The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States. The

full-time Full-time or Full Time may refer to: * Full-time job, employment in which a person works a minimum number of hours defined as such by their employer * Full-time mother, a woman whose work is running or managing her family's home * Full-time fat ...

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 next president. The council may convene for special meetings at the call of the mayor or at least four members of council.

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 district A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...

s. 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

s, and two at-large seats, beginning in 2013.

Composition & Election

The council is composed of nine members, seven of whom are elected from

single-member districts A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...

using

first-past-the-post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

voting, with two additional members elected at-large using

block voting Block voting or bloc voting refers to electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected at once and a group (voting bloc) of voters can force the system to elect only their preferred candidates. Block voting may be used at large (in a si ...

. 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 Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

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. Detroit City Council Map

Current members

Committees

The council has six 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

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 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.

Former members

Starting in 1919, nine Detroit City Council members were elected at large. Members of the council, from 1919 to the present, are: * Color coding: pink = Republican; blue = Democratic; light green = Farmer-Labor; dark green = Progressive; gray = unaffiliated. {, class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! colspan=9 , Detroit City Council Members , - , rowspan=1 , 1919 , rowspan=11 , John C. Lodge , rowspan=5 ,

James Vernor James Vernor, Sr. (April 11, 1843 – October 29, 1927) was an American pharmacist and druggist who began selling Vernors brand ginger ale in 1880. Biography Vernor was born in Albany, New York, moving with his parents to Detroit, Michigan in hi ...

, rowspan=9 , John C. Nagel , rowspan=11 , Sherman Littlefield , rowspan=20 , William P. Bradley
(Died June 1938) , rowspan=1 , Charles F. Bielman
(Died April 16, 1920) , rowspan=19 , Fred W. Castator , rowspan=3 , David W. Simons , rowspan=5 , John Kronk , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=4 , Richard M. Watson
(Elected November 21, 1920) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1922 , rowspan=10 , Robert G. Ewald , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1924 , rowspan=4 , John Stevenson , rowspan=8 , Arthur E. Dingeman , rowspan=8 , Phillip A. Callahan , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1926 , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1928 , rowspan=4 , George A. Walters , rowspan=4 , John Kronk , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1930 , rowspan=2 , John C. Nagel , rowspan=5 , John S. Hall
(Died January 19, 1934) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1932 , rowspan=2 ,

Frank Couzens Frank Couzens (February 28, 1902 – October 31, 1950) was the son of United States Senator James J. Couzens, and mayor of Detroit, Michigan during the 1930s. Early life Frank Couzens was born in Detroit on February 28, 1902, the son of bus ...

, rowspan=6 , John W. Smith , rowspan=5 , Richard Lindsay
(Died January 7, 1937) , rowspan=16 , John C. Lodge , rowspan=16 ,

Eugene Van Antwerp Eugene Ignatius Van Antwerp (July 26, 1889 – August 5, 1962) was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Biography He was born on July 26, 1889, the son of Eugene C. Van Antwerp and Cecelia Renaud. His father was of Flemish descent and his mother ...

, rowspan=8 ,

Edward Jeffries Edward J. Jeffries Jr. (April 3, 1900 – April 2, 1950) was an American politician, councilman, and mayor of Detroit. Early life Edward Jeffries was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 3, 1900, the son of Judge Edward J. Jeffries and Minn ...

, - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1934 , rowspan=3 , George Engle
(Until June 23, 1937) , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , Arthur E. Dingeman
(November 13, 1934 – Oct. 1935) , - , rowspan=1 , 1936 , rowspan=6 , Robert G. Ewald
(Out May 26, 1942) , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=3 , John Kronk
(Elected April 5, 1937) , - , rowspan=1 , 1938 , rowspan=2 ,

Philip Breitmeyer Philip Breitmeyer (May 13, 1864 – November 8, 1941) was a florist, one of the founders of Florists' Telegraph Delivery (now Florists' Transworld Delivery, or FTD), and the mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Biography Philip Breitmeyer was born in ...

