Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr.Mayor, City of Detroit
Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr. became the City of Detroit’s 61st mayor on September 19, 2008. A native of Detroit, Mayor Cockrel was a former journalist, Wayne County commissioner and community activist. Most recently, he served as President of the Detroit City Council. Mayor Cockrel made history as the youngest person ever elected to City Council in 1997. He was re-elected in 2001 and was elevated to the position of President Pro Tem. Cockrel was elected to his third term in November 2005 and became President as a result of receiving the most votes of any councilmember.
Cockrel has written and passed key legislation improving the quality of life in Wayne County and in the city of Detroit. As a County Commissioner, he strengthened the Wayne County Residency Ordinance and passed an ordinance to prevent overcrowding and early releases from Wayne County jails. As a Detroit City Councilmember, he passed ordinances to prevent the over-concentration of liquor stores and pawn shops in residential neighborhoods; enacted laws establishing safeguards for group homes and adult foster care facilities; and authored ordinances that mandate the prompt payment of all City contractors. As Council President during the 2004 budget deliberations, Cockrel ensured that the Detroit Police Department would continue to receive funding for its Explorers Program, which trains young people in law enforcement by allowing them to work side-by-side with Detroit police officers on community projects.
In 2006, President Cockrel passed an ordinance designating the areas around public libraries, schools, parks, recreation centers, and public pools as drug free zones. The ordinance stiffens the penalties for those who are found to be trafficking illegal narcotics in these areas. Earlier this year, Cockrel launched the Friendly Neighbor Program, a pilot project in partnership with Faith Community Homebuyers. The program seeks to place City-owned homes in need of repair into the hands of residents acquiring homes for the first time. In 2007, Cockrel passed an ordinance that prohibits Detroit Police officers and other City employees from engaging in racial profiling. That same year, Cockrel launched the Detroit City Council Green Task Force, which educates the Detroit community on green principles and encourages green practices in new construction, existing buildings, neighborhood communities, and government operations. Cockrel will continue to lead this initiative as mayor.
Mayor Cockrel has a rich family history in Detroit. He is the son of the late attorney, community activist, and Detroit City Councilman, Kenneth V. Cockrel and Carol Cockrel, a former Detroit Public School teacher. A cum laude graduate of Wayne State University with a bachelor of arts in print journalism, Mayor Cockrel is a former reporter for the Detroit Free Press, the Grand Rapids Press and the Cincinnati Inquirer. He is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University, as well as the Program for State and Local Government Officials at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Mayor Cockrel and his wife, Kimberly, have five children: sons, Kenneth III and Kyle Vincent; and daughters Kennedy Victoria, Kendal Imani, and Kayla Lanette. They are members of Northwest Unity Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit.