Elections

NORTHVILLIANS,

Elections & voting are finally upon us!  Accordingly, we will look back through Northville’s history on some interesting election and political activities around the Ville through time. 

Let’s look back to various VOTING activities through history and some Northville connections:

1894 – 541 Northville ballots were cast in total … 298 straight Republican, 112 for the Democratic Party, 31 for the Prohibition Party, 1 for the Populist and 99 split votes.

1904 – During his campaign, Governor Warner of Farmington frequently traveled to Northville via train to speak to residents at our Crow’s Nest stage on Main & Center Streets.  He attended Michigan Agricultural College (MSU) and owned Clover Dairies.

1920 – The election of 1920 marked the first time women could vote. The women’s suffrage movement started in 1848 and by 1869, the movement pushed for federal support. Michele Fecht’s recent outstanding article in “The Ville” noted that several Northville women attended a suffragist rally in Detroit in 1874. For more details, see the August issue of “The Ville.”

1932 – Gov. Brucker was the honored guest of “Governor’s Day” at the Northville Wayne County Fair, which took place at Northville Downs.

1933 – Prince Louis Ferdinand (son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia), in an experiment of democracy, worked as a regular employee at Ford Motor Company. The Prince came to Northville on many occasions to share a meal with his friend Fred Hoffman at his Bealtown bungalow on River Street. 

1950 – Governor Soapy Williams frequently visited Northville. In 1950 the UAW hosted him at Ford Field where he spoke with the Ford plant workers. He also presented the Governor’s Cup at the Downs.  Gov. Williams was also the keynote speaker at the dedication of the Northville State Hospital in 1952.

1959 – For the first time ever, Northville used voting machines. The City had nearly 1,890 registered voters while the Township had close to 1,600. (As of August 2020, there were 5,123 registered voters in the City and 24,545 in the Township).

1973 – A proposal to merge the City & Township was on the ballot. It passed in the City by 4 to 1 (942 to 259).  However, the Township voted it down 1,504 to 1,358. That spelled defeat for the merger as the proposal had to carry BOTH in the City and the Township. 

1975 – The Township requested the City annexation proposal be on the ballot again. But the motion was defeated even more soundly than the two years before (2,000 to 890). The City didn’t vote this time. 

1976 – Gov. Soapy Williams returned to his favorite town again to mark the 20^th anniversary and expansion of the Hawthorn Center.

1982 – Published in the Northville Record:  Governor Milliken stated that he was “especially pleased” to attend the dedication of the “first city in the state” to begin a project under the State Tax Increment Financing Law.  He continued, “It’s gratifying to know that even in these economically depressed times, the State was able in some small way help Northville rebuild and preserve its community … it’s a thrill to see a law translated into bricked sidewalks, parks and Victorian period pieces such as graceful streetlamps, park benches, and a charming four-sided town clock.”

1992 – President George Bush & First Lady Barbara Bush slowed down their campaign train as they came through Northville’s Cabbagetown, waving to those by the tracks.  They toured past the Ford Plant, the Chamber building and Bealtown on their way south to Plymouth.

1998 – Governor Jennifer Granholm was previously a Northville Community resident when she was the
Attorney General for the State of Michigan, under the Engler administration.

1998 – Governor Engler stopped at Parmenters Cider Mill during his campaign, just as he had done four years previously.

I would encourage everyone to get out and make a difference by doing your research and VOTING. In our family, one set of grandparents was very conservative and the other more liberal. It was the same in our household, and we were always taught to look at both sides of the equation and consider what was right for the community. One of my brothers went to Vietnam, the other protested the war. As you can imagine, holiday gatherings were always exciting with all sides of the issues represented!

Get out and make a difference and do your civic duty by voting for local, regional & national races.

Keep that Northville Faith!

Brian Turnbull
Mayor – Northville
BTurnbull@ci.northville.mi.us / 248.505.6849

(Reach out to me anytime or forward this communication to others interested.)

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