JACKSON, Mich. — Jackson’s mayoral race is set. There are four candidates running for the seat that will be vacated by current Mayor Derek Dobies, who has decided not to run for a third term.
Two candidates – Jeromy Alexander and Laura Dwyer-Schlecte – are members of the city council.
Daniel Mahoney was the first candidate to publicly announce that he’s running for mayor. Mahoney represents District 7 on the Jackson County board of Commissioners. He is also president of the Jackson NAACP chapter.
Jeromy Alexander is running for mayor a second time. He was defeated in 2019 by Derek Dobies. Alexander is on the city council representing Ward 3, which takes in the northeast part of Jackson. He has been on the City Council since 2017. According to Alexander’s bio, he is a lifelong Jackson resident.
Laura Dwyer-Schlecte is also on the City Council. She has represented Ward 4, the western portion of Jackson, since 2019. Dwyer-Schlecte is the owner of Thinking Real Estate, a Michigan real estate brokerage firm. She also served on the City Council from 2011 to 2015.
John Wilson is no stranger to Jackson politics. Wilson ran for mayor in 2013 and 2015, the first of those as a write-in candidate, and ran for District 8 County Commissioner in 2018. Wilson is a retired corrections officer.
There are also three City Council seats up for election this cycle, wards 1, 3 and 5.
Dena Morgan is running against incumbent Arlene Robinson in Ward 1. Robinson has served on the city council since 2013.
Ward 3 will see Caleb Blondke and Angelita Velasco Gunn vie for the open spot. Alexander, who holds the seat now, can't run for both council and mayor.
In Ward 5, Karen Bunnell has no opposition. Bunnell was appointed to the position by the City Council in 2020.
There will be a city-wide primary in the mayoral race on Tuesday, Aug. 3. The top two vote-getters will head to the Tuesday, Nov. 2 election. With two or fewer candidates filing for election in wards 1, 3 and 5, there will be no primaries for those seats.
The deadline to register as a write-in candidate for the August primary is 4 p.m. Friday, July, 23.
Members of the City Council serve four-year terms. The mayor serves a two-year term.
Elections in Jackson are held on odd-numbered years and are non-partisan.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
