Thank you to all who voted.  I look forward to being your next State Representative.

Cindy Denby handily won the 47th District Republican primary Tuesday, with Bill Rogers securing a more than 2-1 edge in the 66th District Republican primary.

The 66th District represents the city of Brighton and the townships of Marion, Oceola, Genoa, Brighton, Green Oak and Milford, while the 47th District covers the rest of Livingston County.

As of 12:45 a.m., with 36 of 37 precincts reporting, Denby amassed 4,031 votes. Trailing her were Charlie Aberasturi, 1,391 votes; Frank Portelli, 1,112 votes and Carl Konopaska, 1,007 votes.

In the 66th District, with all 49 precincts reporting, Rogers received 5,304 votes and Republican rival Jason Corosanite had 2,585 votes.

Donna Anderson beat out Tommy Crawford in the 66th District Democratic primary with 1,692 votes to 693.

Denby thanked the voters as her lead started to grow Tuesday night and offered an explanation as to why she thought she did so well.

“Maybe the various experience levels that I’ve had and going out and physically talking to people — I think maybe that was helpful and I had a very good support team,” said Denby, the Handy Township supervisor and legislative aide for state Rep. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township. Hune can’t run again because of term limits.

Some of her competitors had other takes on why Denby won.

“You get what you pay for,” Portelli said. “She paid for the election and won it. The people of Livingston County didn’t pay attention and this is what they’re going to have — ore nonrepresentation.”

According to campaign finance statements, Denby raised $23,655 in contributions as of July 25. The next closest competitor, Charlie Aberasturi, raised roughly $5,300.
Aberasturi felt voters made their decisions based on popularity and not qualifications.

“I believe that the voters have spoken, and it’s going to be what they believe: They like status quo and we will stay with status quo,” Aberasturi said.

Konopaska was unwilling to admit defeat early on, as results continued pouring in Tuesday night.

Denby will now take on Democrat Scott Lucas and U.S. Taxpayers candidate Philip Johnson in the November general election.

In the 66th District, Rogers cited his experience as his reason for winning. Rogers is chairman of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, as well as a homebuilder.

“Experience is lacking right this second up there. Especially with term limits,” Rogers said of Lansing. “I really do think you need some people with a little bit of experience.”

Corosanite was gracious in defeat and pledged to look forward.

“I really do think that getting the message out there and obviously him touting with what his strengths were resonated with people,” Corosanite said. “I’m happy to see this thing move forward and I look forward to continue working with the party.”

Anderson and Rogers will now square off in November to succeed term-limited Rep. Chris Ward, R-Genoa Township.

“I feel that I’m more than equal to him in both leadership and experience, and neither one of us have ever served in the state Legislature before, so it will be a new experience for both of us,” Anderson said. “ It’s going to be an interesting, hard-fought battle.”

–Livingston County Press

“As a conservative pro-life candidate, I look forward to being elected as the next 47th District Representative.  I appreciate the support I have received from so many while campaigning, and I promise to work hard for the constituents of our district.”

My name is Cindy Denby, and I would like to provide information in regard to my campaign for the 47th District State Representative position as a Republican candidate.  

I have been a long-life resident of Livingston County, and a graduate of Fowlerville High School in 1974.  I also attended Lansing Community College and completed a two-year business program.  I am married to Fred Denby and have two grown children, Angela-31 and Brandon-29.

For over five years, I have been a legislative aide for our current Representative, Joe Hune.  During this time, I was responsible for acquiring information for legislative bill requests which covered a multitude of subjects.  In addition, I have handled hundreds of constituent matters, often requiring the ability to work with individuals from other State agencies for solutions. I am very proud of the may professional relationships I now share with various legislators, staff, policy support groups, as well as other State agency staff.  This myriad of knowledge and established relationships will enable me to immediately address the concerns of our district in a timely manner while other freshman legislators will need time to find their way around the buildings as well as learn the legislative system process.

For the past sixteen years, I have served as a Handy Township official with my term as Township Supervisor ending in November 2008.  Over the years, I have tried to represent the Fowlerville residents with respect.  In preparing our Township budgets for sixteen years, my approach has been of a conservative nature so as to utilize the taxpayers’ money to its highest potential.  As a board, we have also worked to maintain a strong fund-balance and have received good audit reports each year.  I have always strived to encourage strong partnerships with our municipal neighbors to reduce overall costs.  I took a lead role to work with the Village of Fowlerville on PA 425 agreements for tax sharing by both municipalities.  I currently serve on the Village of Fowlerville Local Development Finance Authority as a Board Member/Secretary, and I serve on the Fowlerville Fire Department Authority as a Board Member/Treasurer.  

