Detroit City Council

The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time 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 most recently elected James Tate to be its president. The council may convene for special meetings at the call of the mayor or of 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 districts. 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 single-member districts, and two at-large seats, beginning in 2013.

Composition The council is composed of nine members, seven of whom are district representatives elected from single-member districts, with two additional members elected at-large using block voting. The district representatives are elected by a majority in a general election, with the general election candidates being selected in a top-two non-partisan primary election. 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.

Current members

+DistrictCommunities includedCouncilorPositionSinceParty (officially nonpartisan)1Rosedale Park, Old Redford, BrightmoorJames TatePresident2010Democratic2Bagley, University District, Palmer WoodsAngela Whitfield-Calloway–2022Democratic3Conant Gardens, Regent Park, FarwellScott Benson–2014Democratic4Chandler Park, East English, Jefferson ChalmersLatisha Johnson–2022Democratic5Boston Edison, Lafayette Park, Brush ParkRenata Miller–2026Democratic6Delray, Midtown, MexicantownGabriela Santiago-Romero–2022Democratic7Warrendale, Russel Woods, Rouge ParkDenzel Anton McCampbell–2026DemocraticAt-large–Coleman Young IIPresident Pro-Tempore2022DemocraticAt-large–Mary Waters–2022Democratic

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.

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 1928George A. WaltersJohn Kronk 1930John C. NagelJohn S. Hall (Died January 19, 1934) 1932Frank CouzensJohn W. SmithRichard Lindsay (Died January 7, 1937) John C. LodgeEugene Van AntwerpEdward Jeffries 1934George Engle (Until June 23, 1937) Arthur E. Dingeman (November 13, 1934 – Oct. 1935) 1936Robert G. Ewald (Out May 26, 1942) John Kronk (Elected April 5, 1937) 1938Philip BreitmeyerHarry I. Dingeman (Out April 10, 1941)Henry S. Sweeny John W. Smith (Elected November 8, 1938, Died June 1942) 1940Charles E. Dorais (Rsgd. May 27, 1947)John Hamilton (Out April 2, 1941)James H. Garlick 1942William G. RogellGeorge C. EdwardsWilliam A. Comstock (Died June 16, 1949) Frank Cody (Elected November 3, 1942, Died April 1946) 1944Fred C. Castator 1946Charles G. Oakman Patrick V. McNamara (Elected November 5, 1946) 1948Louis C. MirianiCharles F. EdgecombLeo J. Nowicki (Resigned April 14, 1948)Del A. SmithJohn A. Kronk (Died February 13, 1954)James H. Garlick Edward Connor (Elected November 2, 1948, Resigned December 31, 1966) 1950Edward Jeffries (Died April 2, 1950)Mary BeckWilliam G. Rogell Eugene Van Antwerp (Elected November 7, 1950, Died August 5, 1962) 1952 1954Charles YoungbloodBlanche Parent Wise James H. Lincoln (Elected November 2, 1944, Resigned May 5, 1960) 1958Ed CareyWilliam T. Patrick (Resigned December 31, 1963) Charles N. Youngblood (Elected November 8, 1960) 1962James H. Brickley (Resigned January 15, 1967)Anthony WierzbickiMel Ravitz Phillip J. Van Antwerp (Elected April 1, 1963) Thomas L. Poindexter (Elected November 3, 1964) 1966Louis C. MirianiNicholas Hood Robert Tindal (Elected November 5, 1968, Died July 30, 1971)Anthony J. Wierzbicki (Elected November 5, 1968) 1970Carl M. LevinDavid EberhardErnest C. Browne Jr. Erma Henderson (Elected November 7, 1972) 1974Clyde ClevelandMaryann MahaffeyJack Kelley 1978Kenneth Cockrel Sr.Herbert McFaddend Jr. (Died September 21, 1981) 1982Mel RavitzBarbara-Rose Collins (Resigned 11/90)John W. Peoples 1986 1990Gil HillKeith ButlerKay Everett 1994Alberta Tinsley-TalabiNicholas Hood IIISheila CockrelBrenda M. Scott (Died September 2, 2002) 1998Kenneth Cockrel Jr. 2002Sharon McPhailBarbara-Rose CollinsAlonzo W. Bates JoAnn Watson (Elected April 29, 2003) 2006Monica ConyersKwame Kenyatta (Resigned June 21, 2013)Martha ReevesBrenda Jones(see col 1 in 2014) 2010Saunteel Jenkins{Resigned October 17, 2014)James TateDistrict 1,Council President Pro-Tem (2022–2026), Council President (2026–present)Charles Pugh(Seat declared vacant July 8, 2013)Andre L. SpiveyDistrict 4 (Resigned September 29, 2021)Gary Brown (Resigned June 24, 2013) 2014 Brenda JonesAt-LargeCouncil President George Cushingberry Jr.District 2 Scott R. BensonDistrict 3 Mary SheffieldDistrict 5,Council President (2022–2026) Raquel Castañeda-LópezDistrict 6 Gabe LelandDistrict 7 (Resigned May 3, 2021) Janeé AyersAt-Large (Appointed February 17, 2015; elected November 8, 2016) 2018 Roy McCalister Jr.District 2 2022 Coleman Young IIAt-Large, President Pro-Tem (2026–present) Mary D. WatersAt-Large Angela Whitfield-CallowayDistrict 2 Latisha JohnsonDistrict 4 Gabriela Santiago-RomeroDistrict 6 Fred Durhal IIIDistrict 7 2026 Renata MillerDistrict 5 Denzel Anton McCampbellDistrict 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.

City council approved a recommendation by the commission in February 2023, with an immediate pay increase of 7% and 3.5% each fiscal year for the next three years. Regular City Council members will be paid $106,231 annually by July 2025, while the City Council President will be paid $111,647. Prior to 2015, increases had not happened since 2001.

Detroit City Council

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