Incumbents Keep Their Seats on Detroit City Council
Roy McCalister Jr. wins Detroit District 2 race to join eight incumbents on City Council.
The eight incumbents running for re-election to the Detroit City Council kept their seats with newcomer Roy McCalister winning the District 2 race.
With all 590 precincts reported, McCalister had 11,974 votes to Virgil Smith’s 7,647. Council President Pro Tem George Cushingberry finished third to the two men in the August primary, losing his place on the November ballot. McCalister, a former Detroit Police Department lieutenant and U.S. Army commander, told voters to be prepared to “make waves.”
“The power’s in the people, and it’s time that the people have the power to be inclusive. All this stuff about Downtown and Midtown, I want to make it so they start talking about District 2-town,” he said. “When you start making waves, they’re also going to be start coming after you. I’m telling you that now. We’ve got to look out.”
In District 1, Councilman James Tate defeated challenger Tamara Smith. Councilman Scott Benson won his re-election bid against Russ Bellant in District 3, and in District 4, Andre Spivey won another term on council.
District 5 voters re-elected Mary Sheffield, and District 6 Councilwoman Raquel Casteneda-Lopez defeated challenger Tyrone Carter, and in District 7, incumbent Gabe Leland beat Regina Ross.
Council President Brenda Jones and Incumbent Janee Ayers won the two at-large seats.
WDET’s Sandra Svoboda, Eli Newman, Lauren Santucci and Grant Wickersham contributed to this report.
