Here's a roundup of discussions about Tuesday's mayoral and council primary results from Tuesday. We value your views, too, and welcome comments at the end.
Bankole Thompson, Michigan Chronicle editor: "Voters in Tuesday’s primary showed that they are more concerned with the policies and plans of the candidates than they are about their skin color." -- Blog post
Chad Livengood, Detroit News reporter: "Among the numerous write-in names for #Detroit mayor & City Council, one name was missing in action: Charles Pugh." -- Twitter
Gov. Rick Snyder: "The write-in phenomenon is encouraging. . . . The whole concept of people going through the extra exercise of spending the time and attention to write-in something, I view as a positive because it shows a higher level of interest than simply going into the voting booth and circling the box.” -- Interview
Craig Fahle, WDET host: "This is going to be an epic battle between Mike Duggan and Benny Napoleon in the months ahead . . .. and we hope someday to have Mr. Napoleon here in the studio for an interview." -- The Craig Fahle Show, where Mike Duggan and Shiela Cockrel were guests [Podcast here]
Ezekiel Burns, east-sider who backed Mike Duggan: "Krystal Crittendon insulted my integrity — you try to fire the emergency manager and it’s only going to cost us more money. Tom Barrow keeps trying to bring race into it. Benny Napoleon, what has he done?” -- Free Press
Shirley Johnson, Detroit attorney: “The voter apathy gets to me. Bankruptcy does have an impact on some, who say there’s no point in voting. But the opposite is true: You need to have new, strong leaders in place so the city can move forward.” -- Detroit News
Desiree Cooper, former Free Press columnist: "Voters weren't bought, they were sold. Sold on the possibility of a new way of being in Detroit. The majority of black voters either sat this out or cast their vote for Duggan. Either way, they spoke.." -- Facebook
Comic write-ins: "The City of Detroit has released the unofficial list of write-in candidates from Tuesday's election and it shows not everybody took the election seriously. Among the names which appeared on the ballot: Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck, Goofy, Louis Ferrakhan and Jesus Christ. Businessman Dan Gilbert's name was also mentioned at least once." -- WDIV site
Darren Nichols, Detroit News reporter: "I'm disappointed Louis Farrakhan got a vote and no Coleman Young. Come on Detroit." -- Facebook
Supporters of Mike Duggan add comments to a poster board at his Tuesday night event in Greektown. [Photo/Barbara Barefield]
Carole Stramler, WSU law professor who backed Liza Howze: "“Why not have a female mayor?. If we’re going to rebuild, why not rebuild from scratch?”" -- Free Press
Cliff Woodard II, Southfield attorney: "Money may enable the message to be heard loud and clear and given the right sum, over and over again. But a person still has to make a choice. Cast a vote.
"And Detroit did so last night. . . . Voters decided they'd rather choose Duggan along with his corporate power brokers than Napoleon and his church preachers. It appears that Detroiters wanted someone who is aligned with business leaders instead of a candidate backed by almost every major union. But what it really demonstrates is black empowerment.
"There was much debate in the run up to the election over the meaning and definition of 'black empowerment.' Did it mean that an African-American should always govern a majority black city? Or, was the true definition one where blacks were free to choose their candidate, regardless of race. Apparently, the latter definition was the winner last night." -- Facebook
Nick Rowley, Detroit sound designer: "Were I Napoleon, I'd definitely be looking to reconfigure strategy for November."
"Aiede" [screen name]: "Fuck Tom Barrow. Two percent of the vote. Can he please go away forever now?" -- Reddit
Robert Lasker, Detroit: "Tom Barrow by now has an odor of Harold Stassen." -- Facebook thread
John Jeffire, English teacher at Chippewa Valley High: "Signs of healing, hope and a new direction." -- Facebook thread
James Melton, communications consultant: "I don't know if it is because I am a white guy and people want to be polite. But, when I talk to my fellow Detroiters, I don't hear race mentioned very often in conversations about this election. People talk about the merits or lack of merits of the major candidates. But ethnicity has not been much of a factor." -- Facebook thread
Your turn: Tell us what you think by posting a comment.
