DETROIT – What a difference an election cycle makes.
Now, after getting rid of a 100 percent at-large City Council system in favor of districting, of the nine members of the Detroit City Council seven of them must live in the districts or neighborhoods they serve.
That means sitting at the new City Council table come January will be people with diverse ages, diverse experiences, diverse ethnic backgrounds, diverse ideas and, perhaps, the most diverse Detroit City Council ever.
"If you have leaders that only represent one population of people I think there are people that are disenfranchised or not represented. So, I think it's good in terms of broadening representation," said one Detroit voter.
The mayor's office and City Council looked ethnically homogenous in the last election cycle. That's the politically-correct way of saying one race.
Detroit is not an all-black city. Today, the incoming leadership looks a lot more like its demographics.
"The strength of the diversity is you get a different collection of ideas and experiences that all will make it a better city," said another Detroit voter.
Voters say they like the new look of Detroit's leadership.