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Saline City Council will feature three new members, including new Mayor Michael McVey at the start of 2027.
McVey defeated incumbent Mayor Brian Marl, who will complete his 14th year as Mayor, by more than 500 votes.
"The citizens of Saline have spoken and elected me to serve as their next Mayor. I am deeply honored by their trust and humbled by the responsibility that comes with it.I look forward to working with the newly elected councilpersons and those returning to give so much of their time and talent to the city," McVey said.
McVey thanked outgoing council members Dean Girbach and Nicole Rice for their service to council.
"Their work has helped guide our city through challenges and opportunities, and I hope our community will join me in thanking them for their dedication," McVey said.
He also thanked Marl for his 18 years on council.
"I also want to recognize and thank Brian Marl, who served four years on City Council before serving fourteen years as Mayor. For nearly two decades, he has been a visible and steady presence in city government. He has encouraged business and housing development, represented Saline at countless events, and helped lead our city through periods of growth and change," McVey said. "I thank Brian for his years of service and his commitment to Saline and its citizens. I will count on his advice and insights in the coming months as I seek to become as engaged a Mayor as he has been."
Marl called McVey Tuesday night to concede and pledge a smooth transition.
"I called to concede and wish him well. I also told him we'll work with him for the smoothest possible transition. His success is important to Saline's success," Marl said. "I have no regrets. Saline has been very good to me."'
Marl was on city council before he was elected Mayor. When his term is finished, he will have been Mayor for 14 years, equaling the tenure of Gretchen Driskell as Saline's longest-serving Mayor.
All three council candidates on the ballot won. Janet Dillon was the top vote-getter with 2,827 votes. Daniel Burgess (2,422) and Bret Pollington (2,232) were also elected. Miri Weisdner was a write-in candidate. It's not clear how many votes she received, but there were 283 unassigned write-in votes.
The nearly 3-mill fire authority tax passed with 9008 Yes votes to 5,768 No votes. The Yes vote won in every community within the authority.
Incumbent Saline Board of Education member and President Tim Austin won the race for the two-year term on the board. He received 7,456 votes. Charlie Hirst was second with 3,847 votes. Deandre Calvert, who withdrew from the election but whose name remained on the ballot, received 1,606 votes.
The partially counted precincts in the City of Saline and Saline Township make the race for the four-year terms on the school board too close to call. Voters elected three members to four-year seats on the board. Carl Spina was the top vote-getter with 8.528 votes. Christy Likkie received 8,169 votes. Matt Shoemaker was in third place at 11:43 p.m. with 8.528 votes, while Afifa Corrigan was fourth with 6,570 votes. Andrea Roe is fifth with 5,786 votes.
According to the county's website. the city had more than 1,200 uncounted votes. And Saline Township had more than 450 uncounted votes.
In the race for Lodi Township Supervisor, Democrat Jane Chronis came from behind to defeat Incumbent Republican Supervisor Jacob Schaible, 2,082 to 1,864,
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