Municipal elections in Detroit, Michigan (2017)
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| 2017 Detroit elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: April 25, 2017 |
| Primary election: August 8, 2017 General election: November 7, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor, city council, city clerk, & police commissioners |
| Total seats up: 18 (click here for the mayoral election) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
The city of Detroit, Michigan, held elections for mayor, city clerk, and city council in 2017. All nine members of the city council and the city clerk filed for re-election. One incumbent—George Cushingberry Jr. in District 2—was eliminated in the primary election. Roy McCalister Jr. then won the seat in the general election. All other incumbents won re-election.
Click here for more information about the Detroit mayoral election. The primary election was on August 8, 2017, and the general election occurred on November 7, 2017.
Primary races were held for all of the city council races except District 5, where only two candidates filed to run. In the other races, the fields were narrowed to two candidates each (the at-large race was narrowed from five candidates to four). All of the incumbents except one advanced from the primary to the general. City Clerk Janice Winfrey faced six challengers in the primary election and advanced to the general with Garlin Gilchrist II. Winfrey was first elected in 2005. According to unofficial results, Winfrey defeated Gilchrist in the general election 50.57 to 49.06 percent. A recount conducted on the request of Gilchrist affirmed Winfrey's win.[1]
The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was April 25, 2017.[2]
Elections
City council general election
At-large (2 open seats)
☑ Janee Ayers (i)
☑ Brenda Jones (i)
☐ Beverly Kindle-Walker
☐ Mary Waters
District 1
☑ James Tate (i)
☐ Tamara Smith
District 2
☑ Roy McCalister Jr.
☐ Virgil Smith
District 3
☑ Scott Benson (i)
☐ Russ Bellant
District 4
☑ Andre Spivey (i)
☐ Latisha Johnson
District 5
☑ Mary Sheffield (i)
☐ Jewel Ware
District 6
☑ Raquel Castaneda-Lopez (i)
☐ Tyrone Carter
District 7
☑ Gabe Leland (i)
☐ Regina Ross
City clerk
General election
☑ Janice Winfrey (i)
☐ Garlin Gilchrist II
| Detroit City Clerk, General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Janice Winfrey Incumbent |
50.57% | 49,874 |
| Garlin Gilchrist II | 49.06% | 48,388 |
| Write-in votes | 0.36% | 359 |
| Total Votes | 98,621 | |
| Source: Wayne County, Michigan, "2017 November 7th General & Special General Election Official Results," November 7, 2017 | ||
Primary election
- ☑ Janice Winfrey (i)
- ☐ Ronald Creswell
- ☑ Garlin Gilchrist II
- ☐ Cynthia A. Johnson
- ☐ Faustine Onwuneme
- ☐ Heaster Wheeler
- ☐ D. Etta Wilcoxon
| Detroit City Clerk, Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Janice Winfrey Incumbent |
51.31% | 32,190 |
| Garlin Gilchrist II |
19.60% | 12,294 |
| Heaster Wheeler | 13.19% | 8,275 |
| Cynthia A. Johnson | 7.39% | 4,638 |
| D. Etta Wilcoxon | 4.88% | 3,059 |
| Ronald Creswell | 1.93% | 1,209 |
| Faustine Onwuneme | 1.44% | 903 |
| Write-in votes | 0.26% | 163 |
| Total Votes | 62,731 | |
| Source: Wayne County Clerk, "2017 Primary Official Results," accessed August 23, 2017 | ||
Polling
| 2017 Detroit City Clerk Election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Janice Winfrey | Ronald Creswell | Garlin Gilchrist II | Cynthia Johnson | Heaster Wheeler | D. Etta Wilcoxon | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||
| Target Insyght (Sponsored by The Detroit News (May 17-18, 2017) | 47% | 1% | 2% | 5% | 12% | 8% | 25% | +/-5 | 400 | ||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
District 1
District 2
☑ Conrad Mallett
☐ Carron Pinkins
District 3
District 4
☑ Willie Bell (i)
☐ Scotty Boman
District 5
☑ Willie Burton (i)
☐ George Adams Jr.
District 6
☑ Lisa Carter (i)
District 7
Campaign finance
The tables below show total campaign finance amounts for city council and city clerk candidates. Reports for the pre-primary reporting period, which was between October 21, 2016, and July 23, 2017, were due on July 28, 2017. Candidates without information below did not have reports available as of August 2, 2017.
Ballot measures
• Proposal A: Detroit Medical Marijuana Facilities Ordinance
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of amending the Detroit City Code to opt into the Michigan Medical Marihuana Facilities Act. |
| A no vote was a vote against amending the Detroit City Code to opt into the Michigan Medical Marihuana Facilities Act. |
• Proposal B: Detroit Medical Marihuana Zoning Ordinance
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of establishing city zoning rules for medical marijuana facilities that are consistent with the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act |
| A no vote was a vote against establishing city zoning rules for medical marijuana facilities that are consistent with the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act |
City council primary election
At-large (2 open seats)
☑ Janee Ayers (i)
☑ Brenda Jones (i)
☑ Beverly Kindle-Walker
☐ Alisa McKinney
☑ Mary Waters
District 1
☑ James Tate (i)
☐ De'Andre Nelson
☑ Tamara Smith
District 2
☐ George Cushingberry Jr. (i)
☐ Linda Bernard
☑ Roy McCalister Jr.
