1:10 AM: Wait, wait, wait. Don't leave yet! We totally forgot one thing. Troy's most beloved homophobic ex-mayor Janice Daniels lost her bid to rejoin the City Council. There were nine candidates for three seats. The Janice finished a distant fourth, nearly three thousand votes behind third-place finisher Wade Fleming. He won 7,419 votes to Daniels 4,558. Let's give Eric Cartman the final word on that. -- JTW
12:50 AM: Detroit has its new mayor and City Council. However, before we go, a final thought about this "first white mayor in 40 years" business.
We're going to hear a lot about the "first white mayor is 40 years." It will become one of those insufferably overused phrases like "lift Detroit's weary spirits" or "precious jewels" or "7.2." But what commentators miss when they politely reference Duggan propensity to burn easily in the sun is the symmetry of race in the Detroit's mayoral politics over the last 50+ years.
Mike Duggan is Detroit's first white mayor since Coleman Young replaced Roman Gribbs, true, but the story goes back further. Start in 1961 when the 33-year-old Jerry Cavanagh was elected promising an administration that would be inclusive of all Detroiters, including the growing African-American population. He left office in 1969, a once-rising political star whose career was deeply wounded by the 1967 riots.
Replacing Cavanagh was Gribbs. He served one term and declined to run for re-election in 1974. Then, Coleman Young defeated Police Commissioner John Nichols to become Detroit's first black mayor,
Fast forward to 2001 when a 31-year-old Kwame Kilpatrick was elected mayor promising (at least initially) a different brand politics less tied to race. He was, after all, the first (and still only) Detroit mayor born after the '67 riots. People forget west Michigan Republicans even held fundraisers for Kilpatrick's first campaign. Nearly eight years later, he resigns in disgrace as a convicted felon. You can't compare Kilpatrick and Cavanagh as men. One was an honorable, if imperfect, public servant while the other is a federal convict. However, there is a parallel to be drawn when you look at the trajectory of their mayoral tenures.
Who followed Kilpatrick? Dave Bing: A one-term caretaker mayor who, like Gribbs circa 1973, can't wait to exit the Manoogian Mansion. And just as Gribbs' successor was Detroit's first black mayor, Bing's replacement will be (everyone say it together) the first white mayor in 40 years. Oh, and Duggan, like Young, defeated a police chief to win the job.
I'm not sure that means anything--does anyone care that Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln?--but the symmetry of the thing is just too uncanny to ignore. Anyway, goodnight and thanks for reading.-- JTW
11:52 PM: And here is your city council, Detroit. Pro-tip, newbies: don't celebrate too much tonight. Duggan says he's calling tomorrow!
11:29 PM: Duggan had time to praise his campaign staff, family, and volunteers, before a terrible screech took over the noise making responsibilities.
After a long silence and few too many "Mike needs a mic!" chants from the crowd, Duggan went on to warn Kevyn Orr and the newly elected city council members, "I'm calling you tomorrow." -- LAD
11:11 PM: A bitter-sounding Benny Napoleon conceded at 11 PM, blaming his loss on corporate spending and voter apathy. He promised this wouldn't be his last foray into politics and congratulated Mike Duggan for "running a (pause) campaign."
"The people have spoken," he said. "But now we need all the people to speak." -- JTW
11:00 PM: Just two little old precincts left!
10:54 PM: With 532 of 614 precincts reporting, Duggan is ahead by about 12,000 votes. Most of the major news organizations have called it.
Meet your new mayor, Detroit.
10:50 PM: We're safe to call a few council districts as well. Sitting down at the council table are:
10:49 PM: Someone tell Napoleon that the Detroit News is calling it for Duggan, too? -- LAD
10:48 PM: There is plenty of food and song at Benny Napoleon's party but little talk of polling numbers. The DJ keeps referring to Napoleon as the next mayor of Detroit. The crown seems largely unaware that election experts are calling the race for Duggan and returns continue to show a comfortable Duggan lead.
Of course, eight years ago, things looked bleak around this time for Kwame Kilpatrick. He came out to address his supporters, telling them that "he could feel God working." So, who knows, maybe there is a massive reservoir of Benny votes waiting to be counted. Doubt it, but crazier things have happened. -- JTW
10:38 PM: WXYZ 7 projects Duggan as the winner. A pollster on Fox 2 is joining in that opinion as well. With 440 precincts reporting, the definite numbers are still at 55% for Duggan, 45% for Napoleon. -- LAD
10:33 PM: For those readers that read our primary night live blog, Jeff and I had a little competition going over the food situation. This time, we're on even ground.
Both Duggan and Napoleon seem to be serving brown mush for dinner. Duggan has "Detroit" Coney Dogs. Napoleon has a collection of things ending in -salad that don't actually involve greens.
Duggan brought out the Faygo rainbow again. -- LAD
10:31 PM: The Detroit News is projecting that the Royal Oak ordinance banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has passed in Royal Oak. It's nice to know I live in a civilized community. -- JTW
10:26 PM: After that excitement, we're going to take a momentary break to get back to the important stuff. The parties.
