WINNERS OF STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE www.hometownlife.com The following vote totals are unofficial totals for how residents of Westland voted. BYDARRELLCLEM Overall winners are denoted with a S OBSERVER STAFF WRITER U.S. PRESIDENT After clinching a Wayne County 0 Barack Obama (D) 25,387 Commission seat Tuesday, 12th John McCain (R) 13,112 District victor Joan Gebhardt U.S. SENATE said she hopes to play a crucial 0 Carl Levin (D> (i> 27,093 role in addressing severe budget Jach Hoogendyk (R) 9,157 problernsworsenedbyatroubled< ' U.S. HOUSE 11TH DISTRICT economy. Joseph W. Larkin (B) 21,638 "We know that our tax dollars 0ThaddeusMcCotier(R)(t)... 13,979 are dwindling because people are losing their homes, so they're not STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 18TH paying their taxes," Gebhardt said 0 Richard LeBlanc (D) (i) 29,044 Tuesday. "We're going to have to Harold Dunn {Taxp.) 3,867 make cuts, because we can't have STATE PROPOSALS more money going out than we mtmim have coming in. It's gding to be a A legislative initiative to permit the use and monumental task." cultivation of marijuana for specified medical Gebhardt, D-Livonia, defeated conditions Republican nominee Thomas 0Yes 25,745 No 11,756 Thompson in a district that mnmn includes Westland, Jnkster A proposal io amend the state constitution to and south Livonia. She won a address human embryo and human embryonic two-year term to replace com­ stem cell research in Michigan mission appointee Ronaele gj Yes „... 21,162 Bowman, who had served since Ho 16,284 veteran Commissioner Kay Beard COUNTY COMMISSION resigned in March due to health urn mm\ reasons. S3 Joan Gebhardt W 25,065 Gebhardt garnered 25,065 Thomas E. Thompson <R> 9,872 votes to Thompson's 9,872 in 18TH DISTRICT COURT JUD6E Westland, and she outpaced him iTIMarkMcConnell 19,405 in Livonia 7,027 votes to 4,812. Turnout among Westiand's 62,544 voters was 65.6 percent. A request of the Wayne County Community College millage renewal and reduction of 1.25 Most political observers viewed mills for 10 years, through 2020 inclusive. Gebhardt's toughest challenge SVes 12,040 as the primary, because the dis­ No 9,912 trict has long been a Democratic stronghold. She defeated some political heavyweights, including PHOTOS BY TOM HAWLEY \ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER : Sharon Scott 13,9 Westland City Councilman James Michael Davis reflects on the importance of the presidential election before he goes to cast his ballot in Precinct 28, in Westiand's Annapolis Park Godbout and Inkster Mayor neighborhood. Hilliard Hampton. "Many people said the primary was the race," Gebhardt, 59, said, the status quo." "but I didn't take anything for Gebhardt cited job creation granted." as a major goal, and she said the BY DARRELL CUM received 25,397 votes com­ Gebhardt stiB sent campaign expansion of Cobo Hall in Detroit OBSERVER STAFF WRITER pared to Republican John postcards to absentee voters and and new development between McCain's 13,112. worked the polls with her family Detroit Metro Airport and Willow Forty-five years after Lori "This day means that and friends. Run Airport could help to boost Wilson's mother, Claudia, dreams do come true," "One thing I want to do is stay the economy. took her to a Detroit rally Wilson, 54, said, standing * visible in the community," she "I support both of those proj­ where Dr. Martin Luther outside the Annapolis Park said. 'And I want county govern­ ects," she said. King Jr. spoke about his Church of Christ polling ment to be transparent. I want the Gebhardt, a staffer for state dream of racial equality, place. "It's almost inconceiv­ people to know what's going on in House Speaker Andy Dillon, the two African-American able, unbelievable that final­ Wayne County and know what's D-Redford, and a Schoolcraft women worked side by side ly, with the help of blacks, going on with their tax dollars." College trustee, described voter at a Westland polling place whites, Asians, Arabs, people When asked what message support for her campaign as where Democrat Barack of European descent — all helped propel her to victory, "quite overwhelming" and vowed Obama drew strong support kinds of people — that we Gebhardt said, "I think the mes­ to do her best to represent her as the nation's first black have a chance to break down sage came from the people rather constituents. president. that black-white barrier." than from me. The message from "When people put as much Lori Wilson, who also Wilson served as voting the people, from the federal level trust in you as they have with me, brought her 17-year-old chairwoman in Precinct 28, on down, was that they wanted it's an awesome responsibility," she granddaughter, Maxine, to in the Annapolis Park neigh­ change. They're not happy with said, "and I don't take it