Detroit City Council
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Detroit City Council | |
|---|---|
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| History | |
| Founded | 1824 (as the Common Council) |
| Leadership | |
President | James Tate since 2026 |
President Pro-Tempore | Coleman Young II since 2026 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 7 districts 2 at-large |
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Council political groups | Officially nonpartisan
|
| Council committees | Budget and Finance, Neighborhood and Community Services, Human Resources, Law and Public Safety, Planning and Economic Development |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article 4, Chapter 1, Charter of the City of Detroit, 2012 |
| Elections | |
Council voting system | First-past-the-post (district seats) Block voting (at-large seats) |
Last Council election | November 4, 2025[1] |
| Motto | |
| Speramus Meliora, Resurget Cineribus (We hope for better things, It will rise from the ashes) | |
| Meeting place | |
| 13th floor, Coleman A. Young Municipal Building | |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
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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.[2] The council may convene for special meetings at the call of the mayor or of at least four members of council.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
Current members
| District | Communities included | Councilor | Position | Since | Party (officially nonpartisan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosedale Park, Old Redford, Brightmoor | James Tate | President | 2010 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| 2 | Bagley, University District, Palmer Woods | Angela Whitfield-Calloway | – | 2022 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| 3 | Conant Gardens, Regent Park, Farwell | Scott Benson | – | 2014 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| 4 | Chandler Park, East English, Jefferson Chalmers | Latisha Johnson | – | 2022 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| 5 | Boston Edison, Lafayette Park, Brush Park | Renata Miller | – | 2026 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| 6 | Delray, Midtown, Mexicantown | Gabriela Santiago-Romero | – | 2022 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| 7 | Warrendale, Russel Woods, Rouge Park | Denzel Anton McCampbell | – | 2026 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| At-large | – | Coleman Young II | President Pro-Tempore | 2022 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
| At-large | – | Mary Waters | – | 2022 | style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Democratic |
Committees
The council has six[6] 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.[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:[8]
- Color coding: pink = Republican; blue = Democratic; light green = Farmer-Labor; dark green = Progressive; gray = unaffiliated.
| Year | Detroit City Council Members | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | rowspan=11 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | John C. Lodge | James Vernor | rowspan=9 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | John C. Nagel | rowspan=11 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Sherman Littlefield | William P. Bradley (Died June 1938) |
rowspan=1 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Charles F. Bielman (Died April 16, 1920) |
rowspan=19 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Fred W. Castator | rowspan=3 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | David W. Simons | rowspan=5 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | John Kronk |
| Richard M. Watson (Elected November 21, 1920) | |||||||||
| 1922 | Robert G. Ewald | ||||||||
| 1924 | rowspan=4 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | John Stevenson | Arthur E. Dingeman | rowspan=8 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | Phillip A. Callahan | ||||||
| 1926 | |||||||||
| 1928 | George A. Walters | rowspan=4 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |John Kronk | |||||||
| 1930 | rowspan=2 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |John C. Nagel | rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |John S. Hall (Died January 19, 1934) | |||||||
| 1932 | rowspan=2 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Frank Couzens | rowspan=6 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |John W. Smith | rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Richard Lindsay (Died January 7, 1937) |
rowspan=16 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" | John C. Lodge | rowspan=16 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Eugene Van Antwerp | rowspan=8 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Edward Jeffries | |||
| 1934 | rowspan=3 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |George Engle (Until June 23, 1937) | ||||||||
| Arthur E. Dingeman (November 13, 1934 – Oct. 1935) | |||||||||
| 1936 | Robert G. Ewald (Out May 26, 1942) | ||||||||
| rowspan=3 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |John Kronk (Elected April 5, 1937) | |||||||||
| 1938 | rowspan=2 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Philip Breitmeyer | rowspan=3 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Harry I. Dingeman (Out April 10, 1941) |
Henry S. Sweeny | ||||||
| rowspan=4 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |John W. Smith (Elected November 8, 1938, Died June 1942) | |||||||||
| 1940 | Charles E. Dorais (Rsgd. May 27, 1947) |
rowspan=1 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |John Hamilton (Out April 2, 1941) |
rowspan=4 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |James H. Garlick | ||||||
| 1942 | William G. Rogell | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |George C. Edwards | rowspan=7 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |William A. Comstock (Died June 16, 1949) | ||||||
| Frank Cody (Elected November 3, 1942, Died April 1946) | |||||||||
| 1944 | Fred C. Castator | ||||||||
| 1946 | rowspan=8 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Charles G. Oakman | ||||||||
| rowspan=1 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Patrick V. McNamara (Elected November 5, 1946) | |||||||||
| 1948 | rowspan=10 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Louis C. Miriani | Charles F. Edgecomb | rowspan=1 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Leo J. Nowicki (Resigned April 14, 1948) |
Del A. Smith | rowspan=7 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |John A. Kronk (Died February 13, 1954) |
rowspan=6 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |James H. Garlick | |||
| rowspan=18 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Edward Connor (Elected November 2, 1948, Resigned December 31, 1966) | |||||||||
| 1950 | rowspan=1 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Edward Jeffries (Died April 2, 1950) |
rowspan=20 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Mary Beck | William G. Rogell | ||||||
| rowspan=12 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Eugene Van Antwerp (Elected November 7, 1950, Died August 5, 1962) | |||||||||
| 1952 | |||||||||
| 1954 | rowspan=4 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Charles Youngblood | rowspan=8 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Blanche Parent Wise | |||||||
| rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |James H. Lincoln (Elected November 2, 1944, Resigned May 5, 1960) | |||||||||