The tunes at Duggan's shindig alternate between these two:
Plus, they just played a remixed version of Teach Me How To Dougie Duggan. -- LAD
10:25 PM: With 375 precincts reporting, Duggan has jumped ahead a few percentage points, making it a 54-45 race. The Free Press is predicting Duggan for the win. -- LAD
10:09 PM: So here is where we are right now: Precincts reporting: 342 of 614. Duggan: 32816 52.03%; Napoleon: 29064 46.79%; Write in: 232 .37%. Duggan aide Butch Hollowell says increased voter turnout has cost Duggan about 2 points, but they're expecting their man to win with possibly as much as 57% of vote when it's all over. -- JDI
9:43 PM: More numbers!
9:32: WXYZ pollsters are saying their indicator precincts show the Detroit mayoral race is too close to call. Pollster Tim Kiska had identified 30 precincts whose voting patters are mathematically likely to predict the outcome. Bernie Porn, another polling expert who is working with Kiska, said turnout could be 30 percent -- a few percentage points higher than predicted by City Clerk Janice Winfrey. "We expected it to tighten up," Porn said, while expressing surprise the race has narrowed like it appears to have done. All the undecided voters seem to have voted for Napoleon, Porn said. They're waiting to see what the absentee ballots show. -- BMcG
9:30 PM: 99 precincts in.
9:20 PM: Duggan: 6105 52.09%; Napoleon: 5676 47.67%; Write in: 36 .30% (74 of 614 precincts)
9:15 PM: Numbers are coming fast and furious now: Duggan: 4730 51.26%; Napoleon: 4482 48.52%; Write in: 26 .26% (58 of 614 precincts)
9:12 PM: More returns: Duggan: 3547 49.82%; Napoleon: 3556 49.94%; Write in: 17 .24% (48 of 611 precincts tallied)
9:10 PM: Voter returns!
8:56 PM: If you remember from Lauren's reporting in August, the Napoleon primary bash was a kind of dreary affair. Tonight's event is very different. There's a sizable crowd here at the Roostertail. As people have wandered by to see if I have vote totals (sorry, not yet) Napoleon's supporters have said they're confident Napoleon's push over the last few days and hours has closed the gap with Duggan.
In case you're interested, and you probably aren't, primary write-in gimmick Mike Dugeon voted for Mike Duggan because, wait, why are we paying attention to Mike Dugeon? -- JTW
8:40 PM: I'm not sure if all these people are strong Duggan supporters or if they just heard the Duggan camp throws a good party, but there are at least several hundred people here already. Enough that I haven't figured out how to fit them all in the camera frame yet. Those that aren't in Duggan t-shirts have on their Sunday Tuesday best. -- LAD
8:35 PM: Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, stopped by the Department of Elections for a few minutes. He didn't stay for long, but he spoke with WXYZ and said he is confident Benny Napoleon will win.
Still no results to report on, but a worker here says we should be out of here by 11 and "in bed by midnight." We could only hope. -- JDI
8:20 PM: City Clerk Janice Winfrey was on WXYZ saying turnout today was between 20-25%. -- JTW
8:00 PM: The polls have closed. Someone has been elected as the next mayor of Detroit. They just need to count the votes. I'm at the Roostertail with the Napoleon folks, Lauren is setting up shop at Duggan's party at the RenCen Marriott, and John is over at Clerk's office hustling up vote totals. Stay with us all night until we have winners. -- JTW
6:44 PM: Gawker did a funny bit today announcing that Bill de Blasio had been elected mayor of New York City more than eight hours before the polls closed. That was funny because de Blasio is expected to crush token Republican opponent Joe Lhota by a two-to-one margin in a city with a largely Democratic electorate.
Governing Magazine's Ryan Holeywell was less self-aware as he jumped the gun to announce that, though the polls are still open, Mike Duggan has been elected Detroit's first white mayor in 40 years! ZOMG, you guys, Governing Magazine can totally see the future.
"Observers say the fact that that a city that's 83 percent black elected Duggan -- who's white and lived in the suburbs until just over a year ago -- likely signals that Detroiters are more interested in solving the city's financial crisis than identity politics," Holeywell wrote about an election where not a single vote has been officially tallied yet.
And, yeah, all polling suggests Mike Duggan is the odds-on favorite to win the election, but it's really best to wait (you know) until the vote tallies confirms that assumption before reporting it as fact. -- JTW
6:15 PM: Even The Onion has Detroit on its radar today.
The funny makers have published "words of advice" from outgoing mayor Dave Bing to Detroit residents.
Still hoping that maybe, somehow, you can find a factory job in southeast Michigan?
If we have any working buses left, catch the next one out of town and never come back. Because as long as you’re within the 139-square-mile confines of the Motor City, you’re shit out of luck, pal. Fold your hand and walk away if you still can, because there’s nothing for you here.
I’m deeply, deeply sorry.
Onion, you can do better. -- LAD
4:40 PM: In case you missed it, Darrell Dawsey and Adolph Mongo discussed the mayoral race on this week's episode of One Round.
