Proposal P, Detroit plan to change its charter, shot down in primary election

Detroit voters on Tuesday shot down by a large margin a contentious ballot measure that would have altered the city's governing document. 

Proposal P was struck down with 67% voting against and 33% supporting it, according to Wayne County election results posted at 2:17 a.m. Wednesday morning with 100% of precincts fully reported.

Supporters of the controversial ballot question sought to revise Detroit's charter in ways that would push toward a more just and equitable Detroit, including better access to broadband internet, greater water affordability, a task force on reparations and justice for African Americans. 

"It shows that Detroiters who were participating in this election were paying attention to the arguments being made for and against Proposal P and decisively rejected the approach that Proposal P was offering," said Sheila Cockrel, a former Detroit city councilmember who was part of the anti-Proposal P Coalition to Protect Detroit's Future campaign. "There may some ideas that are worth exploring as long as you can pay for them. But the people who voted in this primary were very clear on whatever the issues are."

Opposition groups warned that it would tip Detroit back into bankruptcy and jeopardize public employee pensions as well as reduce public safety services.

Mayor Mike Duggan at his Tuesday night election party touted Horace Sheffield and his son Ed Duggan for leading efforts to block Proposal P. The crowd applauded as the mayor credited his son, who Duggan said "ran the No on (Proposal) P campaign." 

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"I think Horace Sheffield was a great lead spokesperson and people in the city don’t want to go back. There’s a lot of voices out there," Duggan told the Free Press Tuesday night as the proposal was heading toward defeat. 

Initially, Detroit voters backed the idea to revise the city’s charter and select members to a commission in 2018 to rework the governing document. The 2012 charter had indicated that a revision question should be put before voters in 2018, and at every fourth gubernatorial primary thereafter.

Both sides for and against Proposal P were relatively well-funded with thousands of dollars in donations, which were used for consulting services or media advertisements to urge voters to determine the fate of the proposal. 

Mayor Mike Duggan, along with several officials, opposed the proposed revisions after Detroit's chief financial officer authored a fiscal impact analysis estimating a multi-billion-dollar hit to the city's coffers.

Contact Dana Afana: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DanaAfana