Other service on committees and organizations include the Economic Development Council for Livingston County, and I am also an Executive Board Member of the Livingston County Republican Committee.

I have been asked what I see as the most important issue facing Michigan today.  To me, that question is simple; it is our economic climate.  I have made a commitment to many people during my campaign to work to make effective economic changes that will help sustain our state by providing employment opportunities for the current workforce, and to also create new jobs for Michigan’s youth as they get ready to start a career.  I have worked on developing a revised economic development marketing program for the State which will enhance the working relationship and information sharing between Michigan’s MEDC and local offices.

I will be promoting transparency of government spending.  As a taxpayer in Michigan, you should be able to obtain information on State spending without having to make an official request.  We need to further identify areas in the budget where adjustments can be made.  Six years ago, our State’s budget was just over 37 billion.  The current year budget is over 42 billion.  Higher taxes and fees are not the answer.

In closing, I thank you for your interest in the 47th District House race.  I feel that my overall experience and knowledge will be a significant advantage in getting back to work on issues for the 47th district next year.  I am a conservative, pro-life Republican, and I truly appreciate the support and good wishes from many of you during the past several months of campaigning.  I have been honored to receive a number of endorsements from many organizations and individuals.  These include State Representative Joe Hune, State Representative Chris Ward, and State Representative Kevin Green.  Additional endorsements can be viewed on my website at www.cindydenby.com.  

Remember that every vote counts… and please make your vote count on August 5th for Cindy Denby. 

Thank you!

(as published in the Fowlerville News and Views - July 28, 2008)

Troubled times have come to Michigan. We’ve lost more than 300,000 jobs in the past eight years, and unemployment here leads the nation. The state government has been affected with diminished revenue. A year ago, a deadlock over the budget led to a shut down of state government, albeit for only a few hours.

The point is that races for Livingston County’s two state House seats are critically important this time around. There will be fresh faces in Lansing. The Republican incumbents, Rep. Chris Ward in the 66th District, and Rep. Joe Hune in the 47th District, are term-limited and cannot run again.

In the 47th, four Republicans have come forward to vie for the GOP nomination in the Aug. 5 primary. The district includes Howell, Fowlerville, Pinckney and the townships of Cohoctah, Conway, Deer-field, Hamburg, Handy, Hartland, Howell, Iosco, Putnam, Tyrone and Unadilla. The primary winner will face off in November against candidates from the Democratic and U.S. Taxpayers parties.

In the 66th, two Republicans and two Democrats have stepped up to seek their respective party nominations. That will produce a contest in the November election as well. The district includes Brighton and the townships of Brighton, Genoa, Green Oak, Marion and Oceola, as well as Milford Township.

47th Dist. Republicans

In this race, we recommend voters select CINDY DENBY as their choice.

Denby has critically important experience that will serve her well when in Lansing. Until she entered the race, she served as legislative aide to Hune. So that means she knows the issues at the state level, and she knows the issues confronting the district. She knows how the Legislature works and that will give her the ability to hit the ground running.

Denby has served as the supervisor of Handy Township. She has also been an executive committee member of the Economic Development Council of Liv-ingston County; a member of the Fowler-ville Fire Authority board and a member of the Fowlerville Local Development Finance Authority.

One word of concern — Denby is often low-key and quiet for a policymaker. We believe she’ll have to show initiative in Lansing to get attention for her agenda and the agenda of Livingston County. She’ll need to show more assertiveness to get her issues heard in the hubbub of the House of Representatives.

–Livingston County Press & Argus

(as published in Livingston County Press & Argus)

I wanted to take this opportunity to express to you the reason for my support for Cindy Denby for state representative.

For those that are unfamiliar with Cindy’s resume, it clearly symbolizes her commitment to the betterment of our community. She has been involved in government for many years, numerous economic development and civic activities, as well as owned her own bookkeeping business. Lansing certainly could use more lawmakers who know how to balance a budget.

Cindy has deep roots in our community, with a grown family and the values that accompany it. Another point that is hard to put into campaign literature is the tremendous work ethic that she possesses. Cindy will be a tireless advocate for the residents of Livingston County and her drive is second to none.

Cindy joined our office in Lansing right at the beginning of my first term in the Michigan House of Representatives, and I certainly know firsthand how much of an asset that she will be for our community.

Cindy undoubtedly has pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and conservative values that she will stick to, but she has demonstrated an innate ability to collaborate with all sides of the political spectrum.

Cindy has been my point person on numerous policy and constituent issues and she has the contracts and know-how to be an effective lawmaker in the Michigan Legislature. I urge you to join me and the likes of numerous business groups, law enforcement, and area leaders in supporting Cindy Denby for state representative in the 47th District.

