Ruth Munzel, a Livingston County Democrat who worked alongside Republicans for over three decades to make sure elections were fair, died Oct. 18 at the age of 90.
Anyone who followed politics in the community knew Ruth Munzel. I was lucky to know her from my time at the local paper. Her interests in the community ran from the environment to history to politics.
Ruth was one of the 2022 inductees on the Brighton Area Women’s History Roll of Honor, which recognizes women for their achievements that help enrich the Brighton community.
Heavily involved in Democratic politics, Ruth served on the Michigan State Central Committee, as a precinct delegate to Democratic National Conventions, and from 1984-2017 as a member and chair of the Livingston County Board of Canvassers.
In a story about trying to gain new members for the Livingston County Democratic Party, she said “Livingston County has traditionally been a Republican area, and what we’re trying to build is a viable two-party system. That is a healthier form of government.”
She also worked to make sure Democrats nominated candidates for local offices so voters would have a choice.
“This is something people take for granted today, but when Ruth first became active, Democrats rarely made the ballot locally” said Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party. “She organized a massive write-in campaign and got 16 people on the ballot, defying the local power structure.”
The Livingston County Board of Commissioners recognized Ruth with a proclamation in 2017 for her 32 years of working on the Livingston County Board of Canvassers.
“During her time on the board of convassers, she worked smoothly with her Republicans to make sure elections were carried out fairly and that every ballot cast was counted,” Daubenmier said.
She was chair of the Board of Canvassers when it certified the first-ever county-wide recount in 2000 which Sheriff Don Homan won re-election over challenger Ivan Deering in the Republican primary.
The Livinston County Democratic Party honors the memory of Ruth and her husband, Herb Munzel, who died in 2001, with its Distinguished Service Award each year.
She was part of the successful effort in 1999 to curb carbon dioxide emissions from a proposed expansion at the Thompson-McCully asphalt plant in Green Oak Township, and in 2001 she advocated against a developer filling near 46,000 square feet of wetlands for a mobile home development at Nine Mile and Rushton roads.
Ruth also helped save the 1856 Green Oak Township hall from demolition. Just last month, Ruth was honored for her leadership and dedication by the Green Oak Historical Society at its 50th anniversary banquet; she had served as a trustee, multi-year president, and hospitality chair of the organization.
You can read her obituary by clicking here.
