Port Huron mayor race: Anita Ashford faces two challengers, Alan Lewandowski and Tim McCulloch, after a rocky first term

PORT HURON — Port Huron voters will choose a mayor on Tuesday, Nov. 3, from a three-way field with no primary to narrow it: Mayor Anita R. Ashford, who is finishing her first two-year term, and challengers Alan Lewandowski and Tim McCulloch.

All three are listed as nonpartisan candidates on the St. Clair County Clerk’s November candidate list. The winner serves two years. Port Huron has a council-manager government, so the mayor presides over the City Council and casts one of its seven votes, while a hired city manager runs day-to-day operations. Ashford’s term ends Dec. 1.

The same ballot fills three of the six council seats, a race in which two incumbents and four newcomers are competing.

Ashford: a term marked by a feud at City Hall

Ashford’s term has been shadowed by her conflict with City Manager James Freed. In July, the council voted 7-0 to release an independent investigation that found no proof Freed had accessed or controlled her city or personal email accounts, as she had alleged, WGRT reported. Freed welcomed the findings. Ashford said she planned to pursue further legal action, the station reported.

She has also been on the losing end of council votes, including a 4-2 decision in June to create a South Park social district, where adults can carry drinks outdoors, over objections from Ashford and Councilmember Barbara Payton, according to a voter guide that cites the Times Herald. When President Donald Trump rallied at McMorran Place on Oct. 25, Ashford sat near the stage and called the visit a symbol of “how we all have to work, find some way to all work together, instead of suffering,” MLive reported.

Lewandowski: endorsements from a former mayor and the chamber

Lewandowski, a UAW member and two-time union steward, has assembled the broadest coalition. His campaign site lists endorsements from former Mayor Pauline Repp, who held the office for 15 years; Mayor Pro Tem Sherry Archibald; former state Rep. John Espinoza; Operating Engineers Local 324; and the new St. Clair County Chamber of Commerce and its parent Southeast Michigan Chamber of Commerce. He was listed as a guest speaker at the St. Clair County chamber’s Oct. 28 launch luncheon alongside U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers and Sheriff Mat King. His calendar also listed a September labor meet-and-greet hosted by the county Democratic Party.

His platform pledges to “champion police, fire, and first responders,” to work with the council and city manager to make it easier for small businesses to open, grow and hire, and to push for budgets that treat “taxpayer dollars with care — prioritizing essentials, cutting waste.” He also wants connected sidewalks and bike lanes and more street trees, lighting and public art along Huron Avenue. “Leadership is showing up when it isn’t convenient, telling people the truth, and doing what you said you’d do,” his site quotes him saying.

McCulloch: two council terms and a decade on the school board

McCulloch served two terms on the City Council and more than a decade on the Port Huron Area School District Board of Education, according to his campaign site. He grew up in Port Huron, earned a certificate and associate degree at St. Clair County Community College and a degree and MBA through Baker College, and has worked at Colonial Woods. “This is your city, your government,” his site says, and his goal is “to build a thriving community where future generations can make wonderful, lifelong memories with their families.” His site does not lay out positions on taxes, spending or public safety.

What the next mayor inherits

The next council will carry out several big decisions already in motion, including the city’s plan to move City Hall and the police department into the Woman’s Life Building; the council approved a $1 million purchase agreement 7-0 on Sept. 28. It also amended the city’s rules for e-bikes and scooters on sidewalks in a 5-2 vote that night.

Early in-person voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. Voters can request an absentee ballot in person at their clerk’s office until 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, and can still register in person with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. The county clerk’s website has a map of early voting sites, drop boxes and polling places.

Sources:
St. Clair County Clerk, “Unofficial Candidate List for November 2026” (Port Huron mayor and council candidates, terms), https://stclaircountyclerk.org/Public/File/november_2026_candidate_list_pdf
St. Clair County Clerk, 2026 Election Information (early voting, drop box and polling place map), https://stclaircountyclerk.org/Page/Elections_2026_Election_Information
PlayPOTUS, “Port Huron Mayor & City Council Election 2026” voter guide, updated Oct. 5, 2026 (council-manager structure, term end date, social district, e-bike and Woman’s Life Building votes, citing city records and the Times Herald), https://playpotus.com/mi/port-huron
WGRT, “Investigation Clears City Manager,” July 16, 2026, https://wgrt.com/investigation-clears-city-manager/
MLive, Jackie Smith, “Trump makes presidential history in Port Huron. Why here, why now?” Oct. 25, 2026 (Ashford quote), https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/10/trump-makes-presidential-history-in-port-huron-why-here-why-now.html
Lewandowski for Mayor campaign site (biography, platform, endorsements, events, quote), https://alanlewandowski.com/
McCulloch for Mayor campaign site, About page (biography, quote), https://www.mcculloch4mayor.com/about
Photo: Lorie Shaull, “Vote Here sign in Minneapolis, Minnesota (50579345566),” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vote_Here_sign_in_Minneapolis,_Minnesota_(50579345566).jpg

Port Huron · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Election 2026 · Port Huron mayor · Anita Ashford · Alan Lewandowski · Tim McCulloch · St. Clair County