Detroit City Council

Last updated

Detroit City Council
Seal of Detroit (B&W).svg
History
Founded1824 (as the Common Council)
Leadership
President
President Pro-Tempore
James Tate
Structure
Seats7 districts
2 at-large
Detroit City Council 2020.svg
Council political groups
Officially nonpartisan
  •   Democratic (9)
Council committeesBudget and Finance,
Neighborhood and Community Services,
Human Resources,
Law and Public Safety,
Planning and Economic Development
Length of term
4 years
Authority Article 4, Chapter 1, Charter of the City of Detroit, 2012
Elections
Council voting system
First-past-the-post (district seats)
Block voting (at-large seats)
Last Council election
November 3, 2021 [1]
Motto
Speramus Meliora, Resurget Cineribus
(We hope for better things, It will rise from the ashes)
Meeting place
13th floor, Coleman A. Young Municipal Building
Website
www.detroitmi.gov/Government/City-Council

The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a location besides city hall. The Detroit City Council has elected Mary Sheffield to be its president. [2] The council may convene for special meetings at the call of the mayor or of at least four members of council. [2]

Contents

History

The city council was first constituted as the legislative body of the city in 1824. The city began to grow more rapidly in the late 19th century, absorbing immigrants from Europe and migrants from the rural South and other areas. This body was called the Common Council until July 1, 1974.

Until the early 20th century, the council was elected from city wards, or single-member districts. However, starting in 1918, at a time of changes in local government thought to be Progressive, the city council voted to require all city council members elected at-large. This reduced representation by geography from wards, where various ethnic groups tended to concentrate. It was considered unusual for a city of Detroit's size, which had competing political parties.

While voters in the city have become predominantly affiliated with the Democratic Party, they wanted more representation by district. On November 4, 2009, city voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to once again elect seven of the nine council seats from single-member districts, and two at-large seats, beginning in 2013. [3]

Composition & Election

The council is composed of nine members, seven of whom are district representatives elected from single-member districts, with two additional members elected at-large using block voting. The district representatives are elected by a majority in a general election, with the general election candidates being selected in a top-two non-partisan primary election. The council includes two officers, the president and president pro tempore, who are elected from among the members of the council at the beginning of each new session of the body for four-year terms. The officers can be removed by a unanimous vote of council, exclusive of the member being removed, during any session meeting. Elections to the body are officially non-partisan. [4]

City Council Electoral Districts

A major overhaul of Detroit City Charter took place in 2012. This change moved to election by district for 7 districts and 2 at-large positions. [5]

Detroit City Council Electoral Districts Map Detroit City Council Map.svg
Detroit City Council Electoral Districts Map

Current members

DistrictCouncillorPositionIn office sinceParty (officially nonpartisan)
District 1: Rosedale Park/Old Redford/BrightmoorJames TatePro-Tempore2010 Democratic [6]
District 2: Bagley/University District/Palmer WoodsAngela Whitfield-Calloway2022 Democratic [7]
District 3: Conant Gardens/Regent Park/FarwellScott Benson2014 Democratic [8]
District 4: Chandler Park/East English/Jefferson ChalmersLatisha Johnson2022 Democratic [9]
District 5: Boston Edison/Lafayette Park/Brush Park Mary Sheffield President2014 Democratic [10]
District 6: Delray/Midtown/MexicantownGabriela Santiago-Romero2022 Democratic [11]
District 7: Warrendale/Russel Woods/Rouge Park Fred Durhal III 2022 Democratic [12]
At-large Coleman Young II 2022 Democratic
At-large Mary Waters 2022 Democratic

Committees

The council has six [13] standing committees:

The council is granted the power to form additional committees at its own discretion

Vacancies and special elections

If a vacancy occurs on the city council, it is filled by appointment of the city council based on a two-thirds vote of its existing members. The appointee serves until an elected member takes office, which is filled at the next general election scheduled in the city not held sooner than 180 days after the vacancy occurs, be that an election to fill federal, state, county or city offices. [14]