, rowspan=3 , Harry I. Dingeman
(Out April 10, 1941) , rowspan=8 , Henry S. Sweeny , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=4 , John W. Smith
(Elected November 8, 1938, Died June 1942) , - , rowspan=1 , 1940 , rowspan=7 , Charles E. Dorais
(Rsgd. May 27, 1947) , rowspan=1 , John Hamilton
(Out April 2, 1941) , rowspan=4 , James H. Garlick , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1942 , rowspan=6 , William G. Rogell , rowspan=8 ,

George C. Edwards George Clayton Edwards (born April 9, 1948) is an American politician who previously served as a member of the Maryland Senate from District 1. Background Edwards was elected as the State Senator for Maryland District 1 in 2006, which covers G ...

, rowspan=7 , William A. Comstock
(Died June 16, 1949) , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=4 , Frank Cody
(Elected November 3, 1942,
Died April 1946) , - , rowspan=1 , 1944 , rowspan=4 , Fred C. Castator , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1946 , rowspan=8 , Charles G. Oakman , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , Patrick J. McNamara
(Elected November 5, 1946) , - , rowspan=1 , 1948 , rowspan=10 , Louis C. Miriani , rowspan=2 , Charles F. Edgecomb , rowspan=1 , Leo J. Nowicki
(Resigned April 14, 1948) , rowspan=14 , Del A. Smith , rowspan=7 , John A. Kronk
(Died February 13, 1954) , rowspan=6 , James H. Garlick , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=18 , Edward Connor
(Elected November 2, 1948, Resigned December 31, 1966) , - , rowspan=1 , 1950 , rowspan=1 ,

(Died April 2, 1950) , rowspan=20 , Mary Beck , rowspan=32 , William G. Rogell , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=12 ,

(Elected November 7, 1950, Died August 5, 1962) , - , rowspan=1 , 1952 , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1954 , rowspan=4 , Charles Youngblood , rowspan=8 , Blanche Parent Wise , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=5 , James H. Lincoln
(Elected November 2, 1944, Resigned May 5, 1960) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1958 , rowspan=12 , Ed Carey , rowspan=6 , William T. Patrick
(Resigned December 31, 1963) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=2 , Charles N. Youngblood
(Elected November 8, 1960) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1962 , rowspan=5 , James H. Brickley
(Resigned January 15, 1967) , rowspan=4 , Anthony Wierzbicki , rowspan=12 , Mel Ravitz , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=11 , Phillip J. Van Antwerp
(Elected April 1, 1963) , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=2 , Thomas L. Poindexter
(Elected November 3, 1964) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1966 , rowspan=4 , Louis C. Miriani , rowspan=28 , Nicholas Hood , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=4 , Robert Tindal
(Elected November 5, 1968,
Died July 30, 1971) , rowspan=6 , Anthony J. Wierzbicki
(Elected November 5, 1968) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1970 , rowspan=8 , Carl M. Levin , rowspan=24 , David Eberhard , rowspan=8 , Ernest C. Browne Jr. , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=18 , Erma Henderson
(Elected November 7, 1972) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1974 , rowspan=28 , Clyde Cleveland , rowspan=32 , Maryann Mahaffey , rowspan=20 , Jack Kelley , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1978 , rowspan=4 , Kenneth Cockrel Sr. , rowspan=4 , Herbert McFaddend Jr.
(Died September 21, 1981) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1982 , rowspan=16 , Mel Ravitz , rowspan=8 ,

Barbara-Rose Collins Barbara-Rose Collins (née Richardson; April 13, 1939 – November 4, 2021) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan and the first black woman from Michigan to be elected to Congress. Life and career Collins was born as Barba ...

(Resigned 11/90) , rowspan=8 , John W. Peoples , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1986 , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1990 , rowspan=12 , Gil Hill , rowspan=4 , Keith Butler , rowspan=16 , Kay Everett , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1994 , rowspan=16 ,

Alberta Tinsley-Talabi Alberta Tinsley-Talabi (born August 14, 1954) served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives representing District 2, which includes the cities of Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park and a portion of Detroit. She wa ...

