Rochester Hills Voters Write-In Bryan Barnett for Third Term as Mayor

Third Term for Mayor Barnett

The Oakland County Elections Division has released the numbers for the 2015 general election. With 32 of 32 precincts reporting, Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett presumably gets a third term as a write-in candidate.

Jim Stevens took 1,413 votes, Ravi Yalamanchi took 7,120 votes, and 9,708 votes went to WRITE-IN. Certainly, other names could be included in this early tally as a write-in, however the consensus is the majority will be for current Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett.

Known as the largest Write-In campaign in the history of Oakland County, the Barnett team of 90 volunteers worked the polls Tuesday to obtain over 53 percent of the vote. “I’m honored and humbled,” said Barnett at his after-party, “I’m such a blessed man.”

Earlier that Day

The Community Edge visited the polls at Van Hoosen Jr. High School for chance to catch up with candidates and supporters in the Rochester Hills mayoral race.

Ravi Yalamanchi was greeting voters at Van Hoosen Tuesday evening, as well as Alison Havens, a supporter and friend of Ravi. She said “I believe what Ravi says … the best is yet to come,” stating the slogan from the former Rochester Hills City Councilman’s campaign. Havens, who lives in Rochester Hills, also supported voting “Yes” on all three city proposals (which did all pass).

Nearby, Andrew Pixley, a Bryan Barnett volunteer, helped voters understand what a write-in campaign is how to vote for Mayor Barnett if that were their choice. Andrew is the son of former Rochester Hills councilmember Vern Pixley, and is the fourth generation taking up the family business at Pixley Funeral Home in Downtown Rochester.

While neither Jim Stevens nor his supporters were at Van Hoosen, a few of his signs were there to remind voters he was running.

CJ Mahoney’s Sports Grill

The Rochester Hills sports bar and grill, CJ Mahoney’s, was the site of the Barnett after party, which ended up being a victory party. A food buffet kept supporters nourished as the election results rolled in on phones throughout the evening. Bunches of adult supporters were clued to the their handheld devices, looking like teenagers waiting for a text from their BFF. Smiles seen in the glow of phones proved good news was updating the night.

Greg Nystrom was there with his wife Cherry, both long-time supporters of Barnett. Nystrom said “Bryan Barnett has raised the bar for our city and he continues to come up with innovative ways to improve Rochester Hills as a place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Mayor Barnett arrived with his two sons, his wife, and a dozen of key volunteers. Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Paterson was one of the first to congratulate Barnett as he come through the door. Mayor Barnett took the stage and explained some of the sacrifices made by those close to him during his campaign, “I appreciate my entire family,” said Barnett.

Also in attendance were candidates from other Rochester Hills races. Councilmembers Mark Tisdale, Dale Hetrick, and Adam Kochenderfer were also winners Tuesday evening. Tisdale took the most votes in the At-Large position, and Hetrick just squeaked a victory over Bill Soule. In the 2nd District, Kochenderfer ran unopposed. “We love the city,” said Barnett, referring to all the winners at the after party.

View all the Rochester Hills Election Results.

Rochester Media and the Community Edge reached out to all three mayor candidates for comments following the election results. However, none of them replied by publication time. We invite the candidates and their supporters to post brief comments about their thoughts post-election. Thank you.