☐ Helena Scott
☑ Virgil Smith
☐ Tyra Dear-Williams
District 3
☑ Scott Benson (i)
☐ Cedric Banks
☑ Russ Bellant
☐ Dennis Green
☐ Adam Mundy
District 4
☑ Andre Spivey (i)
☐ Ane Bomani
☐ Jackie Grant
☑ Latisha Johnson
District 6
☑ Raquel Castaneda-Lopez (i)
☑ Tyrone Carter
☐ Felicita Lugo
District 7
☑ Gabe Leland (i)
☑ Regina Ross
☐ JoAnna Underwood
District map
Past elections
2013
In 2013, all of the seats on the city council were up for election. The general election results are below. For primary results and other information, click here.
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - At-large, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Saunteel Jenkins Incumbent |
34.4% | 76,948 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brenda Jones Incumbent |
34.4% | 76,986 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Bullock | 17.4% | 39,001 | |
| Nonpartisan | Roy McCalister, Jr. | 13.3% | 29,868 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.4% | 990 | |
| Total Votes | 223,793 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 1, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | James Tate Incumbent |
68.2% | 15,615 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wanda Jan Hill | 31.4% | 7,191 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.4% | 81 | |
| Total Votes | 22,887 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 2, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | George Cushingberry, Jr. |
52.9% | 13,259 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard J. Bowers, Jr. | 46.4% | 11,642 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.7% | 185 | |
| Total Votes | 25,086 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 3, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Scott Benson |
63.4% | 8,887 | |
| Nonpartisan | Francine Adams | 36.2% | 5,067 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.4% | 61 | |
| Total Votes | 14,015 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 4, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Andre Spivey Incumbent |
53.7% | 8,391 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bettie Cook Scott | 45.8% | 7,164 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.5% | 82 | |
| Total Votes | 15,637 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 5, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Sheffield |
53% | 10,729 | |
| Nonpartisan | Adam Hollier | 46.5% | 9,411 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.4% | 85 | |
| Total Votes | 20,225 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 6, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Raquel Castaneda-Lopez |
56.2% | 6,707 | |
| Nonpartisan | Isaac Robinson | 43.2% | 5,155 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.6% | 76 | |
| Total Votes | 11,938 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
| City Council of Detroit, Michigan - District 7, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Gabe Leland |
49.1% | 8,431 | |
| Nonpartisan | John K. Bennet | 48.8% | 8,381 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 2.1% | 357 | |
| Total Votes | 17,169 | |||
| Source: City of Detroit Department of Elections | ||||
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Michigan elections, 2017
The general elections for the Detroit City Council shared the ballot with the general election for mayor of Detroit and a special election to fill a vacancy on the Michigan House of Representatives.
Issues
Candidacy status of Virgil Smith
On August 22, 2017, a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that former Michigan State Senator Virgil Smith (D) could remain a candidate for Detroit City Council. Smith, who finished second in the city’s District 2 primary election on August 8, 2017, had previously agreed to resign his state senate seat and pledged not to hold public office for five years as part of a plea deal with Wayne County prosecutors in 2016. At that time, Smith pleaded guilty to a felony charge of malicious destruction of property related to a 2015 incident in which Smith assaulted his ex-wife and destroyed her car by shooting at it. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison and five years probation, and he agreed to pay restitution to his ex-wife and to complete substance abuse treatment. A trial judge later struck down as unconstitutional the provisions of the plea agreement having to do with limitations on him holding or running for public office.
The appeals court panel ruled that the public office limitations were constitutional because Smith agreed to them voluntarily as part of his plea deal. However, the judges upheld Smith’s right to run for office for a different reason by deciding that the prosecutor’s office, as a division of the executive branch, should not interfere with how the legislative branch selects candidates.[3]
About the city
- See also: Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is a city in Wayne County, Michigan. As of 2010, its population was 713,777.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Detroit uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[4]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Detroit, Michigan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | Michigan | |
| Population | 713,777 | 9,883,640 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 138 | 56,607 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 14.7% | 78.4% |
| Black/African American | 78.3% | 13.8% |
| Asian | 1.7% | 3.1% |
| Native American | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
| Two or more | 1.8% | 2.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.7% | 5.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 81% | 90.8% |
| College graduation rate | 15.3% | 29.1% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $30,894 | $57,144 |
| Persons below poverty level | 35% | 14.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Detroit city council election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Detroit, Michigan | Michigan | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Detroit city clerk race recount over; Winfrey certified as winner," December 8, 2017
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announces re-election bid," February 4, 2017
- ↑ The Detroit News, "Appeals court: Smith can run for Detroit council," August 22, 2017
- ↑ Detroit City Charter, Sec. 5.101-107 and 4.101-122, accessed August 27, 2014 (dead link)
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