Residency Requirement takes Effect

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Issue Brief

The 2012 City Charter mandates a one year residency requirement for all elected officials. This applies to the Mayor, City Council members, elected Police Commissioners, City Clerk and elected Community Advisory Council members. For those wishing to run for election in on of the seven newly created districts (or in the city at-large), this will require establishing residency within that district (or in the city) by April 30, 2012.

Departments Involved

• Current and Prospective elected officials

Charter Language

Sec. 2-101. Qualifications for Elective Officers and Appointive Officers.

A person seeking elective office must be a citizen of the United States, a resident and a qualified and registered voter of the City of Detroit for one (1) year at the time of filing for office, and retain that status throughout their tenure in any such elective office. In addition, any person seeking office from a non at-large district must be a resident and qualified, registered voter in such district for one (1) year at the time of filing for office, and retain such status throughout their tenure.

For any appointive city office, a person must be qualified to perform the duties of the office at the time of assuming the office and at all times while holding the office. The person’s citizenship, residence and voter registration status shall be as required or permitted by this Charter or applicable law.

Resources

DetCharter Resources

• New York City Council Residency Scandal, March 2011

• District Court Cases challenging Residency Requirements

User Generated Resources

• If you have any information relevent to this topic please mail it to info@detcharter.com and we will include it in our list of resources.