The weekend before the filing deadline for candidates interested in running for public office in Macomb County spawned some intriguing developments in Clinton Township.
Tammy Patton, a township trustee, announced Friday she has filed to run for treasurer in the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, a political newcomer with the same last name as outgoing township Supervisor Bob Cannon has filed for the supervisor’s post, the community’s top elected full-time position.
That’s a process known as being a ringer, where a candidate seeks to influence voters by having a name similar or matching an incumbent, Bob Cannon said Sunday.
“I think it’s unethical for him or the people who recruited him to pull this,” Cannon said. “We don’t want that kind of leader in our community.”
Earlier this month, Cannon, a Republican, announced he was stepping down after 24 years in office as supervisor in the state’s largest township. Township Treasurer Paul Gieleghem, a Democrat, may face Republican Vicki Wolber, who retired in 2023 as a Macomb County deputy executive, for the position.
Wolber has already filed for the Republican primary election in August, and Gieleghem is expected to file as a Democrat. Tuesday afternoon is the filing deadline.
Noah Cannon, 25, who is no relation to the incumbent, has also filed to run as a Republican against Wolber. He is a small business owner in Clinton Township who said one of his political goals is to develop more incentives to help small businesses succeed.
Bob Cannon said he plans to endorse Wolber as his successor, pointing out her long history of public service in Macomb County. He said Noah Cannon’s goal may be to force Wolber to spend her money fighting to win the primary election in August and leave her campaign depleted for the November general election.
“Ironically, I met him at a ribbon-cutting ceremony when he opened a tea shop at Partridge Creek,” Bob Cannon said. “I had heard people were looking for someone to offset someone I strongly support in Vicki Wolber. He’s very unqualified, unlike Vicki who has been involved in public service all of her life.”
A graduate of Chippewa Valley High School, Noah Cannon said in online materials that he is owner of a small business, Taste of Tea, and Iridescent Medical Spa, and has worked in the banking industry.
Asked to comment Sunday on being labeled as “unethical,” he said he plans to use his campaign to make it clear that he is not related to Bob Cannon.
“I’ll be honest, when I started thinking about running for office, it was very ambitious,” Noah Cannon said. ‘But I put a lot of thought into this. I’m not like (Bob Cannon), I have my own motives and goals and what I hope to accomplish when I get into office.”
Meanwhile, Patton has filed for both the trustee’s race and for the treasurer’s post that likely will be vacated by Gieleghem. She has until Tuesday to withdraw from one or the other.
Born and raised in Detroit, Patton is a disabled U.S, Army veteran and a licensed counselor. She says she is committed to fiscal responsibility and transparency.
“I am honored to run for the position of treasurer and excited for the opportunity to contribute to the continued growth and prosperity of our community,” she said Friday in a news release.
Incumbent Trustee Mike Keys has filed to run as a Democrat for treasurer.
In the clerk’s race, Carol Shumard Diehl, a Democrat, has filed to run against incumbent Republican Kim Meltzer.
In the trustees race, incumbent Julie Matuzak along with Patton have filed to run against fellow Democrats Shannon King, Iona Means, Rodney Tolbert, and Clintondale Community Schools board member Diane Zontini.
On the Republican side, Dan Kress, who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board, and Derek Wilczynski have filed so far.
