Gault prevails in Democratic primary for county board (2024)

METRO DETROIT — During the primary election Aug. 6, two Democrats squared off to be their party’s candidate for a four-year term on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners serving District 3, which includes Madison Heights, Hazel Park and parts of Troy.

Madison Heights Mayor Roslyn Grafstein challenged incumbent Ann Erickson Gault, D-Troy, for the role. By the end of the night, Gault emerged victorious, claiming 3,427 votes and edging out Grafstein’s tally of 3,167. There were 17 unassigned write-ins.

“I am excited to win this race and have the opportunity to continue my work as a county commissioner for the people of Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Troy,” Gault said in an email the day after the election. “This was an important victory, and I look forward to the November election.

“My win would not have been possible without an army of volunteers and supporters who believe in me and know that I will represent District 3 with integrity and work to invest in our community,” she continued. “If I win in November, I want to help lead our county to achieve better mental health outcomes for residents, increase access to affordable housing, and improve public transit for everyone. I also intend to push for additional investment in our county and local parks, and to support programming to educate community members about gun violence prevention.”

Her opponent, Grafstein, also sounded a note of gratitude.

“I am proud of the honest campaign I ran based on my merits and accomplishments, and I appreciate everyone who supported me,” Grafstein said the day after the election. “As mayor, I will continue to advocate for our community at all levels of government, and I look forward to working with Ms. Erickson Gault to bring resources to our community.”

Gault had been appointed by the board to fill the vacancy left by the late Gary McGillivray, who had been a resident of Madison Heights. She is an attorney specializing in appeals and contract legal writing and research for individual and small-firm lawyers. Gault holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Manchester University and a law degree from the University of Toledo. She is also a past chair and member of the Providing Access to Legal Services Committee for the Oakland County Bar Association and does pro bono law work with the Family Law Clinic.

Her appointment to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners in November 2023 came not long after she had been reelected to the Troy City Council, where she had served since late 2019. Gault is a 20-year resident of Troy, where she resides with her husband Tom and daughter Eleanor.

The board also appointed Gault to fill McGillivray’s seat on the county’s Parks Commission. The parks were near and dear to McGillivray’s heart, and Gault said she is pleased to have overseen improvements in the county parks system, including the recent playscape at Green Acres Park in Hazel Park. She said she’s also pleased by the collaborative mental health co-responder program in which Madison Heights and Hazel Park are participating, and which Oakland County supports.

During her time on the board, Gault has also voted to fund multiple affordable housing projects through the county’s Oakland Together Housing Trust Fund, and she supported a resolution urging the state Legislature to pass a water affordability bill package. She also voted to approve a grant application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund that would cover the creation of a new county park in Troy, named Turtle Woods. In addition, she hosted Hazel Park High students for this year’s Youth in Government Day, in February.

She cited her 26 years of experience in law as crucial to her ability to advocate and negotiate for projects and policies on the board, and she feels further qualified by her four years of service as a member of the Troy City Council.

As for Grafstein, she is a financial analyst who has lived in Madison Heights for 20 years and who has served on the Madison Heights City Council since 2017. Grafstein was first appointed mayor of Madison Heights in 2020, filling the vacancy created by Brian Hartwell when he became judge of the 43rd District Court in Hazel Park. In 2021, Grafstein was elected to her first full two-year term, and is currently halfway through her second term.

“My top priorities will continue to be safety and environmental initiatives to enhance infrastructure and community quality of life,” Grafstein told C & G Newspapers in her election profile last month. “I will advocate for more resources for emergency responders, including full-time mental health co-responders. I will encourage sustainable development practices, seek private grants and sponsors for environmental projects, and focus on updating aging infrastructure. Additionally, I will invest in public-private partnerships to secure federal and state grants, ensuring a comprehensive approach to community improvement.”

In campaigning for the county board, Grafstein pointed to leadership experiences such as leading a multi-agency effort cleaning up the “green ooze” on Interstate 696 in early 2020, as well as coordinating vaccination clinics and instituting disinfection protocols during COVID. She also helped revive the city’s Environmental Citizens Committee, securing funds and arranging volunteers for different initiatives. Increasing public safety personnel has been another priority for her, with the city increasing its police and fire personnel by 20% during her tenure.

Grafstein will now continue in her role as mayor, and Gault will advance to the general election this fall, where she will face the Republican candidate, Douglas MacLean of Madison Heights, for a seat on the county board. MacLean has a long history of service with the city that includes nearly 30 years as a Madison Heights police officer, retiring in 1995, after which he served on the Madison Heights City Council from 1995 to 1999. He also served 17 years on the Madison District Public Schools Board of Education, beginning in the late ’70s.

In running for the county board, MacLean is campaigning on concerns of fiscal responsibility. He has criticized recent county investments into mass transit and property acquisitions as prohibitively expensive.

“The economy is going through a rough patch right now, experiencing inflation,” MacLean said previously. “And I feel we need to be more careful with how we’re spending the taxpayers’ dollars.”