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]
Detroit City Council | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1824 (as the Common Council) |
| Leadership | |
President | Mary Sheffield |
President Pro-Tempore | James Tate |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 7 districts 2 at-large |
 | |
Council political groups | Officially nonpartisan
|
| 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) |
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 | |
History
editThe 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
editThe 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
editA 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]
Current members
edit| District | Councillor | Position | In office since | Party (officially nonpartisan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1: Rosedale Park/Old Redford/Brightmoor | James Tate | Pro-Tempore | 2010 | Democratic[6] |
| District 2: Bagley/University District/Palmer Woods | Angela Whitfield-Calloway | 2022 | Democratic[7] | |
| District 3: Conant Gardens/Regent Park/Farwell | Scott Benson | 2014 | Democratic[8] | |
| District 4: Chandler Park/East English/Jefferson Chalmers | Latisha Johnson | 2022 | Democratic[9] | |
| District 5: Boston Edison/Lafayette Park/Brush Park | Mary Sheffield | President | 2014 | Democratic[10] |
| District 6: Delray/Midtown/Mexicantown | Gabriela Santiago-Romero | 2022 | 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
editThe council has six[13] standing committees:
- Budget, Finance & Audit
- Neighborhood & Community Services
- Internal Operations
- Public Health & Safety
- Planning and Economic Development
- Rules
The council is granted the power to form additional committees at its own discretion
Vacancies and special elections
editIf 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
editStarting in 1919, nine Detroit City Council members were elected at large. Members of the council, from 1919 to the present, are:[15]
- 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 V. 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, 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) | |||||||||
| 2018 | Roy 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
editSalaries 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]
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.[16] Recommendations for salaries were recommended and approved in 2015 and 2017. Prior to 2015 increases had not happened since 2001.[16]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Municipal elections in Detroit, Michigan (2021)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b "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. [dead link]
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Detroit, Michigan city council elections, 2013". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ JP Morgan Chase. "2017 Annual report" (PDF). Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ "Angela Calloway". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Scott Benson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Latisha Johnson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Mary Sheffield (Michigan)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Gabriela Santiago-Romero". Detroit News. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Fred Durhal". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "City Council Standing Committees Information".
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c 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.