MichiganRadio

Detroiters Opt for Change On Council DETROIT, MI (Michigan Radio) - Detroit's city council will have a very different look next year.

Five out of nine council members will be newcomers. Among them is former journalist Charles Pugh. He was the top vote-getter in yesterday's election, and will serve as city council president.

"Detroit, the change that we have been waiting for is finally here," Pugh told supporters at his victory party. "We have five brand new members of the Detroit City Council, and a brand new city council president."

Gary Brown will serve as the council's president pro-tem. Brown is a former deputy police chief whose whistleblower lawsuit ultimately led to former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's ouster from office.

Voters also opted to ditch their current system for electing city council members. They opted for a ballot measure that calls for seven members to be elected by district. Two would remain at-large.

"You'll have a city council member living in your neighborhood, in your district, who represents you, who knows what's going on around you," said Renata Polk, who worked on the Proposal D campaign. "If your street lights are out, if the snow's not being plowed, they know what's going on and they're able to address those issues for you."

The change will take effect in 2013.

Contact Sarah Hulett at sarahhu@umich.edu © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio