Detroit City Council
| Detroit City Council | |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Founded | 1824 (as the Common Council) |
| Leadership | |
| President | Brenda Jones |
| President Pro-Tempore | George Cushingberry |
| Structure | |
| Seats |
7 districts 2 at-large |
| Council committees |
Public Health and Safety Budget, Finance, and Audit Planning and Economic Development Neighborhood and Community Services Internal Operations Rules |
| Elections | |
| Council last election | November 5, 2013 |
| Meeting place | |
| 13th floor, Coleman A. Young Municipal Building | |
| Website | |
| www.detroitmi.gov/CityCouncil/tabid/2509/Default.aspx | |
The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The City Council consists of nine members elected for a four-year terms in a single election on a non-partisan basis. Beginning with the 2013 elections, the council will elect its members with seven members from districts that represent different parts of the city and two members will be elected from at-large districts that represent the whole city.[1]
The City Council was first constituted as the legislative body of the city in 1824, and was called the Common Council until July 1, 1974. Prior to 1918, the council was elected from city wards. However, starting in 1918, all city council members were elected at large, unusual for a city of Detroit's size. On November 4, 2009, city voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to once again elect most of the council by districts beginning in 2013, while allowing for two at-large seats.[2]
Vacancies and special elections
If a vacancy occurs 30 days or more before the filing date for a city-wide general election or previously scheduled city-wide special election, the vacancy will be filled in that election for the remainder of the term. If the vacancy occurs less than 30 days before an election filing date, then a subsequent special election will be called by the City Council for the purpose of filling the vacancy for the remainder of the term. No special election will be held for a vacancy occurring after March 1 in the year of a city-wide general election.[3]
Current members
- Brenda J. Jones - Council President, At-Large
- George Cushingberry - Council President Pro-Tempore, District 2
- Saunteel Jenkins - At-Large, Council President July 9, 2013 - December 31, 2013
- James Tate - District 1
- Scott Benson - District 3
- Andre L. Spivey - District 4, Council President Pro Tempore July 9, 2013 - December 31, 2013
- Mary Sheffield - District 5
- Raquel Castañeda-López - District 6
- Gabe Leland - District 7
Former members
Starting in 1919, nine Detroit City Council members were elected at large. Members of the council, from 1919 to the present, are:[4]
| 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 | |||||
| 2010 | Charles Pugh (Seat declared vacant in July 8, 2013) |
Gary Brown (Resigned June 24, 2013) |
Saunteel Jenkins | Andre L. Spivey | James Tate | ||||
See also
- Government of Detroit, Michigan
- List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan
References
- ↑ "Detroit City Council to elect its leaders on Monday". Detroit Free Press author=Joe Guillen. January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ Josar, David (November 4, 2009). "Plan to elect council by districts wins". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
- ↑ , Charter of the City of Detroit
- ↑ "Detroit City Council, 1919 to present". Detroit Public Library. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
External links
- Detroit City Council Website
- About City Council. Detroit City Council.