Overview:
- In the contested race for District 5, Renata Miller defeats District 5 Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton.
- In the second open race, Denzel Anton McCampbell, managing director of the left-leaning organization Progress Michigan, wins with 59% of the votes in District 7.
- McCampbell, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has been compared to Zohran Mamdani, the progressive who won the race for New York City mayor.
By NUSHRAT RAHMAN
Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit
In the two open races for Detroit City Council — District 5 and District 7 — UAW retiree Renata Miller and progressive Denzel Anton McCampbell won their seats, with 100% of precincts reporting, based on unofficial results posted at 4 a.m., Nov. 5 on the city of Detroit’s election site.
Meanwhile, incumbents Mary Waters and Coleman Young II won their bids for at-large seats, according to unofficial results.
Detroiters cast their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 4 for contested district races and made history by electing Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield as the next mayor.
Ahead of the election, residents shared concerns about a range of topics, from affordable housing to parks and flooding to public transit. In the running for competitive Detroit City Council seats were incumbents and newcomers vying to represent broad swaths of the city, from the west to the east side. Two council members ran uncontested. And for a pair of at-large positions, familiar names went head to head.
Here are city council election outcomes based on unofficial results reported on the city of Detroit’s election site:
At-large
With 430 of 430 precincts reporting at 4 a.m. Nov. 5, Waters secured about 36% of the votes, while Young got about 33%, according to the city of Detroit’s unofficial election results. Former councilwoman Janee’ Ayers had about 20% of the votes, while James Harris, community relations chief for the Detroit Fire Department, garnered about 11%.
Waters has cited affordable housing as a top challenge. She said she’d advocate at the state and federal level for renters, home buyers and repairs for aging infrastructure. Meanwhile, Young said he’d like to implement a guaranteed income pilot program and revive police mini-stations — an initiative his father, the late Mayor Coleman Young, started.
At the Crowell Recreation Center on the city’s west side Arthur Johnson, 33, said he voted for Young and Waters because their names are recognizable.
Meanwhile, 59-year-old Tonji Adams voted for Ayers and Harris. She said that while she didn’t research Harris, she voted for the former councilwoman because she liked the community outreach Ayers did when she first got into politics.
“Even though Janee’ has been here for a little while, she’s still fresh. I just feel like people are voting based on people’s names and not what they’re doing,” Adams said.
Ayers lost her council seat in 2021 amid a federal public corruption investigation — a case that closed earlier this year. She cited fiscal responsibility, public safety and neighborhood growth as pressing issues for Detroit and Detroiters. Harris said he’d create programming like Motor City Makeover, the annual volunteer cleanup initiative.
District 1
Incumbent City Council President Pro Tem James Tate Jr. ran unopposed to represent the district on the west side of Detroit. He got about 98% of the votes. Among the issues top of mind for residents in the district and the council member: affordable housing, blight clean up, expanded transit options and community development. Tate, who is running for a fifth term, said he supports public transportation expansion and repopulating the city’s Brightmoor neighborhood.
District 2
Incumbent candidate Angela Whitfield Calloway won with about 66% of the votes. She was running against former District 2 Council Member Roy McCalister Jr. who secured about 33% of the votes in the race to represent the area, home to neighborhoods such as Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest and the University District.
Residents want their next council person to prioritize parks, uplift neighborhood champions and support small businesses. A first-term council member, Whitfield Calloway said she ran for reelection so she can continue serving the district. McCalister wanted to tackle recidivism by helping returning citizens reintegrate back into society, lower auto insurance and property taxes and attract investments and workforce training.
District 3
Scott Benson, an 11-year incumbent, secured another term by bringing in 69% of the votes. His competitor, block club president Cranstana Anderson, received close to 30%.
Residents of District 3 want their next council person to participate more in the community and provide resources for older adults. Benson, a three-term incumbent, said he was running again because there’s still work to do. His focus is on jobs and bringing more investment to District 3. Anderson, a born and raised Detroiter, said she wanted to give residents an option to choose someone who can not only do the job, but has built a life around service in her district.
District 4
Incumbent Council Member Latisha Johnson also ran unopposed in her bid for a second term. She easily got about 98% of the votes. The east side district, bordering the Pointes, includes neighborhoods such as East English Village, Morningside and Jefferson Chalmers. Communities there have dealt with flooding and affordability concerns.
Johnson facilitated the distribution of federal funding for basement flood prevention and raised concerns about industrial odors from east side industrial facilities. Neighborhoods, she said, need amenities like swimming pools, recreation centers and public libraries.
District 5
In the contested race for District 5, Miller defeated District 5 Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton. Miller received 56% of the votes, while Burton got about 43%. Both ran to represent the district, which spans neighborhoods at the center of the city and south toward the Detroit River, including historic Boston Edison and Islandview, Eastern Market and Belle Isle.
Affordable housing and public safety are top issues for District 5 residents. Miller is an advocate of historic preservation, single-family residential zoning and small businesses. Burton ran a campaign focused on community safety, mental health and more affordable living.
It’s been a heated race for the open seat. Miller’s past social media posts have resurfaced, prompting concerns among queer and gay residents about her candidacy. Miller said the posts were from a long time ago and that she supports everyone. Controversy also erupted at the Historic Indian Village Association — where she held various leadership roles — including a lawsuit against a resident and censorship. Miller has said she’s no longer censured.
Meanwhile, late in the race, a personal protection order against Burton also surfaced from nearly a decade ago. The woman who filed it asked the court to terminate it a few months later. Burton said it was a personal matter — the result of a misunderstanding between him and his then fiancé — that occurred more than a decade ago and was “fully resolved.”
District 6
Incumbent Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero retained her seat. She received about 63% of the votes, while state Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, secured nearly 36% of votes. The southwest Detroit district borders Dearborn and Downriver communities and is home to some of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and growing multi-racial communities.
Hot button issues for District 6 residents include industrial development, housing affordability, more grocery stores and public transit improvements. Santiago-Romero sought reelection for a second term and has recently focused on funding for home repair programs, entrepreneur grants and translation services. The council member, who was born in Mexico and obtained her U.S. citizenship, has been a vocal advocate for undocumented residents. Carter, who has served seven years in the Michigan Legislature, is on committees focused on regulatory reform, finance and the judiciary.
District 7
In the second open race, Denzel Anton McCampbell, managing director of the left-leaning organization Progress Michigan, won with 59% of the votes, while state Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, got 40%, according to unofficial election results. On the west side of the city, District 7 borders Dearborn Heights and Dearborn and is home to the Warrendale neighborhood and Rouge Park. Council Member Fred Durhal III — who unsuccessfully ran for mayor — currently holds the seat.
McCampbell wants to expand down payment assistance and home repair programming for older adults. McCampbell, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has been compared to Zohran Mamdani, the progressive who won the race for New York City mayor.
Whitsett, who is serving her fourth term in the state Legislature, is focused on reforming the tax foreclosure process and protecting services for older adults, according to her Michigan House website. She serves on the regulatory reform, health policy and insurance committees. A Detroit News report found that Whitsett missed 51 out of 66 House sessions this year. She told the news outlet that on most days she didn’t feel it was worth traveling to Lansing and making arrangements for her dog.
Free Press staff writer Paul Egan and BridgeDetroit reporters Malachi Barrett, Kayleigh Lickliter and Micah Walker contributed.
Reach reporter Nushrat Rahman at nrahman@freepress.com