lightly." the polls Tuesday, said huge borhood that has made the strides had been made long National Register of Historic before the last votes had Places as one of the first been tallied for an Obama U.S. suburbs populated by victory. The president-elect African-American residents rode a tidal wave of sup­ Reasther Everett, 73, made some phone calls for Barack Obama in North port in Westland, where he ' Please see ELECTION, A2 Carolina, where she grew up, and then returned to Westland to campaign. Police: Body found in Dunripste r was homeless man BY DARRELLCLEM tion is continuing, police Lt. "He had a lot of acquain­ said the body was so severely OBSERVER STAFF WRITER Dan Karrick said the Wayne tances in the neighborhood," burned that he couldn't even County Medical Examiner's Karrick said. "He had lived tell if it was a man, a woman or The severely burned Office "does not suspect foul there in the past." a child. body found last Friday in , play" and "there are no signs of Police last Friday had con­ Haile, 53, had dumped a Dumpster in Westiand's trauma." sidered one scenario in which two buckets of water in the Norwayne subdivision has Authorities suspect that the victim may have gotten Dumpster before he even real­ been identified as 49-year- Duncan had been drinking inside the Dumpster and acci­ ized that it was a body burning. old Jeffrey Oscar Duncan, a alcohol before he ended up in a dentally started a fire. "It's not something I ever TOM HAWLEV!STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER homeless man who knew some Dumpster on the north end of Maintenance worker Jim thought I'd find," Haile said Joan Gebhardt, Democratic candidate for the Wayne County Commission's residents in the south-end Palmer Terrace Apartments, a Haile found Duncan's body last Friday, standing outside 12th district greets Westland resident Lawrence Worsley outside at the polls neighborhood where he died, one-story complex next to the shortly after 7 a.m. after apart­ the apartment complex. at Edison Elementary. Worsley is wearing an American flag hat he wears police said. Palace Plaza on Venoy south of ment residents noticed the every Tuesday in remembrance of 9/11. Although the investiga- Palmer. Dumpster was on fire. Haile [email protected] | (734) 953-2110 r JX* i-*"* u^^l^f^TS^tT1 j^xisy ^^^ ; T ©The Observer ^¾^¾¾¾^^¾¾¾^¾^ " --'"- .~- T-fl^±«#? -,r-Aiz.-- -J?:-.-- & Eccentric For Home Newspapers APARTMENTS C3 Delivery call: •AUTOMOTIVE C9 Volume 44 CLASSIFIED C3-C9 (866) 887-2737 Number 47 CROSSWORD PUZZLE C3 FILTER D1 Joss C7 OBITUARIES B6 OPINION A8 3133S Ford Rd. PINK D8 Garden City, Ml. 48135 C3 Corner of Ford & Merriman REAL ESTATE Holiday recipes from Iron Chefs SERVICE GUIDE C5 Bobby Flay S Michael Symon t -~!.'4 10007 SPORTS B1 Observer & Eccentric j Thursday, November 6,2008 A2 (W) www.hometownlife.com ELECTION FROM PAGE At BY DARRELLCLEM in the 1950s, during a time OBSERVER STAFF WRITER of heightened racial divisions and widespread housing dis­ After winning his second two-year crimination. term in a landslide, state Rep. Richard With help from a friend, LeBlanc, D-Westland, said efforts to boost 34-year-old Michael Davis got TOM HAWLEVI STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Michigan's economy and create new jobs out of a car and into a wheel­ Damon Carter says his three will continue to command the attention of chair as he prepared to vote children, ages 7 through 13, see in state legislators. on a day that he wished his presidential candidate Barack Obama LeBlanc, 50, vowed to push for "job late father Edward, who died a role model. creation and economic activity that will in January, could have lived encourage investment in our state." to see. Davis' father moved to LeBlanc defended his 18th District seat Annapolis Park from South Greenfield and his 13-year-old against a challenge by U.S. Taxpayers Carolina to work for General son, Erik. Party candidate Harold Dunn, and he said Motors Corp., leaving behind "I think this is pretty fun," he is pleased that voters continued to show a place where blacks and the teen said, holding his confidence in his ability to represent them whites drank from separate campaign literature. "I think in Lansing. water fountains and attended people should be educated in "I feel very privileged," LeBlanc said, segregated schools. politics, and I think we need "and I'm very much appreciative of the "This day means that the change." Westland community for keeping me in stories and the dreams that Standing nearby on my current position." we were taught to hope for, so this unseasonably warm LeBlanc garnered 29,044 votes, or 87 many years ago, have the pos­ November voting day, poll percent of the totals, Dunn received 3,867 sibility of coming true," Davis worker Reasther Everett, 73, votes in a Westland election that saw a iRAPHER said.