Joe Hune

State representative, 47th District

Hamburg Township

The Livingston County Association of Realtors has made its picks of successors for state Reps. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township, and Chris Ward, R-Genoa Township. For Hune’s seat, which covers the 47th District, the association selected the representative’s legislative aide, Cindy Denby. The Republican is also Handy Township supervisor

For Ward’s seat, which covers the 66th District, the association endorsed Bill Rogers, chairman of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners. The Republican also owns a homebuilding company. Rogers will face off against chiropractor and software developer Jason Corosanite in the primary.

“The answers provided by both Denby and Rogers, combined with their reputation as staunch advocates for private property owner’s rights also garnered the support of the Michigan Association of Realtors in their upcoming bid for the state House,” a statement from the Livingston County Association of Realtors read.

Endorsements have also come out for those running at the county level.

The Concerned Taxpayers Group, a political action committee, picked the Republican incumbents in the race for the 2nd and 4th districts on the Board of Commissioners.

Jim Mantey currently represents the 2nd District, which covers all of Deerfield and Oceola townships, as well as parts of Genoa and Howell townships.

Ron Van Houten currently represents the 4th District, which covers all of Handy, Iosco and Unadilla townships, as well as parts of Marion and Howell townships.

“Both candidates have the desire, the knowledge and experience to guide Livingston County through the difficult economic times of the present and the future,” a statement from the group read. “Livingston County is being hit by the declining economy of the state, collapsing real estate values and increased operating costs. The growth of Livingston County revenue has slowed and with no signs of improving in future years.”

Some local endorsements were also recently announced.

Outgoing Brighton Township Supervisor H.E. “Bud” Prine said he’s endorsing Tom Murphy for township supervisor. Murphy, a trustee, is running against Ken Wilkinson for the supervisor
position.

“He has essentially the same experience as Ken (Wilkinson), but he has a rational approach to the issues,” Prine said.

Prine said he’s also endorsing township Treasurer Geri Harmon, who is seeking her second term as treasurer. Harmon is running against Lana Theis.

“I see no reason to replace someone who has done a good job, and she’s definitely more qualified,” Prine said.

Prine also endorsed John Rogers, a former township supervisor who is running for township trustee, and incumbent township Trustees Cathy Doughty and Mike Slaton.

All of Prine’s endorsed candidates are Republicans.

–

The Daily Press & Argus is hosting a debate for all candidates in the 47th and 66th districts primary races at 6 p.m. July 24 at the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts, in Brighton High School. The event is free and open to the public.

– www.livingstondaily.com

Thank you to all of the Cindy Denby for State Representative supporters!! 

We had a great turn out for the ice cream social and hope for continued support throughout the campaign. 

“I appreciate the ongoing support received from the people I have the opportunity to meet in the 47th district during the campaign.”

‘ “It’s amazing what people will throw into the river,” Handy Township Supervisor Cindy Denby said during the third annual Huron River Clean-Up on Saturday.Throughout the day, 100 volunteers scoured the river for debris, from water heaters and old refrigerators to eroding logs and bicycle frames. (see photo gallery )

“The weirdest thing we pulled out of the river today was a patio umbrella,” said Scott Strane, who organizes the event.

Throughout the day, 10 pontoon boats trolled various parts of the river, stopping for waders in wet suits to pull out large items that could cause flooding or block navigation.”We’re still pulling old, old things out of here,” Strane said. “People used to use tires for their docks, so we find lots of those.”

The cleanup, in its third year, has helped bring about drastic improvement to water quality, Strane said.

“There is definitely less and less debris here. … Some of this stuff is weird. It surfaces when it wants to,” he said.

The Huron River connects eight navigable lakes, but Strane said 11 lakes actually exist, along with rumored secret coves and hangouts that only regular boaters know about.

“There’s always places to hide,” Strane said. “Most people have no idea where Honeymoon Cove is.”

Strane, a riverfront homeowner who offers boat tours through his business, Chain of Lakes Boat Tours, said living on the Huron River and the Chain of Lakes is a huge asset to the community.

Living on the lakes “is a real treat,” he said. “You don’t have to be a millionaire to live like one.”

Hamburg resident John Sokol spent the morning in the canals and pulling trash from the Zukey Lake shoreline.

“We cleaned debris that was overhanging the river, and we pulled a tree out of the water,” Sokol said. “We brought in two rowboats of garbage and lots of tires.”

The cleanup was started three years ago as a way to address flooding on Ore Lake, Hamburg Township Trustee Mike Bitondo said.

“There were also lots of restrictions in the river, but it seems like every year there is less to do,” he said.

Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Alison Bergsieker at (517) 552-2857 or at abergsieker@gannett.com. ‘