Former members

Starting in 1919, nine Detroit City Council members were elected at large. Members of the council, from 1919 to the present, are: [15]

YearDetroit City Council Members
1919 John C. Lodge James Vernor John C. NagelSherman Littlefield William P. Bradley
(Died June 1938)
Charles F. Bielman
(Died April 16, 1920)
Fred W. CastatorDavid W. SimonsJohn Kronk
 Richard M. Watson
(Elected November 21, 1920)
 
1922Robert G. Ewald
 
1924John StevensonArthur E. DingemanPhillip A. Callahan
 
1926
 
1928George A. WaltersJohn Kronk
 
1930John C. NagelJohn S. Hall
(Died January 19, 1934)
 
1932 Frank Couzens John W. Smith Richard Lindsay
(Died January 7, 1937)
John C. Lodge Eugene Van Antwerp Edward Jeffries
 
1934George Engle
(Until June 23, 1937)
 Arthur E. Dingeman
(November 13, 1934 – Oct. 1935)
1936Robert G. Ewald
(Out May 26, 1942)
  John Kronk
(Elected April 5, 1937)
1938 Philip Breitmeyer Harry I. Dingeman
(Out April 10, 1941)
Henry S. Sweeny
  John W. Smith
(Elected November 8, 1938, Died June 1942)
1940 Charles E. Dorais
(Rsgd. May 27, 1947)
John Hamilton
(Out April 2, 1941)
James H. Garlick
   
1942 William G. Rogell George C. Edwards William A. Comstock
(Died June 16, 1949)
 Frank Cody
(Elected November 3, 1942,
Died April 1946)
1944Fred C. Castator
 
1946 Charles G. Oakman
   Patrick V. McNamara
(Elected November 5, 1946)
1948 Louis C. Miriani Charles F. Edgecomb Leo J. Nowicki
(Resigned April 14, 1948)
Del A. SmithJohn A. Kronk
(Died February 13, 1954)
James H. Garlick
  Edward Connor
(Elected November 2, 1948, Resigned December 31, 1966)
1950 Edward Jeffries
(Died April 2, 1950)
Mary Beck William G. Rogell
  Eugene Van Antwerp
(Elected November 7, 1950, Died August 5, 1962)
1952
 
1954Charles YoungbloodBlanche Parent Wise
  James H. Lincoln
(Elected November 2, 1944, Resigned May 5, 1960)
 
 
1958Ed CareyWilliam T. Patrick
(Resigned December 31, 1963)
 
 Charles N. Youngblood
(Elected November 8, 1960)
 
1962 James H. Brickley
(Resigned January 15, 1967)
Anthony Wierzbicki Mel Ravitz
 Phillip J. Van Antwerp
(Elected April 1, 1963)
 Thomas L. Poindexter
(Elected November 3, 1964)
 
1966 Louis C. Miriani Nicholas Hood
   
 Robert Tindal
(Elected November 5, 1968,
Died July 30, 1971)
Anthony J. Wierzbicki
(Elected November 5, 1968)
 
1970 Carl M. Levin David EberhardErnest C. Browne Jr.
 
 Erma Henderson
(Elected November 7, 1972)
 
1974Clyde Cleveland Maryann Mahaffey Jack Kelley
 
 
 
1978 Kenneth Cockrel Sr. Herbert McFaddend Jr.
(Died September 21, 1981)
 
 
 
1982 Mel Ravitz Barbara-Rose Collins
(Resigned 11/90)
John W. Peoples
 
 
 
1986
 
 
 
1990 Gil Hill Keith Butler Kay Everett
 
 
 
1994 Alberta Tinsley-Talabi Nicholas Hood III Sheila Cockrel Brenda M. Scott
(Died September 2, 2002)
 
 
 
1998 Kenneth Cockrel Jr.
 
 
 
