WESTLAND — Three precinct delegates selected the candidate to
replace the late 11th district State Rep. Julie Plawecki on the upcoming primary ballot during a
confusing and frustrating process at Westland’s City Hall on Thursday, July 7.

The delegates, chosen by 13th Congressional District Chairman
Jonathan C. Kinloch and approved by a body of delegates, selected Inkster
Council member Jewell Jones for the position, after reviewing each application.

Plawecki passed away on June 25 after having a heart attack while
on a hike with a daughter in Oregon. She had been uncontested in the upcoming primary
election.

But due to her unexpected death, a rarely used process was activated
to select her replacement.

The three delegates who made the decision were Lawrence Henney
of Dearborn Heights, Mabel P. Stroman of Inkster and Timothy Williams of
Inkster.

Eleven candidates applied for the position. Among them were Plawecki’s
22-year-old daughter, Lauren; Dearborn Heights City Councilwoman Lisa
Hicks-Clayton; Dearborn City Planner Mohamed Ayoub and Dearborn teacher Rashid
Baydoun.

Each candidate went into a closed room and was interviewed for
five minutes by the three delegates. Jones was not present for the interview
process, but had a representative there.

Attendees appeared frustrated at City Hall as the entire process
occurred during a closed-door meeting, including the selection and approval of
the delegates, despite wide expectation that the meeting was open to the
public.

Kinloch told The AANews that he selected the three delegates who
he thought were the most impartial and kept it under wraps so that candidates
wouldn’t lobby them.

Plawecki said she applied for the position because she felt she
would be best fit to honor her mother’s legacy.

“I think for me it was knowing how many of my mom’s projects
were left unfinished,” Plawecki said. “I also wanted a female to fill the
position. I’m eligible and I care about the issues the same way she does. It
felt natural to me. It was a good way to ensure that her legacy lived on.”

Hicks-Clayton told The AANews that the process was “confusing”,
but noted that it was uncharted territory.

“It’s not very often they do this,” she said. “I think it’s
interesting. I think it’s definitely a learning process, to see how they are
doing it and why they are doing it. I think the chair for the 13th
Congressional District did a really nice job of explaining it.”

But as the selection process ensued, frustration continued to
grow. Minutes before Kinloch came out to announce the candidate who was
selected, the Detroit News had already tweeted that Jones was chosen for the
position.

Baydoun, who ran against Plawecki in 2014 and came in second
place, said he was concerned over how the process was handled.

“It was a very interesting process because the fact that the News
was tweeting the results before the actual precinct delegates kind of really
explains the process itself,” Baydoun said. “I think there were some really
qualified candidates. I also think that democracies die behind closed doors. If
you want to change what’s going on in the political landscape, it starts by
having an open process and allowing access to the ballot box. How do you get
people to be involved in democracy if there are all these hurdles?”

This week, Gov. Snyder called for a special primary election
taking place on August 30 for a candidate to complete Plawecki’s term, which ends
in January. That is not to be confused with Jones’ run for a two-year term
beginning next year.

Candidates must apply by July 12.