Detroit City Council
Encyclopedia
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 term in a single election conducted on an at-large
and non-partisan
basis. According to the city charter, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes becomes president of the Council, and the member receiving the second highest number of votes becomes the president pro tempore
.
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.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The City Council consists of nine members elected for a four-year term in a single election conducted on an at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
and non-partisan
Non-partisan democracy
Nonpartisan democracy is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections take place without reference to political parties.-Overview:...
basis. According to the city charter, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes becomes president of the Council, and the member receiving the second highest number of votes becomes the president pro tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
.
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.
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.Current members
- Charles PughCharles PughCharles Pugh is an American television journalist, radio personality and politician, who was elected council president of Detroit City Council in Detroit's city elections in 2009...
- Council President - Gary BrownGary Brown (politician)Gary A. Brown is an American municipal politician and former police officer. He was elected as the Detroit City Council President Pro-Tem on November 4, 2009 after receiving the second most number of votes...
- Council President Pro-Tem - Saunteel Jenkins
- Ken Cockrel, Jr.
- Brenda J. Jones
- Andre L. Spivey
- James Tate
- Kwame Kenyatta
- JoAnn Watson
Former members
Starting in 1919, nine Detroit City Council members were elected at large. Members of the council, from 1919 to the present, are:| Year | Detroit City Council Members | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | John C. Lodge | James Vernor James Vernor James Vernor, Sr. was an American pharmacist and druggist who invented Vernor's ginger ale in 1866.-Biography:... |
John C. Nagel | Sherman Littlefield | William P. Bradley (Died June 1938) |
Charles F. Bielman (Died 4/16/1920) |
Fred W. Castator | David W. Simons | John Kronk |
| Richard M. Watson (Elected 11/21/1920) |
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| 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 1/19/1934) |
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| 1932 | Frank Couzens Frank Couzens Frank Couzens was the son of United States Senator James J. Couzens, and mayor of Detroit, Michigan during the 1930s.-Early life:... |
John W. Smith John W. Smith (Detroit mayor) John W. Smith was a long-time member of the Detroit City Council and was twice mayor of Detroit, Michigan.-Early life:... |
Richard Lindsay (Died 1/7/37) |
John C. Lodge | Eugene Van Antwerp Eugene Van Antwerp Eugene Van Antwerp was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:Eugene Ignatius Van Antwerp was born on July 26, 1889, the son of Eugene C. and Cecelia Renaud Van Antwerp. He was educated in parochial schools and then at the University of Detroit and worked as an instructor in English at Gonzaga... |
Edward Jeffries Edward Jeffries Edward J. Jeffries Jr. was an American politician, councilman, and mayor of Detroit.-Early life:Edward Jeffries was born in Detroit, Michigan On April 3, 1900, the son Judge Edward J. Jeffries and Minnie Stott Jeffries. The elder Jeffries was an alderman, a police justice, and a long-serving... |
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| 1934 | George Engle (Until 6/23/37) |
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| Arthur E. Dingeman (11/13/34 - Oct. 1935) |
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| 1936 | Robert G. Ewald (Out 5/26/1942) |
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| John Kronk (Elected 4/5/37) |
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| 1938 | Philip Breitmeyer Philip Breitmeyer Philip Breitmeyer was a florist, one of the founders of Florists' Telegraph Delivery , and the mayor of Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:... |
Harry I. Dingeman (Out 4/10/41) |
Henry S. Sweeny | ||||||
| John W. Smith John W. Smith (Detroit mayor) John W. Smith was a long-time member of the Detroit City Council and was twice mayor of Detroit, Michigan.-Early life:... (Elected 11/8/38, Died June 1942) |
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| 1940 | Charles E. Dorais (Rsgd. 5/27/47) |
John Hamilton (Out 4/2/41) |
James H. Garlick | ||||||
| 1942 | William G. Rogell | George C. Edwards George C. Edwards (Michigan jurist) George C. Edwards, Jr. was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1956 until 1962 and judge on the United States 6th Circuit Court of Appeals from 1963-1995.... |
William A. Comstock (Died 6/16/49) |
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| Frank Cody (Elected 11/3/42, Died April 1946) |
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| 1944 | Fred C. Castator | ||||||||
| 1946 | Charles G. Oakman Charles G. Oakman Charles Gibb Oakman was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Oakman was born in Detroit, Michigan; attended the public schools and Wayne State University. He graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1926 and engaged in the real estate and transportation business 1927-1940... |
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| Patrick J. McNamara (Elected 11/5/46) |
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| 1948 | Louis C. Miriani | Charles F. Edgecomb | Leo J. Nowicki (Resigned 4/14/48) |
Del A. Smith | John A. Kronk (Died 2/13/54) |
James H. Garlick | |||
| Edward Connor (Elected 11/2/48, Resigned 12/31/66) |
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| 1950 | Edward Jeffries Edward Jeffries Edward J. Jeffries Jr. was an American politician, councilman, and mayor of Detroit.-Early life:Edward Jeffries was born in Detroit, Michigan On April 3, 1900, the son Judge Edward J. Jeffries and Minnie Stott Jeffries. The elder Jeffries was an alderman, a police justice, and a long-serving... (Died 4/2/50) |
Mary Beck Mary Beck Mary Beck was a Detroit politician most notable for being Detroit's first female city council woman.-References:... |
William G. Rogell | ||||||
| Eugene Van Antwerp Eugene Van Antwerp Eugene Van Antwerp was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:Eugene Ignatius Van Antwerp was born on July 26, 1889, the son of Eugene C. and Cecelia Renaud Van Antwerp. He was educated in parochial schools and then at the University of Detroit and worked as an instructor in English at Gonzaga... (Elected 11/7/50, Died 8/5/62) |
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| 1952 | |||||||||
| 1954 | Charles Youngblood | Blanche Parent Wise | |||||||
| James H. Lincoln James H. Lincoln James H. Lincoln was a Detroit City councilman, Juvenile Justice Court judge, and author residing in Harbor Beach, Michigan.- Life and career :... (Elected 11/2/44, Resigned 5/5/60) |
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| 1958 | Ed Carey | William T. Patrick (Resigned 12/31/63) |
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| Charles N. Youngblood (Elected 11/8/60) |
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| 1962 | James H. Brickley James H. Brickley James H. Brickley was the 54th and 56th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1982-1999.-Biography:Brickley was born in Flint, Michigan... (Resigned 1/15/67) |
Anthony Wierzbicki | Mel Ravitz | ||||||
| Phillip J. Van Antwerp (Elected 4/1/63) |
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| Thomas L. Poindexter (Elected 11/3/64) |
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| 1966 | Louis C. Miriani | Nicholas Hood | |||||||
| Robert Tindal (Elected 11/5/68, Died 7/30/71) |
Anthony J. Wierzbicki (Elected 11/5/68) |
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| 1970 | Carl M. Levin | David Eberhard | Ernest C. Browne, Jr. | ||||||
| Erma Henderson (Elected 11/7/72) |
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| 1974 | Clyde Cleveland | Maryann Mahaffey Maryann Mahaffey Maryann Mahaffey was born in Burlington, Iowa. She served on the Detroit City Council from 1973 until 2005, from 1990 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2005 as council president. She died on July 27, 2006 from leukaemia, aged 81.... |
Jack Kelley | ||||||
| 1978 | Kenneth Cockrel, Sr. | Herbert McFaddend Jr. (Died 9/21/81) |
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| 1982 | Mel Ravitz | Barbara-Rose Collins Barbara-Rose Collins Barbara-Rose Collins is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.According to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress , Collins, was:... (Resigned 11/90) |
John W. Peoples | ||||||
| 1986 | |||||||||
| 1990 | Gil Hill Gil Hill Gilbert R. "Gil" Hill is a former President of the Detroit City Council. He was also a Detroit police officer and part-time actor, gaining recognition in the Beverly Hills Cop movie franchise.... |
Rev. Keith Butler | Kay Everett | ||||||
| 1994 | Alberta Tinsley-Talabi | Nicholas Hood III | Sheila M. Cockrel | Brenda M. Scott (Died 9/02/02) |
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| 1998 | Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. Kenneth Vern "Ken" Cockrel, Jr. is a Michigan politician who became mayor of Detroit on September 19, 2008. He was president of the Detroit City Council from 2005 until September 17, 2008, when he was sworn in as the interim mayor, with his term in office beginning September 19... |
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| 2002 | Sharon McPhail Sharon McPhail Sharon McPhail was the general counsel for the City of Detroit. McPhail served on the Detroit City Council from 2002 until 2006. McPhail was a candidate for mayor in the 1993 and 2005 Detroit elections... |
Barbara-Rose Collins Barbara-Rose Collins Barbara-Rose Collins is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.According to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress , Collins, was:... |
Alonzo W. Bates | ||||||
| JoAnn Watson (Elected April 29, 2003) |
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| 2006 | Monica Conyers | Kwame Kenyatta | Martha Reeves Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves is an American R&B and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Jimmy Mack", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run"... |
Brenda Jones | |||||
| 2010 | Charles Pugh Charles Pugh Charles Pugh is an American television journalist, radio personality and politician, who was elected council president of Detroit City Council in Detroit's city elections in 2009... |
Gary Brown Gary Brown (politician) Gary A. Brown is an American municipal politician and former police officer. He was elected as the Detroit City Council President Pro-Tem on November 4, 2009 after receiving the second most number of votes... |
Saunteel Jenkins | Andre L. Spivey | James Tate | ||||
See also
- Government of Detroit, MichiganGovernment of Detroit, MichiganWith a charter adopted on July 1, 1974, the government of Detroit, Michigan, is run by a mayor, the nine-member Detroit City Council, and clerk elected on a nonpartisan ballot. Detroit has a "strong mayoral" system, with the mayor approving departmental appointments. The council approves budgets,...
- List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan
External links
- Detroit City Council Website
- About City Council. Detroit City Council.