Politics & Government

Council Members Enjoy Quiet of Election Day

No seats up for election at local level

Across the state votes are being cast in the 2011 elections at the local, county and state levels. Here in Howell the local level is quiet leaving the current council members in an unusual position of being able to enjoy a quiet November day.

For some, no campaigns to run meant a quiet day with family or taking time to enjoy the unusually warm Fall weather. For others it was just business as usual.

One of the longest tenured members of the board, Pauline Smith, said she was relieved to not have been on the campaign trail this year. "I hate to campaign," she said with a laugh. Having been a part of and seen so many campaigns, Smith said a lot goes into getting elected and helping others earn spots in the positions they run for. 

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Smith said she was glad that the dais will stay as it is going into next year. "We've barely gotten started so I guess it's just part of the job," she said. In the past the township has not had these breaks between elections, but Smith said she prefers this method better. "It's nice to finally get some work done in that year in between, but next year it will be an election year."

Mayor Robert Walsh, who will be up for reelection in 2012 said he was going to spend part of the day relaxing on the golf course. He is also glad to have the same people on the council with him for at least another year. "We've worked very well together," he said. "We've accomplished a lot and there's no reason to believe that that will not continue."

Find out what's happening in Howellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Of all the members of the council, Robert Nicastro is the freshest off the campaign trail having won his seat just one year ago. Nicastro said he has good memories of his time running for office. "I was out there meeting people, trying to introduce myself and get the word out there what I stand for," he said. "Now I'm just doing the job I'm hoping I was elected to do."

Nicastro said he is looking forward to working with the council going into 2012. "I think we had some difficult decisions we had to make," he said of the previous year. He added that with no elections at the local level this year, the council can focus on items like the budget for next year. "That's the number one thing right now."

Deputy Mayor William Gotto said he planned to spend the day working like any other Tuesday. Gotto said he has had a few busy election seasons recently so he was glad to not have to run again this time around. "I ran two years in a row so I always felt like I was having to campaign for something," he said. "I'm kind of enjoying it."

Even though there are no elections at the municipal level, Gotto said it was still important for Howell residents to get out and vote. "It is important to Howell because we need to make sure that the people that have done things to help out our town get elected," he said. "The people I've been supporting have done a lot to make sure that they continue to get the best people elected."

Information on the other races being contested this year can be found . The polls in Howell are open until 6 p.m. at locations across the town.


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