A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
S
EPTEMBER
8, 2011
Mayoral candidate withdraws from race
B
ELLEVILLE
- R
OMULUS
- W
ESTLAND
Ken Voight, a retired Belleville Police
corporal and seminary student, has with-
drawn his name from the mayoral ballot in
Belleville.
Voight is well known in the city and cur-
rently serves as a chaplain with the Van
BurenTownshipPublic SafetyDivision.
Voight reportedly explained that a
group of supporters had obtained signa-
tures on a nominating petition for him and
submitted it to the city clerk's office. After
considering his plans for the next four
years, Voight said, the mayoral post did not
coincide with his plans and other commit-
ments, particularly as his seminary educa-
tion includes travelmissions.
Voight is a member of the Downtown
Development Authority and served as the
chairman of that entity for some time. He
has a degree inmunicipal government and
chaired the Music Lakeside series this
year and began the ArtAffair on Main this
year.
Vying to replace current Mayor Richard
Smith, who is not seeking re-election after
his first four-year term, areKerreenConley
andRickDawson.
Candidates seeking two expiring four-
year terms on the city council in the Nov. 8
election are Vera Z. Howell, Jack Loria,
Deanna Schrecengost, incumbent James
Shrove andTomSmith.
Romulus City Councilman William
Wadsworth was working at a shift supervi-
sor for the Wayne County Sheriff about 10
years ago when he received a strange
order: go out to I-94 and shut down every-
thing coming into the airport.
“I had no comprehension of what it was
about,” said Wadsworth, who was listening
to Dick Purton on the radio at the time. He
recalled people yelling at him, telling him
that they had planes to catch, as he and his
crew shut down the traffic. As he looked up
into the sky and saw a Russian airliner fly-
ing in, followedby one forKorea.
“Within the next 30 minutes I saw all
these planes being stackedup,” he said.
Soon the information began coming
through, on the police radio and through
civilian channels, of the attacks that took
place at the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon and it became clear that anyone
that had a plane to catch that day-or the
next-wasn't going tomake it.
“That was on a Tuesday,” said
Wadsworth, reflecting on the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks. “There weren't any flights going out
until Friday.”
Officials on the Romulus City Council
took a moment of silence to reflect on the
tragedies that took place 10 years ago and
talked about where they were and what
they remembered.
Romulus Mayor Alan Lambert, then a
city police officer, said he had just finished
a midnight shift and was visiting with his
daughter.
“We were watching TV when the reports
came in,” he said. “We were shocked. We
just sat andwatched for hours.”
Council president Leroy Burcroff was
one of those who had a plane to catch that
morning. He and a group of friends had
been about to leave on a hunting trip to
Canada. They ended up driving toMontreal
and from there went to the secluded camp
so cut off from the world that the New
Yorkers there didn't knowwhat happened.
“I didn't know if we'd be coming back to
our country being at war,” saidBurcroff.
Councilwoman Eva Webb said it was a
strange, but busy time for her and themem-
bers of her congregation, the New Hope
Missionary Baptist Church on Michigan
Avenue in Wayne. The church opened its
doors to the travelers temporarily stranded
in Detroit because the airport was shut-
down, and hosted more than 60 people
from six different countries, such as Japan,
China, Africa and Israel-including people
related to flight attendants on those ill-fated
flights that crashed into the twin towers.
“Romulus, my home town, they came
out.We hadpeople coming to the church on
a daily basis, bringing things,” said Webb.
“They said: whatever you need, whatever
your churchneeds, we'll give you.”
Strangest of all, she said, was the final
trip she took out to the airport to shuttle
people and supplies to the church.
“It was as though somebody had
dropped a bomb there was nobody at the
airport,” she said.
“There was nobody on the road. It was a
very eerie feeling.”
Her church, like so many other places
throughout the United States, will hold a
special service to remember the tragedy
this Sunday, on the 10th anniversary.
Burcroff, who starts every council meet-
ing off with a quote that places current
events in a historic context, said he wanted
to take some time at the meeting Monday
night to reflect on the tragedy because it's
important to remember what happened,
and how the country has changed since
then.
“We're a different country,” he said. “It's
a different time.”
Romulus officials recall
tragedy of 9/11 attacks
Winning ways
Michigan Lottery finalists who participated in the Red, Hot and Blue 7s grand prize
drawing Friday at Arts, Beats and Eats in Royal Oak were Charles Watts of Hephzibah,
GA, at left; Amber Thompson of Alma; Jeannette Drumm of Birmingham; Tim Moran of
Westland and Steven Moore of Auburn Hills. Thompson was the winner of $270,000
and the other finalists each received an appearance fee of $5,000. The finalists earned
their spot in the drawing by entering non-winning Red Hot & Blue 7s instant tickets on
the Lottery's Player's Club Web site, www.michiganlottery.com.
(Photo by www.domagalskiphotography.com)