Now that polls have closed across Michigan, votes are currently being counted in Monroe County to determine who will be the next District 2 county commissioner.
MONROE COUNTY, Mich. — The race for Monroe County’s District 2 commissioner seat has become a closely watched local contest in Southern Michigan— fueled by a mix of political tension, legal questions and community push for accountability in the county’s government.
Votes are currently being counted for three candidates in the running— Republican candidate Dale Biniecki, Democrat Danielle Hoover and former District 2 Commissioner Mark Brant, who is running without party affiliation.
Leading up to Tuesday’s election has been anything but simple. The position was the center of a multi-year controversy after former commissioner Brant was initially ruled legally ineligible to hold public office in the state of Michigan after a felony conviction tied to drug charges across the state border in Ohio. News of the conviction came as Brant was running for re-election in the seat in 2024. According to Monroe County legal counsel, Brant’s prison sentence barred him from serving in an elected office because he was considered an ineligible voter at the start of the term, which was January of 2025, when Brant was actively incarcerated in federal prison.
The Monroe County government then began the process to fill Brant’s vacated seat, opting to hold an election for a partial term of the seat, which will be held through December 31, 2028.
However, the pending election became more uncertain back in August, when Brant was released from prison early and fought to retake the District 2 seat. Brant and the county both filed legal challenges with the Michigan court system, where a judge ruled that Brant would not have been legally barred from serving in his seat during his prison sentence.
In September 2025, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted to appeal that decision to reinstate Brant. The appeal added to the uncertainty about who will ultimately represent the district, and what it means for local governance moving forward.
The case currently sits in the Michigan Court of Appeals, waiting to be heard.
This article was published by Ashley Taylor on 2025-11-04 21:18:00
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