Lack of Diversity Amongst Council Candidates

[Bloomfield Pills]

I'd like to see a Chinese Wiccan trannssexual on the City Council. Because diversity is a good thing.

[crawford]

How much ya wanna bet that the only non-African American in the top 18 [[Mohammed Okdie) made it because voters assumed he was a black Muslim?

If his name was Ahmet or Sadiq, there is no way he finishes top 18.

[MIRepublic]

Yeah, because "Mohamed Okdie" is such a black Muslim name. Give me a f$cking break. Okdie made it because he was endorsed by both John Conyers and the AFL-CIO and has a background in the community [[former chair of the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Board, former social worker, Community Liaison for Congressman John Conyers, Detroit Police Commissioner, Eastern Michigan University regent, etc...); it's a simple as that.

But, thanks for slandering Detroit voters are 'reverse racists' and continuing the myth that Detroiters only make their election decisions on race. Please try again next time.

[royce]

I'm curious about Arab/Chaldean representation on city councils throughout Metro Detroit. Are Arabs/Chaldeans well represented on Dearborn's and Hamtramck's city councils?

[stinkbug]

I'm curious about Arab/Chaldean representation on city councils throughout Metro Detroit. Are Arabs/Chaldeans well represented on Dearborn's and Hamtramck's city councils?

Hamtramck's Council has Abdul Algazali and Shahab Ahmed. The rest are white, and at least 2 of them of Polish descent. Klein is also openly gay. Now the mayoral race is down to Karen Majewski [[incumbent and frontrunner in the primary) and Abdul Algazali...now thats diversity for you!

[crawford]

Yeah, because "Mohamed Okdie" is such a black Muslim name. Give me a f$cking break. Okdie made it because he was endorsed by both John Conyers and the AFL-CIO and has a background in the community [[former chair of the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Board, former social worker, Community Liaison for Congressman John Conyers, Detroit Police Commissioner, Eastern Michigan University regent, etc...); it's a simple as that.

Wow! A former social worker and community liason! Very impressive! Does he tie his own shoes too?

But, thanks for slandering Detroit voters are 'reverse racists' and continuing the myth that Detroiters only make their election decisions on race. Please try again next time.

Thanks for revealing your racial hangups and/or your inability to comprehend basic English.

Ethnic-based appeals for votes are American as apple pie, and hardly indicative of reverse racism or ONLY making decisions on race.

This happens both among blacks in Detroit [[who always voted 98% for the African American candidate in a black/white election), and in the burbs, where there are explicit appeals based on ethnic identity [[say, Italians in Roseville, Poles in Wyandotte, Arabs in Dearborn, or Jews in West Bloomfield).

[EastsideAl]

among blacks in Detroit [[who always voted 98% for the African American candidate in a black/white election)

This is nonsense. Maryann Mahaffey, for one, won the City Council presidency 3 times [[1989, 1993, 2001), beating mostly black candidates, and carrying a very large number of black votes.

[Hypestyles]

we'll see what happens if/when the district system comes into place, how that may shake up things.. I can see the more reactionary local activists pushing against it under the premise that an anonymous coalition of whites/Arabs want to push blacks out of Council..

[Det_ard]

The problems and issues of blacks/whites/hispanics/chaldeans aren't so vastly different that each group needs a seat at the table.

The real problem is the excess of social worker/activists types and an almost total lack of successful highly educated business owners/executives and lawyers. It's always amateur hour at City Council.

There should have been 20 or 25 sharp, accomplished candidates with experience in finance, accounting, business management and the law. Where's the Harvard and Stanford grads? The candidate who's worth $50 million? Instead we get folks vying for a seat like they're applying on Michigan Works for a home health care aide job.

[EastsideAl]

The real problem is the excess of social worker/activists types and an almost total lack of successful highly educated business owners/executives and lawyers. It's always amateur hour at City Council.

Successful business owner? Jai-Lee Dearing!

[Det_ard]

A veritable Roger Penske he is.

[R8RBOB]

This is nonsense. Maryann Mahaffey, for one, won the City Council presidency 3 times [[1989, 1993, 2001), beating mostly black candidates, and carrying a very large number of black votes.

I like to add that Sheila Cockrel though Black through marriage won 4 elections to the City Council. I don't believe she got there only with the White vote.

[Downtown diva]

I would like to see a guy like Steve Yserman run for city council one day. He is a stand up guy, and from what I hear cares deeply about Detroit. He would even consider moving there.

[MIRepublic]

Wow! A former social worker and community liason! Very impressive! Does he tie his own shoes too?

And another dickish response from a bigot. My response was to your stupid-assed comment portraying Okide as some amateur that came out of a left-field , and the who's primary win was the result of some voter misindentification of his name. The point was the guy won because he got some endorsement from popular and high-ranking people and organizations.