, rowspan=8 , Nicholas Hood III , rowspan=16 ,

Sheila Cockrel Sheila M. Cockrel née Sheila Murphy (born November 3, 1947) is an American politician and consultant. She was a member of the Detroit City Council from 1994 to 2009. The widow of Kenneth Cockrel, Sr. and stepmother of Kenneth Cockrel, Jr., she "h ...

, rowspan=9 , Brenda M. Scott
(Died September 2, 2002) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1998 , rowspan=16 , Kenneth Cockrel Jr. , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2002 , rowspan=4 ,

Sharon McPhail Sharon McPhail is an American attorney and politician who served on the Detroit City Council from 2002 until 2006. McPhail was a candidate for mayor in the 1993 and 2005 Detroit mayoral election, 2005 elections. She was formerly a lawyer in priv ...

, rowspan=8 ,

, rowspan=4 , Alonzo W. Bates , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=11 ,

JoAnn Watson JoAnn Watson (April 19, 1951 – July 10, 2023) was an American pastor, media personality and was a Detroit city councilor for ten years. She was an on-air personality for 910 AM Superstation/ WFDF and Comcast Channel 91 WHPR as the host of '' ...

(Elected April 29, 2003) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2006 , rowspan=4 ,

Monica Conyers Monica Ann Conyers (née Esters; October 31, 1965) is an American politician in Detroit, Michigan. Elected to the Detroit City Council in 2005, she was elected by its members to serve as ''president pro tempore'' of the council for the four-year ...

, rowspan=8 ,

Kwame Kenyatta Kwame Kenyatta (March 15, 1956 – May 22, 2019) was an American politician. Kenyatta was an African-American who lived in Detroit, Michigan. He served on the Wayne County Commission and the Detroit Board of Education. Kenyatta also served on the ...

(Resigned June 21, 2013) , rowspan=4 ,

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including " Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

, rowspan=8 , Brenda Jones
(see col 1 in 2014) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2010 , rowspan=5 , Saunteel Jenkins
{Resigned October 17, 2014) , rowspan=14 , James Tate
District 1,
Council President Pro-Tem , rowspan=4 , Charles Pugh
(Seat declared vacant July 8, 2013) , rowspan=12 , Andre L. Spivey
District 4 (Resigned September 29, 2021) , rowspan=4 , Gary Brown
(Resigned June 24, 2013) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2014 , rowspan=8 , Brenda Jones
At-Large
Council President , rowspan=4 ,

George Cushingberry Jr. George Cushingberry Jr. (born January 6, 1953) is an American politician from Michigan. Cushingberry was a member of the Detroit City Council and a member of Michigan House of Representatives. Early life On January 6, 1953, Cushingberry was b ...

District 2
, rowspan=10 , Scott R. Benson
District 3 , rowspan=10 , Mary Sheffield
District 5,
Council President , rowspan=8 , Raquel Castañeda-López
District 6 , rowspan=8 ,

Gabe Leland Gabriel Leland (born September 28, 1982) is a convicted criminal and former Democratic politician from the state of Michigan. In 2004, Leland was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives, representing the 10th District, which is ...

District 7 (Resigned May 3, 2021) , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=7 , Janeé Ayers
At-Large (Appointed February 17, 2015; elected November 8, 2016) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2018 , rowspan=4 , Roy McCalister Jr.
District 2
, - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2022 , rowspan=1 , Coleman Young II
At-Large
, rowspan=1 , Mary D. Waters
At-Large
, rowspan=1 , Angela Calloway
District 2
, rowspan=1 , Latisha Johnson
District 4 , rowspan=1 , Gabriela Santiago-Romero
District 6 , rowspan=1 , Fred Durhal III
District 7 , -

Salaries

Salaries for elected officials are recommended every odd-numbered year by the Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission. The 7-member board is appointed by the mayor and approved by the council, each member serving a 7-year term. 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. Recommendations for salaries were recommended and approved in 2015 and 2017. Prior to 2015 increases had not happened since 2001.

References

External links

Detroit City Council website
{{Authority control City councils in the United States Government of Detroit Government agencies established in 1824 1824 establishments in Michigan Territory

History

Composition & Election

City Council Electoral Districts

Current members

Committees

Vacancies and special elections

Former members

Salaries

See also

References

External links