John J. Gleason

Gleason was elected to the Genesee County Board of Commissioners in 1994. He moved on to be elected to the state House of Representatives 48 District in 2002 continuing as Representative until he was elected to Michigan Senate in 2006. He was reelected State Senator in 2010 to his final available term under state term limits. Considering a run for the soon to be vacated U.S. Representative office by Dale Kildee, Gleason instead filed to run for the newly combined office of Genesee County Clerk/Register of Deeds.[2] Both current officeholders, Clerk Michael J. Carr and(Register of Deeds Rose Bogardus, of the soon to be merged positions filed to run for new office. Bogardus withdrew assuming Carr would continue his campaign[3] while Carr also withdrew to retire leaving Gleason the sole Democratic candidate for Clerk/Register.[4] Gleason defeat Republican Michael Stikovich in the Clerk/Register general election 119,838 to 52,996.[5]