Detroit 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.[2] The council may convene for special meetings at the call of the mayor or at least four members of council.[2]
Detroit City Council | |
|---|---|
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| History | |
| Founded | 1824 (as the Common Council) |
| Leadership | |
President | |
President Pro-Tempore | Mary Sheffield |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 7 districts 2 at-large |
 | |
Council political groups | Non-partisan
|
| Council committees | Budget 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) |
Council last election | November 7, 2017[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 | |
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 required most of the council members to attract a majority of votes, reducing representation by populations from individual 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 predominately 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 elected from single-member districts using first-past-the-post voting, with two additional members elected at-large using block voting. 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.
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.[4]
Current members
| District | Councillor | Position | In office since | Party (officially nonpartisan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | James Tate | 2009 | Democratic[5] | |
| District 2 | Roy McCalister Jr | 2017[6] | Democratic[7] | |
| District 3 | Scott Benson | 2013 | Democratic[8] | |
| District 4 | André L. Spivey | 2009 | Democratic[9] | |
| District 5 | Mary Sheffield | 2013 | Democratic[10] | |
| District 6 | Raquel Castañeda-López | 2013 | Democratic[11] | |
| District 7 | Gabe Leland | 2013 | Democratic | |
| At-large | Janeé Ayers | 2015ab | Democratic | |
| At-large | Brenda Jones | President | 2005 | Democratic |
a. At-large Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins, first elected in 2009, resigned her seat in October 2014.[12]
b. Janee Ayers, appointed by a vote of City Council 6-2, began serving office on February 17, 2015 to fill the vacancy.[13]
Castañeda-López is the city's first Hispanic council member and represents a district in Southwest Detroit.[14]
Committees
The council has five standing committees:
- Budget and Finance
- Neighborhood and Community Services
- Human Resources
- Law and Public Safety
- Planning and Economic Development
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 the next general election scheduled in the city, be that an election to fill federal, state, county or city offices.[15] However, the seat remains vacant if the vacancy occurs fewer than 180 days before the next citywide general election.
Former members
Starting in 1919, nine Detroit City Council members were elected at large. Members of the council, from 1919 to the present, are:[16]
- Color coding: pink = Republican; blue = Democratic; light green = Farmer-Labor; dark green = Progressive; gray = unaffiliated.
| Year | Detroit City Council Members | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | John C. Lodge | James Vernor | John C. Nagel | Sherman Littlefield | William P. Bradley (Died June 1938) |
Charles F. Bielman (Died April 16, 1920) |
Fred W. Castator | David W. Simons | John Kronk |
| Richard M. Watson (Elected November 21, 1920) | |||||||||
| 1922 | Robert G. Ewald | ||||||||
| 1924 | John Stevenson | Arthur E. Dingeman | Phillip A. Callahan | ||||||
| 1926 | |||||||||
| 1928 | George A. Walters | John Kronk | |||||||
| 1930 | John C. Nagel | John 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 | |||
| 1934 | George Engle (Until June 23, 1937) | ||||||||
| Arthur E. Dingeman (November 13, 1934 – Oct. 1935) | |||||||||
| 1936 | Robert 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) | |||||||||
| 1944 | Fred C. Castator | ||||||||
| 1946 | Charles G. Oakman | ||||||||
| Patrick J. McNamara (Elected November 5, 1946) | |||||||||
| 1948 | Louis C. Miriani | Charles F. Edgecomb | Leo J. Nowicki (Resigned April 14, 1948) |
Del A. Smith | John 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 | |||||||||
| 1954 | Charles Youngblood | Blanche Parent Wise | |||||||
| James H. Lincoln (Elected November 2, 1944, Resigned May 5, 1960) | |||||||||
| 1958 | Ed Carey | William 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 Eberhard | Ernest C. Browne Jr. | ||||||
| Erma Henderson (Elected November 7, 1972) | |||||||||
| 1974 | Clyde 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) | |||||
| 2010 | Saunteel Jenkins {Resigned October 17, 2014) |
James Tate District 1 |
Charles Pugh (Seat declared vacant July 8, 2013) |
Andre L. Spivey District 4 |
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 Pro-Tem |
Raquel Castañeda-López District 6 |
Gabe Leland District 7 | |||
| Janeé Ayers At-Large (appointed February 17, 2015; elected November 8, 2016) | |||||||||
| 2018 | Roy McCalister Jr. District 2 | ||||||||
Salaries
Salaries for elected officials are recommended every odd-numbered year by the Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission.[17] The 7-member board is appointed by the mayor and approved by the council, each member serving a 7-year term.[18]
After being recommended by the compensation commission, City Council approved a pay increase of 3% on November 19, 2019. Regular City Council members will be paid $82,749 annually, while the City Council President will be paid $94,000.[17] Recommendations for salaries were recommended and approved in 2015 and 2017. Prior to 2015 increases had not happened since 2001.[17]
See also
- Government of Detroit, Michigan
- List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan
References
- "Municipal elections in Detroit, Michigan (2017)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- "Charter of the City of Detroit, January 1 2012" (PDF). detroitmi.gov. City of Detroit. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- Josar, David (November 4, 2009). "Plan to elect council by districts wins". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
- "Detroit, Michigan city council elections, 2013". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- (PDF) https://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/About-JPMC/document/pac-2017-annual-report.pdf. Retrieved May 25, 2019. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - "Roy McCalister | City Council | Government | City of Detroit MI". www.detroitmi.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- "Roy McCalister Jr". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- "Scott Benson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- "Andre' L. Spivey For Detroit City Council". www.spiveyfordetroit.com. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- "Mary Sheffield (Michigan)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- "Challenger attacks council incumbent over votes, house". Detroit News. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- "Detroit councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins resigns". The Detroit News. Jonathan Wolman. October 17, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- "Detroit council taps union leader to fill vacancy". The Detroit News. Christine Ferretti. February 18, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- "Southwest Detroit voters elect 1st Latina council member" (Archive). Detroit Free Press. November 5, 2013. Retrieved on July 12, 2015.
- "The Proposed Detroit City Charter" (PDF). crcmich.org/. Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- "Detroit City Council, 1919 to present". Detroit Public Library. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- Ferretti, Christine (November 19, 2019). "Detroit City Council approves pay raises for members, mayor". The Detroit News. Gary Miles. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- "Part IV - Detroit City Code, Article II. Elected Officials, Division 1. - Elected Officials Compensation Commission". Municode. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
External links
President: Brenda Jones | ||||||||
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