Just 7 votes: Pastor narrowly elected in Muskegon Heights City Council race

Williams

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI -- Andre L. Williams, Jr. will serve a partial term on Muskegon Heights City Council after winning a special city election Tuesday, May 3.

Muskegon Heights held a special city election to fill a seat on city council left vacant by Anthony McDonald, who died last fall. Williams will serve about two years on city council to fill the remainder of the term.

Of three candidates, Williams received 168 votes, or about 37 percent of 459 total ballots cast in the city, according to unofficial results from Muskegon County Clerk Nancy Waters.

Williams won by just 7 votes, according to the unofficial results. The runner-up, William C. Muhammad, had 161 votes, while William Watson had 130 votes. The vote tallies will later be certified by the Muskegon County Board of Canvassers, Waters said.

"There were some very good candidates I was running against," Williams said. "I'm very excited. I'm ready to work."

Williams is pastor of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Muskegon Heights. A lifelong resident of Muskegon Heights, he is a graduate of Muskegon Community College and Andersonville Theological Seminary, and has worked for Muskegon Heights schools.

Major issues for the Muskegon Heights City Council include hiring a chief of police and city manager, fighting blight while re-developing vacant property, and updating its water infrastructure.

Stephen Kloosterman is a reporter for MLive. Email him at sklooste@mlive.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

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