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In addition to voting in November for USA President, Livonia will be voting for 4 members of the Board of Education

4 incumbents are up for re-election in 2024. Musings shares the public information regarding the four provided on the LPS website.

Crystal Frank, incumbent, was appointed to the Board on March 6, 2023.  She recently served a four-year term from 2017-2020.  Crystal graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication and went on to take various positions at Ford Motor Company before serving as the Customer Service Manager at a Ford dealership.  She currently works as a Customer Service Manager for a local automotive safety technology company. 

Crystal and her husband, Lucas, have 4 children who have attended 10 different LPS schools, in both the Stevenson and Churchill triads.  She has been involved in LPS for many years as an active volunteer in the PTA, Athletics, Music, and Robotics programs.  She currently serves as the President of Churchill High School’s PTSA.  

Karen Bradford, incumbent, was elected to the Board in November 2016 and reelected in 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, and a Master of Arts degree in Reading from Eastern Michigan University. She worked part-time as a substitute teacher and also worked as an ACAT tester at Webster Elementary.

Karen is the proud parent of four LPS graduates and was very active in the PTA, having served as past president of Hoover, Holmes, and Stevenson in addition to many other PTA/PTSA board positions.

She also served on the District School Improvement Team and the LPS Return to Learn Task Force, and currently serves on the LPS Vision Forward Team.

Madeline Acosta, incumbent, was elected to the Board in November 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan, a second Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Wayne State University, and completed coursework towards a Master of Arts in Teaching. Madeline previously worked in Southwest Detroit as a Bilingual Educational Technician, Special Education Teacher, and Homeless and Community Liaison.

Until her election, Madeline served as a long-term substitute teacher for LPS.

Her volunteerism extends from various PTA roles to the Return to Learn Task Force. Madeline currently serves on the LPS Vision Forward Team. She and her husband, Nico, are proudly raising two sons who attend LPS.

Tammy Bonifield, incumbent, was elected to the Board in November 2012 and reelected in 2016 and 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Michigan Technological University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Tammy works as an accountant for a Northville firm. Tammy is the treasurer of the Livonia AM Rotary and held several leadership positions with her son's Boy Scout troop. She has two children who are graduates of LPS. Tammy has held numerous PTA board positions and has served on the Elementary Report Card Task Force, District School Improvement Team, and the Taylor-Hoover Transition Team.

3 challengers are being mentioned as candidates for School Board

Musings will share information as they announce, as well as for

any others who might join the race.

Drew Buatti has not announced yet but in meetings with community leaders he is talking openly about being a candidate. This will be his first run for school board.

Musings will run his statement should he follow up with an announcement.

Pamela Morgan has not announced yet but she is being discussed as a potention candidate. Morgan applied for a vacancy last year after having run run two years ago.

Musings will run her statement should she follow up with an announcement.

Emily Keith has not announced yet but in conversations with community leaders she is talking openly about making a run for the School Board. Keith ran two years ago.

Musings will run her statement should she follow up with an announcement.

In addition to President Livonia residents will be voting in November for Schoolcraft College Trustees

Three incumbents will be seeking re-election. Each has filed.

Dillon Breen was elected to the Board of Trustees in November 2018 to a six-year term beginning in January 2019. Dillon earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, with a minor in Geography from Calvin College in Grand Rapids in 2017, and an Associate in Arts from Schoolcraft College in 2014. He holds an Environmental Analyst, and a Land Resources Analyst Certificate from the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Mancelona.

Mr. Breen served on the Livonia Human Relations Commission from 2012-2018, including two-years as Chairperson from 2014-2016, the Livonia Local Officers Compensation Commission from 2015-2018, and as a Board Member of the Livonia Brownfield Redevelopment Authority since 2019. He has worked for the Michigan State Senate as the District Director for Majority Floor Leader Mike Kowall, and at a consulting firm based in Novi. Dillon was a 2019 Fellow in the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) at Michigan State University.

Angela Jaafar was elected to the Schoolcraft College Board of Trustees in 2022. In most recent years she was elected to the Northville Board of Education where she served as Vice President, Chair of the Policy and HR Committee, and a liaison on the finance and fiscal committee managing the district operating and capital budgets.

As a trustee, Angela led the Legislative Action Network for the district where she worked with local and federal legislators on advocacy for funding in public education, resulting in the highest, most significant per pupil increase in recent history.

Angela served as a commissioner for Parks and Recreation, Advisor for the Senior Advisory Board (Northville), and serves as a member of the Detroit Zoological Authority for Wayne County. Angela has been active in the Wayne County Youth and Senior Education Fund which is organized specifically for educational purposes.

Candy R. Little was selected to serve on the Board of Trustees in April 2023. Ms. Little graduated from Wayne State University in 1996 with a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and, since then, has worked in the pharmaceutical industry.

Since earning her degree, she has worked for several pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations holding the titles of Clinical Research Associate, Lead Clinical Research Associate, Associate Clinical Research Specialist, and Institution Lead Clinical Research Associate.

Currently, Ms. Little is working for Merck as both a Senior Clinical Research Specialist and Institution Lead Clinical Research Associate.

Ms. Little has been active as a volunteer in the Livonia community for 16 years. She remained an active volunteer on various committees until her daughter graduated from the Math, Science, and Computers (MSC) program at Churchill High School in 2022.

Endorsements for Schoolcraft Trustee: All three of these candidates have been endorsed by the incumbents currently serving on the Schoolcraft College, Carol Strom, Brett Gierak, Brian Broderick, and Terry Gilligan.

Two candidates are preparing a campaign for District Judge

With the retirement of Judge Kathleen McCann it will open up a

position on Livonia District Court. 2 are circulating petitions. More may follow.

After graduating from Catholic Central High School, Jim Jolly completed his undergraduate studies at Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law.

Jolly, a member of the Livonia City Council, is Associate Provost and Assistant University Council at LTU, an attorney with Fausone and Grysko, and has served as a Magistrate of the 16th District Livonia Court.

Jolly, has announced as a candidate and has set up a campaign website at ElectJimJolly.com. Council President Brandon McCullough is hosting a campaign kick-off March 7th, 5-8, at the Wintergarden. Donations not required.

Robin Persiconi completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan in 1999, where she double-majored in Political Science and French and Francophone Studies. She earned her Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in 2002.

Persiconi, a member of the Livonia Rotary Noon Club, was the founding member of The Law Office of Robin Persiconi in 2003, and for over 20 years has specialized in criminal, civil, and domestic litigation. 

Persiconi has not yet set up a campaign website but as her campaign kicks off and a website is announced Musings will provide that information to our readers along with any statement regarding a campaign kickoff.

Endorsements for Judge will be shared as they are made available to Musings or posted on social media. To date only Jim Jolly has released a list of endorsements: Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan, Council members Brandon McCullough, Laura Toy, Rob Donovic, Treasurer Susan Nash, School Trustee Karen Bradford, Schoolcraft Trustee Brett Gierak

Mail Address

19514 Bainbridge 48152

E-mail address

rwilliamjoyner@gmail.com

Cell address

734-674-5871

The typewriter is not available for phone calls or emails Saturday and Sunday. Mental health and rehabilitation time. Out and about enjoying life.

What motivates FridayMusings:

We can't only define Livonia as taking small steps toward maintaining the way things were. That will give us mediocre outcomes. Our goal needs to be innovative and transformative.