2002 Sharon McPhail Barbara-Rose Collins Alonzo W. Bates
  JoAnn Watson
(Elected April 29, 2003)
 
 
2006 Monica Conyers Kwame Kenyatta
(Resigned June 21, 2013)
Martha Reeves Brenda Jones
(see col 1 in 2014)
 
 
 
2010Saunteel Jenkins
{Resigned October 17, 2014)
James Tate
District 1,
Council President Pro-Tem
Charles Pugh
(Seat declared vacant July 8, 2013)
Andre L. Spivey
District 4 (Resigned September 29, 2021)
Gary Brown
(Resigned June 24, 2013)
 
 
 
2014 Brenda Jones
At-Large
Council President
George Cushingberry Jr.
District 2
Scott R. Benson
District 3
Mary Sheffield
District 5,
Council President
Raquel Castañeda-López
District 6
Gabe Leland
District 7 (Resigned May 3, 2021)
  Janeé Ayers
At-Large (Appointed February 17, 2015; elected November 8, 2016)
 
 
2018Roy McCalister Jr.
District 2
 
 
 
2022 Coleman Young II
At-Large
Mary D. Waters
At-Large
Angela Whitfield-Calloway
District 2
Latisha Johnson
District 4
Gabriela Santiago-Romero
District 6
Fred Durhal III
District 7
 
 
 

Salaries

Salaries for elected officials are recommended every odd-numbered year by the Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission. [16] The 7-member board is appointed by the mayor and approved by the council, each member serving a 7-year term. [17]

City council approved a recommedation by the commission in February 2023, with an immediate pay increase of 7% and 3.5% each fiscal year for the next three years. [18] Regular City Council members will be paid $106,231 annually by July 2025, while the City Council President will be paid $111,647. [18] Prior to 2015, increases had not happened since 2001. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia City Council</span> Legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each member's term is four years, and there are no limits on the number of terms a member may serve.

A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles City Council</span> City council; lawmaking body of Los Angeles, U.S.

The Los Angeles City Council is the lawmaking body for the city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council districts that are spread throughout the city's 501 square miles of land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle City Council</span> Legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington

The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-large positions; all elections are non-partisan. It has the responsibility of approving the city's budget, and passes all legislation related to the city's police, firefighting, parks, libraries, and electricity, water supply, solid waste, and drainage utilities. (The mayor of Seattle is not considered part of council.)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Council</span> Lawmaking body of New York City

The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.

A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council, village council, or board of aldermen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Detroit</span> Municipal government in Michigan, US

The government of Detroit, Michigan is run by a mayor, the nine-member Detroit City Council, the eleven-member Board of Police Commissioners, and a clerk. All of these officers are elected on a nonpartisan ballot, with the exception of four of the police commissioners, who are appointed by the mayor. Detroit has a "strong mayoral" system, with the mayor approving departmental appointments. The council approves budgets, but the mayor is not obligated to adhere to any earmarking. The city clerk supervises elections and is formally charged with the maintenance of municipal records. City ordinances and substantially large contracts must be approved by the council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston City Council</span> Municipal council of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms, and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve. Boston uses a strong-mayor form of government in which the city council acts as a check against the power of the executive branch, the mayor. The council is responsible for approving the city budget; monitoring, creating, and abolishing city agencies; making land use decisions; and approving, amending, or rejecting other legislative proposals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore City Council</span> Legislature of Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The council holds regular meetings on alternate Monday evenings on the fourth floor of the Baltimore City Hall. The council has seven standing committees, all of which must have at least three members. As of 2022, the president receives an annual salary of $131,798, the vice president gets $84,729 and the rest of councillors receive $76,660. The current city council president, Zeke Cohen, was sworn in on December 5, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranked-choice voting in the United States</span> Electoral system used in some cities and states

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) can refer to one of several ranked voting methods used in some cities and states in the United States. The term is not strictly defined, but most often refers to instant-runoff voting (IRV) or single transferable vote (STV), the main difference being whether only one winner or multiple winners are elected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta City Council</span> Legislative body of the city government of Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It consists of 16 members: the council president, twelve members elected from districts within the city, and three members representing at-large posts. The city council is the legislative branch of the Atlanta city government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans City Council</span> Legislation of the city of New Orleans

The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1954 through a home rule charter, it replaced the city’s previous commission form of government created under the 1912 Charter. The current structure includes seven members: five elected from single-member districts and two elected at-large. Council members serve four-year terms, elected using the two-round system.

