the issues of their youth. Pollington has been an engaged citizen and active volunteer.

School Board - 2 years

Tim Austin, President of the Board of Education, would get our support whether he was running for two years or four years. He's served the community as a business owner, school board leader, and community booster at a high level for more than a decade. He offers the board much-needed perspective as a cultural and fiscal conservative.

School Board - 4 years

Carl Spina served the youth of this community well as a teacher, coach and union leader. The board needs his perspective and thoughtful nature. When I think of a school board, I imagine a business owner and conservative like Austin trying to find common ground with a liberal union leader like Spina. Those are the kinds of people who can strike the kind of deals that move us forward.

Our choices are tougher after that. There are good reasons for each candidate, but to maintain a composition similar to the current board, we're choosing Afifa Corrigan and Andrea Roe. Corrigan has hometown roots - and in our view that gives candidates a leg up. More than that, obviously, she's has a track record as an educator and brings a more conservative mindset to the board. Roe has already served the district well as a PTA leader and her answers show that she's plugged into the issues that matter.

SAFA Millage

There are lots of issues that remain to be decided, but it's importat to give the Saline Area Fire Authority the start it needs with the 10-year, 2.98 levy. That's no small tax. But this tax will do much: to operate, maintain, upgrade and acquire fire equipment and to hire, train and pay for fire personnel. It's hard to vote against the fire department. We're voting Yes, even though we have concerns, even though some of them are more about whether the city will do the right thing and reduce the city tax millage as well as the fire assessment.

Lodi Supervisor

We can't vote in Lodi Township, but we hope Lodi voters choose Jacob Schaible as Supervisor. Lodi is a quickly transforming community, and Schaible definitely represents the part of the township that's part of Saline. He runs the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds and he's a longtime official with the Fair.

State Rep, 33rd District

Democrat Morgan Foreman was mostly invisible in Saline for most of her term. Worse, she virtually ignored the representatives of Saline Township at townhall meetings as residents voiced concerns over the data center. That disqualifies her as a State Rep. We're voting for Republican Catherine Rogers.

State Senate, 15th District

Democrat Felicia Brabec was an active township board member in Pittsfield and she was engaged with local community members as a State Rep and she's earned my vote.

Higher Office

Honestly, I can't think of a single reason to vote for Governor, Secretary of State, and many of the higher offices. 

US Senate

I am voting for Abdul El Sayed. For one, he's trying to get money out of politics, whereas Mike Rogers can't stop taking money. Policy-wise, whereas Mike Rogers is known as a war-monger and surveillance state booster. Worse yet, he's taken around $30 million from the Israel lobby pushing the Iran War. He has staff members who are registered agents of Israel. El Sayed wants to fight for national health care. That makes El Sayed an easy choice for me. I'll will be holding my nose on a few of those woke issues, and I've avoid searching where he was on COVID issues, because I don't think I'd like him as much. But it's rich trying to watch the Rogers supporters working so hard to other El Sayed, born in Michigan, when Rogers is so corrupted by foreign concerns.

Representative in Congress

I'll vote for Debbie Dingell. I don't think she's all that great, policy-wise and vote-wise. And I suspect she'll vote on party lines and turn the next two years into a circus show of impeachment hearings and investigations - and probably turn the independents right back in favor of the Republicans again in time for 2028. But Dingell is an old-school Representative. She's always here. Going back to the 4th of July event in Saline, Dingell spoke. I was prepared for her to turn it into an anti-Republican roast. But she did not. She chose to celebrate the country we all live in, and the freedoms we all enjoy. She gained my respect and gained a voter.

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