SAGINAW, MI – Brenda Moore is Saginaw’s second mayor to serve beyond a pair of two-year terms, taking office Nov. 18 for a third go-round. She joins the company of Gary Loster, who chaired four City Councils from 1993 to 2001.
Moore was selected on a 6-1 vote over Michael Balls, who was nominated by Monique Lamar Silvia. Moore was nominated by Priscilla Garcia, with support from Bill Ostash and the four Nov. 5 election newcomers — Jacinta Seals, Eric Braddock, Heidi Wiggins and Carly Hammond. The candidates could not vote for themselves.
Balls, elected with Moore to the council in 2013, also lost out on a bid for pro-tem. This time Wiggins joined Silvia in backing him, but Moore and the remainder of her supporters rallied behind Garcia. She becomes the first Latino to hold one of the council’s two leadership posts.
Beyond Loster and Moore, Saginaw’s prior two-term mayors under the 1936 City Charter were Stew Francke (1961-65), Larry Crawrford (1983-87), Henry Nickleberry (1989-93), Wilmer Jones Ham (2001-05), Greg Branch (2009-13) and Dennis Browning (2013-2018). Browning had an extra fifth year because City Hall switched away from odd-year separate elections.
The brief proceedings, with swearing-in ceremonies and acceptance statements, may be viewed on YouTube or on saginaw-mi.com, sometimes appearing on Spectrum cable 191, which is Saginaw Government Television, SGTV.
