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 t ...

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 t ...

, 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 fa ...

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 At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

. 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 v ...

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 the ...

voting, with two additional members elected

using block voting. The council includes two officers, the president and ''

president pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker 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 phrase '' pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

,'' 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.

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 A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

: *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 , 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 , rowspan=6 , John W. Smith , rowspan=5 , Richard Lindsay
(Died January 7, 1937) , rowspan=16 , John C. Lodge , rowspan=16 , Eugene Van Antwerp , rowspan=8 , Edward Jeffries , - , 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 , 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 , 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 , Edward Jeffries
(Died April 2, 1950) , rowspan=20 , Mary Beck , rowspan=32 , William G. Rogell , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=12 , Eugene Van Antwerp
(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 Maryann Mahaffey (January 18, 1925 – July 27, 2006) was an American politician and activist. Early life and education Mahaffey was born in Burlington, Iowa. Mahaffey attended, and graduated from Cornell College in 1946. Activism While in ...

, 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
(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 Gilbert Roland Hill (November 5, 1931 – February 29, 2016) was an American politician, police officer, and actor, who was the President of the Detroit City Council. He gained recognition for his role as Inspector Todd in the ''Beverly Hills Co ...

, rowspan=4 , Keith Butler , rowspan=16 ,

Kay Everett Kay Everett (19412004) was a member of Detroit City Council from 1991 to 2004. Everett was a graduate of Cass Technical High School, and Wayne State University. She was on the Detroit Board of Education prior to becoming a Detroit City Council m ...

, - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1994 , rowspan=16 , Alberta Tinsley-Talabi , rowspan=8 , Nicholas Hood III , rowspan=16 , Sheila Cockrel , rowspan=9 , Brenda M. Scott
(Died September 2, 2002) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 1998 , rowspan=16 ,

Kenneth Cockrel Jr. Kenneth Vern Cockrel Jr. (born October 29, 1965) is an Americans, American journalist, nonprofit executive, businessman, and former politician who served as the List of mayors of Detroit, 73rd mayor of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan from September 20 ...

, - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2002 , rowspan=4 , Sharon McPhail , rowspan=8 , Barbara-Rose Collins , rowspan=4 , Alonzo W. Bates , - , rowspan=1 , , rowspan=11 , JoAnn Watson
(Elected April 29, 2003) , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , , - , rowspan=1 , 2006 , rowspan=4 , Monica Conyers , 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 , 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.
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 i ...

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 Coleman Alexander Young II (born October 18, 1982) is a former Democratic member of the Michigan Senate, who represented the 1st district, which includes the municipalities of Ecorse, Gibraltar, River Rouge, Riverview, Trenton, Woodhaven ...

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 Fred Durhal III (born April 1, 1984) is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Detroit City Council. Durhal served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives for the 5th District from 2015 to 2019. Durhal succe ...

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