But, I didn't expect that you'd graciously admit that you're a total idiot. One has to have a certain level of humility for that to happen, and you won't find humility until karma forcefully lowers you a few pegs in your life, which will happen. It always happens to terribly arrogant people.

[crawford]

This is nonsense. Maryann Mahaffey, for one, won the City Council presidency 3 times [[1989, 1993, 2001), beating mostly black candidates, and carrying a very large number of black votes.

Non-sequitur. I explicitly referred to black vs. white candidates. Mahaffey ran in a general election. Now if she ran for mayor against a black candidate, she would have been crushed.

Please show me ONE election where a black ran against a white [[and both serious candidates, not one is a fringe candidate or nutjob), and even 10% of African Americans voted for the white candidate.

Again, this is NOT unique to African Americans, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. But it's a fact.

[firstandten]

The problems and issues of blacks/whites/hispanics/chaldeans aren't so vastly different that each group needs a seat at the table .

Thats true but there are issues within the hispanic and chaldean communities that warrant some representation within the council. Two that come to mind are the issues that Chaldean businessmen sometimes have with the community and vice versa, and the bridge sitution that affects the whole hispanic community downriver.

The real problem is the excess of social worker/activists types and an almost total lack of successful highly educated business owners/executives and lawyers. It's always amateur hour at City Council.

There should have been 20 or 25 sharp, accomplished candidates with experience in finance, accounting, business management and the law. Where's the Harvard and Stanford grads? The candidate who's worth $50 million? Instead we get folks vying for a seat like they're applying on Michigan Works for a home health care aide job.

Problem is a highly educated businessman or lawyer can make 2 or 3 times the $81K without all the crap that goes into being a public figure. Now you can find one who has made his/her money and wants to give back like a Dave Bing, but generally that will be an older candidate.

For social worker/activist types the council salary is competitive with working for a non-profit

[EastsideAl]

Non-sequitur. I explicitly referred to black vs. white candidates. Mahaffey ran in a general election. Now if she ran for mayor against a black candidate, she would have been crushed.

Please show me ONE election where a black ran against a white [[and both serious candidates, not one is a fringe candidate or nutjob), and even 10% of African Americans voted for the white candidate.

Again, this is NOT unique to African Americans, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. But it's a fact.

Easy, Jim Blanchard absolutely killed Bill Lucas in the City of Detroit, and amongst black voters statewide, in 1986.

[firstandten]

Easy, Jim Blanchard absolutely killed Bill Lucas in the City of Detroit, and amongst black voters statewide, in 1986.

Thats true but you can run Bozo the clown against any republican black or white in Detroit and Bozo would win in a landslide. Same statewide, black voters will vote for a white democrat over a black republican any day of the week.

[EastsideAl]

Thats true but you can run Bozo the clown against any republican black or white in Detroit and Bozo would win in a landslide. Same statewide, black voters will vote for a white democrat over a black republican any day of the week.

So, then perhaps African-Americans don't vote primarily based on race, but on their perception of their own interests. Like, say, all other voters.

[firstandten]

so, then perhaps african-americans don't vote primarily based on race, but on their perception of their own interests. Like, say, all other voters.

right on !!

[crawford]

And another dickish response from a bigot.

Yup! Call me a bigot! Last resort of someone with no argument.

My response was to your stupid-assed comment portraying Okide as some amateur that came out of a left-field , and the who's primary win was the result of some voter misindentification of his name.

Is English seriously your first language? In my first post, I never said a thing about his credentials. I said that his [[common black Muslim) name was essential to finishing top 18 in a black city. If his name was Shelden Goldstein he would have finished 170th or so, regardless of credentials or an endorsement by Mother Theresa.

The point was the guy won because he got some endorsement from popular and high-ranking people and organizations.

He didn't win a thing. He barely finished in the top 18, and has no chance in the election. But his name is absolutely essential to his top 18 finish.

But, I didn't expect that you'd graciously admit that you're a total idiot.

LOL, I bow before your massive cerebral pomposity. Just imagine if you had basic command of the English language!

[stinkbug]

Yup! Call me a bigot! Last resort of someone with no argument.


Is English seriously your first language? In my first post, I never said a thing about his credentials. I said that his [[common black Muslim) name was essential to finishing top 18 in a black city. If his name was Shelden Goldstein he would have finished 170th or so, regardless of credentials or an endorsement by Mother Theresa.

He didn't win a thing. He barely finished in the top 18, and has no chance in the election. But his name is absolutely essential to his top 18 finish.

LOL, I bow before your massive cerebral pomposity. Just imagine if you had basic command of the English language!

Race does play a large part in black voting, but it isn't everything
MEL RAVITZ?[[there goes your Shelden Goldstein analogy) David Eberhard? Those names are dead giveways they aren't black and they were elected while the city was majority black.