Woronchak Announces Run for County Commission Reelection

Gary Woronchak will seek another term on the Wayne County Commission, the Dearborn Democrat announced Wednesday.

Woronchak has served on the commission since 2005, and is currently the chairman of the commission, elected by his colleagues to that position in 2011. The former state legislator and newspaper editor is running in the 13th District, which includes Dearborn and Allen Park.

“Our county is facing some unprecedented challenges, and the role of the Wayne County Commission in addressing those concerns is more important than ever,” Woronchak said in a statement. “I will respectfully ask the voters I have served for several years to re-elect me to the commission so I can continue to strengthen oversight of county government while working to resolve our budget concerns so we can maintain delivery of services with declining resources.”

A federal investigation that began last fall has included records being subpoenaed and has resulted in the . The Wayne County Commission has responded with a series of resolutions and ordinances designed to tighten their oversight of the administration–including one authored by Woronchak.

He also aided in the creation of an Ethics Ordinance, which sets up standards of conduct for county officials and employees to avoid conflicts of interest and other practices, and establishes an Ethics Board to hear complaints of violations of the ordinance.

Woronchak is currently in his fourth term on the commission, which is the legislative branch of county government, responsible for approving the county budget, enacting ordinances and approving contracts and appointments.

Before being elected to the Wayne County Commission, he served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing Dearborn.

As a state legislator, Woronchak named his biggest accomplishment as successfully changing the state School Aid Act to increase funding for at-risk students in Dearborn Public Schools, which resulted in the school district receiving $2.5 million more per year.

Woronchak is a graduate of and , and holds a degree in political science from the .

Before being elected to public office, Woronchak worked more than 20 years as a journalist, most of that as editor of the Dearborn Press & Guide.

Deadline for filing documents to run for the office was Tuesday. Woronchak is unopposed in the Aug. 7 primary election and will be challenged on the Nov. 6 general election ballot by J. Scott Saionz.

Learn more about Woronchak's reelection campaign at CommissionerGary.com.