Detroit sees 22.5 percent turnout at polls

Darren Nichols, Santiago Esparza and Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News

Detroit -- With all the votes counted, turnout in the city was lower than in past four-year mayoral elections.

According to the city's election Web site, turnout was about 22.5 percent with about 129,701 ballots cast. That is far less than the 39 percent of voters who cast ballots in the 2005 mayoral campaign.

Election fatigue may be the cause. This is the fourth time Detroiters have gone to the polls in 2009. Today, voters weighed in on a mayor for the next four years as well as a new-look City Council.

Mayor Dave Bing, who beat out challenger Tom Barrow, acknowledged it has been a wearying eight months for Detroit voters, but said today's election was important because it set a slate of officials to help guide the city through what promises to be a tough stretch.

Bing spoke of the "cloud" that continues to hang over the city -- the almost weekly revelations about former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and the opposition he has encountered from unions that oppose his efforts to streamline city operations and handle Detroit's budget crisis.

"I think we have achieved a lot in a short time," Bing said. "The fact of the matter is we can't keep doing what we have been doing. We have to change. We have to move on."

Barrow had characterized today's mayoral contest as choosing between despair and hope.

"I believe Detroit voters know we need change," Barrow said.

Bill Paxton, a 71-year-old Detroiter, voted at River House Apartments and was among the first to vote there in the morning. The mayor's race and a ballot measure to elect council members by district had him at the polls early.

"Voting by district is one of the most important issues," said Paxton, who gave his mayoral vote to Bing. "It would be more representative of the city. You will get to see everybody. It would be more inclusive."

Marvin Morris, a mental health technician, supported Bing and the City Council proposal, as well as backing school and county operation millages. Such measures may be necessary for the city to come out of its current rut.

"The way the county looks at Detroit now is the way people used to look at Cleveland -- our economy, our crime, our dysfunction," Morris said. "We are the new armpit of America, and it's time to change that."

Garvey Wilson, a 43-year-old who works as a vendor at Ford Field, said he believes the city has been through so much scandal and strife for a reason.

"I believe bad times are designed and sent to prepare us for the good times to come," he said. "I believe the political system can suffer and rebound and repair itself because the people will be more careful now."

But among those optimistic notes were others that spoke or frustration and anger.

"I can't afford not to vote if I live in this city," said Veronica Wright, who cast her vote for Barrow. "What's going on in the city of Detroit is not working. We need to change, but we need to be thoughtful and make changes that count."

Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Temperatures didn't top 45 degrees.

Staff writers Darren Nichols, Santiago Esparza, Doug Guthrie and Christine MacDonald contributed to this report.