3:57 PM: It's kind of weird Detroit political tradition to tout the endorsements of dead people. In 2005, Sharon McPhail made a big deal about being the only mayoral candidate endorsed by Coleman Young. Or course, Young's endorsement was 12 years old and the ex-mayor had been dead for about eight years at that point. The People (TM) care not for such details.
City Clerk candidate D. Etta Wilcoxon is the latest to court the embalmed vote. Her website (h/t to Huff Po's Ashley Woods for discovering this precious jewel) automatically blasts a campaign commercial featuring the voice of former City Council President Erma Henderson endorsing Wilcoxon. That's kind of amazing since Henderson died in 2009. That's a lesson for all you young people with political aspirations. If you get the endorsement of someone really old, save the audio for a future endorsement from beyond the grave.
And that isn't even the weirdest thing on D. Etta Wilcoxon's website. She has a photo gallery that is just fantastic. Highlights include a pixilated photo of (one assumes) Wilcoxon with (one assumes) Jesse Jackson, another photo of her with "Justice Daymon Keith" (who kind of looks like Judge Damon Keith, maybe they're related?), and a photo of Wilcoxon in hipster glasses basically photobombing Rosa Parks. D. Etta Wilcoxon: The prototypical Instagrammer!
Janice Winfrey, for whatever her troubles running elections, managed to produce a tasteful, if minimalist, campaign website. --JTW
2:30 PM: Having trouble getting to your voting location? Uber could help.
The smartphone app allows users to summon a personal driver and is offering free rides to and from the polls. Take advantage of a tech company's marketing plan and go vote. -- LAD
1:30 PM: There are only a few hours left in what effectively has been a yearlong race. However, both Duggan and Napoleon--or really, someone on their campaign staffs--are still thumping for votes on the Twitter machine. Napoleon went full Wooderson A Time To Kill Matthew McConaughey, asking people to close their eyes...
Close your eyes for moment and think of one thing most important to you. Open your eyes. Do you trust me or my opponent? #Detroit #vote
— Benny Napoleon (@BennyNapoleon) November 5, 2013
Duggan meanwhile had to inform MSNBC of his proper party affiliation. While the mayoral race is non-partisan, Duggan is a Democrat. He ran as a Democrat when he won the Wayne County Prosecutor's race in 2003 and was a top deputy to Democratic county executive Ed McNamara. Of course, some of his critics have been known (fairly or not) to whisper that Duggan, son of a Republican federal judge and darling of the business community, is a Democrat In Name Only. One can't help but wonder if the liberal MSNBC is following the Fox News playbook of "accidently" mislabeling less ideologically-pure politicians with the wrong party affiliation. Cable news! Left, right, or center, it's always awful. -- JTW
Correct, Mike is a Democrat. RT .@CoreyHallcomic: @msnbc Detroit mayoral candidate Mike Duggan is NOT a republican.
— Mike Duggan (@Duggan4Detroit) November 5, 2013
11:52 AM: Entering your polling place can feeling like running a gauntlet with representatives from various campaigns offering up glossy literature that will, in that final moment, convince you that their candidate will lead us on a shining path to peace and prosperity. My friend Andy Olesko took notice of what happens to much of that Election Day propaganda after voting at downtown's Central Untied Methodist Church. He snapped the photo below. Even odds say all these candidates claim to really and truly care about the environment.
10:19 AM: If you're still undecided about your City Council district race and you're a dog lover, Canine To Five might be about to help you out.
The Cass Corridor dog daycare business' mascot, Cally, sent questionnaires to council candidates about dog-related issues like the state of Detroit's Animal Control Department and the city's alleged stray problem. Six candidates across four districts replied to the survey. -- JTW
9:50 AM: Also present at Napoleon's voting location was whatever this is:
-- LAD
9:20 AM: Napoleon also brought along his 6 year old grandson Malachi, who learned to vote with grandpa. -- LAD
9:07 AM: Benny Napoleon cast his ballot this morning at the Charles R. Drew Transition Center, a public school on Wyoming near Oakman Blvd on Detroit's west site. "Guess what!? I voted for Benny Napoleon!" he said after. -- LAD
8:08 AM: Mike Duggan talking to reporters after voting this morning. -- JTW
7:31 AM: Mike Duggan cast his ballot this morning, presumably for himself, at the voting precinct that Seven Mile and Woodward police station. "It was a great feeling to see my name on the ballot this time," he told reporters after it was over. -- JTW
6:00 AM: In one hour polls will open and Detroiters will elect--sorry, Tom Barrow--either Mike Duggan or Benny Napoleon as their next mayor. The city will also select its first district-based City Council in a century. Stick here all day to see the mayoral candidates cast their ballots (presumably for themselves) and deliver their closing argument to voters, read the latest Election Day news from around the web, and from Deadline Detroit staff. After the polls close, Lauren Ann Davies and I will be be blogging live from the Duggan and Napoleon victory parties while John Irwin provides real time vote totals from the city clerk's office.
Of course, no one is elected if you all don't vote, so go vote. The polls close in just 14 hours. Check out Publius if you need to find your polling place or want to browse a sample ballot. -- JTW
