Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a deal that moves forward the demolition of the former American Motors Corp. headquarters site and a redevelopment there.Kansas City, Mo.-based NorthPoint Development LLC plans to raze 1 million square feet of blighted AMC buildings and construct…
Ex-mayor s son a step closer to Detroit Council at-large seat
Detroit The son of the city s first African American mayor is leading a field of contenders in Tuesday s primary hoping to secure at-large seats on Detroit s City Council.
Coleman A. Young II, a former state senator and mayoral candidate, topped the field alongside incumbent City Councilwoman Janee Ayers, each pulling in about 31% of the vote Tuesday, with 81% of precincts reporting.
The two join former State Rep. Mary Waters and Nicole Smalls, a Detroit Charter Revision Commissioner and activist Jermain Lee Jones, in the race in which the top four candidates will advance to battle in November for two seats representing all of Detroit s neighborhoods.
A former Detroit mayoral candidate who is the son of ex-Mayor Coleman Young almost topped the incumbent for at at-large city council seat in Tuesday s primary. But not quite.
Coleman Young II, who ran for mayor in 2017, scored 30.54% of the vote with all precincts reporting results by 2:17 a.m. Wednesday. But in the final hours of the vote counting, Young was edged out by incumbent Councilmember Janeé Ayers, who won with 30.86%, making the race a virtual tie.
But the margin may not matter much. For Detroit city council at-large seats, the top four finishers move on to the November election. In addition to Young and Ayers, Mary Waters and Nicole Small be on the November ballot for this at-large seat. Jermain Lee Jones did not secure enough votes.
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In many respects, Detroit is a dramatically different city than the one convulsed by a state takeover just eight years ago. The city emerged from its historic municipal bankruptcy in 2014, having wiped out its overwhelming debt largely by slashing the pensions and health care of its retirees.( A balloon pension payment comes due in 2023, something city officials are quietly worried about).
Downtown has been transformed, thanks to investments by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and others. The city has maintained a balanced budget, enjoyed modest surpluses, and had been on a generally upward trajectory until COVID-19 posed a new threat to its financial stability.