Tim Greimel is an American politician who serves as Mayor of Pontiac, Michigan, and previously as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, to which he was elected in a special election in 2012 following the resignation of Tim Melton. After Greimel's election to a full term in 2012, his colleagues elected him to serve as the House's minority leader.

The Zamboanga City Council is Zamboanga City's Sangguniang Panlungsod or local legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janeé Ayers</span> American politician

Janeé L. Ayers is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. In 2015, Ayers was appointed to Detroit City Council as an at large member after the resignation of Saunteel Jenkins, and elected for the remainder of the term on November 8, 2016. She was reelected to city council for a full four-year term on November 7, 2017. Ayers was defeated in the November 2021 City Council general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 United States elections</span>

The 2019 United States elections were held, in large part, on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. This off-year election included gubernatorial elections in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi; regularly-scheduled state legislative elections in Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, and New Jersey; and special elections for seats in various state legislatures. Numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections also occurred. Three special elections to the United States House of Representatives also took place in 2019 as a result of vacancies.

Lori M. Stone is an American politician and teacher currently serving as the mayor of Warren, Michigan. Stone previously served as a Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives who represented District 13.

Kevin Coleman is an American politician serving as the mayor of Westland, Michigan since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Coleman previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin City Council</span> Unicameral legislature of Austin, Texas

The Austin City Council is the unicameral legislature of the city of Austin, Texas, United States of America. The mayor is included as a member of the council and presides over all council meetings and ceremonies. The current mayor of Austin is Kirk Watson. The duty of the council is to decide the city budget, taxes, and various other ordinances. While the council is officially nonpartisan, all but one current council member are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Tulsa municipal elections</span>

The 2022 Tulsa municipal elections were held on August 23, 2022. A top two runoff election was scheduled for November 8 if no candidate received a majority vote. All nine city council seats and the city auditor are elected to two year terms. The filing period was June 13–15. Incumbent Mayor G.T. Bynum would not be up for reelection until 2024. All nine city council seats will have contested elections. City Auditor Cathy Carter was re-elected without opposition.

References

  1. "Municipal elections in Detroit, Michigan (2021)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Charter of the City of Detroit, January 1 2012" (PDF). detroitmi.gov. City of Detroit. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  3. Josar, David (November 4, 2009). "Plan to elect council by districts wins". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 5, 2009.[ dead link ]
  4. "ARTICLE 4.THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. Chapter 1. City Council" (PDF). Charter of the City of Detroit. City of Detroit. February 29, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  5. "Detroit, Michigan city council elections, 2013". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  6. JP Morgan Chase. "2017 Annual report" (PDF). Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  7. "Angela Calloway". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  8. "Scott Benson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  9. "Latisha Johnson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  10. "Mary Sheffield (Michigan)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  11. "Gabriela Santiago-Romero". Detroit News. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  12. "Fred Durhal". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  13. "City Council Standing Committees Information".
  14. "The Proposed Detroit City Charter" (PDF). crcmich.org/. Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  15. "Detroit City Council, 1919 to present". Detroit Public Library. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  16. 1 2 Ferretti, Christine (November 19, 2019). "Detroit City Council approves pay raises for members, mayor". The Detroit News. Gary Miles. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  17. "Part IV - Detroit City Code, Article II. Elected Officials, Division 1. - Elected Officials Compensation Commission". Municode. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Barrett, Malachi (February 28, 2023). "Pay raises approved for Detroit mayor, clerk and council". Center for Michigan. Retrieved January 6, 2025.