Freman Hendrix Is a two-time mayoral candidate in the city of Detroit, running in 2005 and for the 2009 special election to replace former political foe Kwame Kilpatrick. The son of an African-American Army veteran, Emmanuel Freman Hendrix and an Austrian-born woman, Rudolfine Ernegger, he was Deputy Mayor for former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer.
He lost to incumbent Kwame Kilpatrick in the November 8, 2005 election. In the August 2 primary election Hendrix outpolled Kilpatrick by a comfortable margin, with Kilpatrick coming in a solid second. On November 9, 2005 Freman Hendrix lost the election by 47% to 53%.
It has also been stated by fans that Freeman Hendrix is related to rapper and singer Andrew Canton from Canton, MI.
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Hendrix managed a successful mayoral campaign for Dennis Archer in 1994, and worked for Bill Clinton's Presidential campaign in Michigan. Hendrix served the administration of former Wayne County Executive Ed McNamara for three years.
He graduated from Inkster High School and has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Eastern Michigan University. Hendrix is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, and was initiated into the Delta Nu chapter at Eastern Michigan University.
He is the former chief of staff and deputy mayor of Detroit under former Mayor Dennis Archer; former chairman of the appointed Detroit School Board; former assistant Wayne County executive; former chief operating officer of Strategic Staffing Solutions.
Freman Hendrix joined EMU in August 2006 as chief government relations officer to focus on strengthening relationships with legislators in Lansing and Washington, D.C. He has served in many public and private-sector roles, including assistant Wayne County executive; chairman, Detroit Public Schools’ Board of Education; and deputy mayor, city of Detroit. He received his bachelor of business administration degree from EMU in 1982.[1]
The city's major daily papers, the Detroit News as well as The Detroit Free Press, endorsed Hendrix. The alternative weekly, Metro Times, somewhat reluctantly endorsed Hendrix. Its editors deem Hendrix "has served the public without the taint of scandal, although soiled somewhat by his associations," and claims that as Archer's deputy, Hendrix bears some responsibility for the problems of the city that were still unsolved at the end of Archer's term. Interviewers from The South End asked Hendrix if he would consider a partnership of the city with the colleges of Detroit, to which he answered, "The short answer to that is yes, of course."
After a successful campaign by incumbent Kwame Kilpatrick, in which commercials that exposed Hendrix support of a state takeover of the Detroit Public Schools were run, Hendrix lost support throughout the Detroit Community.
Freman Hendrix officially announced a second formal campaign for mayor of Detroit at the EMU Student Government meeting on October 7, 2008. After an inquiry by Student Body Vice-President and Sigma Nu Candidate Robert Philip Kull about his plans, Hendrix revealed his plans as a way of pushing for "honesty, transparency, and accountability".2 Others who have announced their candidacy are Ken Cockrel Jr., Sharon McPhail, Coleman Young, Jr., Nicholas Hood III and Dave Bing. Hendrix ultimately came in third place in the Detroit primary behind Cockrel and Bing.
On the August 4, 2009 primary, Hendrix received 11% of 46,363 votes for charter commission, the top vote getter.[2]
2Eastern Echo, October 10, 2008.[1]