Politics & Government
Two More Hopefuls Turn in Signatures for Nov. 5 Ballot
With three Royal Oak City Commission seats up for grabs, Sharlan Douglas and Jeremy Mahrle submit petitions for the November election.
With the deadline to file petitions now less than one week away, potential candidates Sharlan Douglas and Jeremy Mahrle submitted signatures this morning to City Clerk Melanie Halas.
"I hate to use the word slate," Mahrle said. "We are not running as a slate. We came together as a show of support."
Both Douglas and Mahrle are members of the Royal Oak Planning Commission.
Only one candidate, Diane Hargan, has successfully submitted the necessary 500 valid signatures and has been notified of her eligibility by Halas.
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Mayor Pro-Tem David Poulton, who is also running for city commission, and Mayor Jim Ellison, who is running for re-election, have turned in some signatures, Halas said Tuesday morning.
Douglas and Mahrle could be notified of their eligibility by Friday, Halas said. If they fall short of 500 signatures, they have until 4 p.m. Aug. 13 to turn in additional petitions.
Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"What surprises me is how few issues people have," she said. "We''ll get an occasional question about the city's pension and health care liabilities or dog licensing and issues with fences - things that are in the news lately. But really what I hear from people is that they think Royal Oak is going in the right direction and they want to keep it going that way."
"I would second that," Mahrle said. "More than anything, I hear that people love living here. For the most part they enjoy their city services and we need to maintain those. People love Royal Oak and I am one of those."
On Nov. 5, Royal Oak voters will elect three commissioners. Mayor Pro-Tem David Poulton and Commissioner Jim Rasor are running for re-election; former Mayor Pro-Tem Patricia Capello resigned in May.
With less than one week to enter the race, Hargan, Douglas, Mahrle, Poulton and Rasor remain the only hopefuls to have pulled petitions, according to Halas.
Voter registration
Oct. 11 is the last day to register to be eligible to vote in Royal Oak's Nov. 8 general election. Residents can register to vote at the City Clerk's office or any Secretary of State office.
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