DETROIT (Sept. 3, 2009) - Wayne State University Law School is pleased to announce "Moving Toward City Council by Districts: A Step in the Right Direction for Detroit?" from 3-6 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2009, in the Law School's Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium.
On Nov. 3, 2009, Detroit voters will vote yes or no on Proposal D, a community supported ballot initiative that would amend the current city charter and change the way City Council members are elected, from the current all at-large system to a hybrid system of seven districts and two at-large members. Voters will also choose nine members of a Charter Review Commission, whose charge will be to review the Detroit City Charter, the city's main organizing document.
The symposium will feature knowledgeable speakers who will give audience members a historical perspective and share informed points of view as they discuss the impact of council by districts on the Detroit landscape.
"This Symposium will provide a special opportunity for the public to become fully informed on the best approach to electing members to the City Council in meeting the critical needs of Detroit today," said John Mogk, Wayne Law professor and urban planning expert.
Joel Stone, curator with the Detroit Historical Society, will serve as a guest presenter. Bankole Thompson, editor at the Michigan Chronicle, will serve as moderator. Panelists will include Janet Anderson, with the city of Detroit Budget Department and Wayne State University adjunct professor; Freman Hendrix, candidate for Detroit Charter Revision Commission; Mildred Madison, president with the League of Women Voters of Detroit; Steve Tobocman, former member of the Michigan State House of Representatives; and Sebastian Wade, vice president of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce.
This symposium is free and open to the public, and parking is available in Structure #1 across from the Law School, on Palmer Street (corner of Cass) for $3.50. Light refreshments will be available immediately following the close of the moderated portion of the event at 6 p.m. Please contact Francis Grunow at (313) 717-4298 or at detourdetroit@ameritech.net with any questions.
About Wayne Law
Wayne State University Law School has educated and served the Detroit metropolitan area since its inception as Detroit City Law School in 1927. Located at 471 West Palmer Street in Detroit's re-energized historic cultural center, the Law School remains committed to student success and features modern lecture and court facilities, multi-media and distance learning classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium, and the Arthur Neef Law Library, which houses one of the nation's 40 largest legal collections. Taught by an internationally recognized and expert faculty, Wayne Law students experience a high-quality legal education via a growing array of hands-on curricular offerings, client clinics, and access to well over 100 internships with local and non-profit entities each year. Its 11,000 living alumni, who work in every state of the nation and more than a dozen foreign countries, are experts in their disciplines and include leading members of the local, national and international legal communities. For more information, visit www.law.wayne.edu.