| 1958 | rowspan=12 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Ed Carey | rowspan=6 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |William T. Patrick (Resigned December 31, 1963) | |||||||
| rowspan=2 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Charles N. Youngblood (Elected November 8, 1960) | |||||||||
| 1962 | rowspan=5 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |James H. Brickley (Resigned January 15, 1967) |
Anthony Wierzbicki | rowspan=12 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Mel Ravitz | ||||||
| Phillip J. Van Antwerp (Elected April 1, 1963) | |||||||||
| rowspan=2 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Thomas L. Poindexter (Elected November 3, 1964) | |||||||||
| 1966 | rowspan=4 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Louis C. Miriani | Nicholas Hood | |||||||
| Robert Tindal (Elected November 5, 1968, Died July 30, 1971) |
Anthony J. Wierzbicki (Elected November 5, 1968) | ||||||||
| 1970 | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Carl M. Levin | David Eberhard | Ernest C. Browne Jr. | ||||||
| Erma Henderson (Elected November 7, 1972) | |||||||||
| 1974 | rowspan=28 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Clyde Cleveland | rowspan=32 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Maryann Mahaffey | rowspan=20 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Jack Kelley | ||||||
| 1978 | rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Kenneth Cockrel Sr. | Herbert McFaddend Jr. (Died September 21, 1981) | |||||||
| 1982 | rowspan=16 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Mel Ravitz | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Barbara-Rose Collins (Resigned 11/90) |
John W. Peoples | ||||||
| 1986 | |||||||||
| 1990 | rowspan=12 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Gil Hill | rowspan=4 style="color:black; background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" |Keith Butler | rowspan=16 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Kay Everett | ||||||
| 1994 | rowspan=16 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Alberta Tinsley-Talabi | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Nicholas Hood III | rowspan=16 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Sheila Cockrel | rowspan=9 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Brenda M. Scott (Died September 2, 2002) | |||||
| 1998 | rowspan=16 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Kenneth Cockrel Jr. | ||||||||
| 2002 | rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Sharon McPhail | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Barbara-Rose Collins | rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Alonzo W. Bates | ||||||
| rowspan=11 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |JoAnn Watson (Elected April 29, 2003) | |||||||||
| 2006 | rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Monica Conyers | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Kwame Kenyatta (Resigned June 21, 2013) |
rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Martha Reeves | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Brenda Jones (see col 1 in 2014) | |||||
| 2010 | rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Saunteel Jenkins {Resigned October 17, 2014) |
rowspan=17 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |James Tate District 1, Council President Pro-Tem (2022–2026), Council President (2026–present) |
rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Charles Pugh (Seat declared vacant July 8, 2013) |
rowspan=12 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Andre L. Spivey District 4 (Resigned September 29, 2021) |
rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" |Gary Brown (Resigned June 24, 2013) | ||||
| 2014 | rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Brenda Jones At-Large Council President |
rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | George Cushingberry Jr. District 2 |
rowspan=13 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Scott R. Benson District 3 |
rowspan=12 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Mary Sheffield District 5, Council President (2022–2026) |
rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Raquel Castañeda-López District 6 |
rowspan=8 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Gabe Leland District 7 (Resigned May 3, 2021) | |||
| rowspan=7 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Janeé Ayers At-Large (Appointed February 17, 2015; elected November 8, 2016) | |||||||||
| 2018 | rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Roy McCalister Jr. District 2 | ||||||||
| 2022 | rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Coleman Young II At-Large, President Pro-Tem (2026–present) |
rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Mary D. Waters At-Large |
rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Angela Whitfield-Calloway District 2 |
rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Latisha Johnson District 4 |
rowspan=5 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Gabriela Santiago-Romero District 6 |
rowspan=4 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Fred Durhal III District 7 | |||
| 2026 | rowspan=1 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Renata Miller District 5 |
rowspan=1 style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading" | Denzel Anton McCampbell District 7 | |||||||
Salaries
Salaries for elected officials are recommended every odd-numbered year by the Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission.[9] The 7-member board is appointed by the mayor and approved by the council, each member serving a 7-year term.[10]
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.[11] Regular City Council members will be paid $106,231 annually by July 2025, while the City Council President will be paid $111,647.[11] Prior to 2015, increases had not happened since 2001.[9]
See also
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References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."City elections in Detroit, Michigan (2025)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Afana, Dana (January 5, 2025). "Detroit City Council appoints James Tate, Coleman Young II as president, pro-tem". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Charter of the City of Detroit, January 1 2012" (PDF). detroitmi.gov. City of Detroit. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Josar, David (November 4, 2009). "Plan to elect council by districts wins". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 5, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."ARTICLE 4.THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. Chapter 1. City Council" (PDF). Charter of the City of Detroit. City of Detroit. February 29, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."City Council Standing Committees Information".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Proposed Detroit City Charter" (PDF). crcmich.org/. Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Detroit City Council, 1919 to present". Detroit Public Library. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ferretti, Christine (November 19, 2019). "Detroit City Council approves pay raises for members, mayor". The Detroit News. Gary Miles. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Part IV - Detroit City Code, Article II. Elected Officials, Division 1. - Elected Officials Compensation Commission". Municode. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Barrett, Malachi (February 28, 2023). "Pay raises approved for Detroit mayor, clerk and council". Center for Michigan. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
External links
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