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Janee Ayers
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Janee Ayers is running for election for an at-large seat of the Detroit City Council in Michigan. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. She advanced from the primary on August 5, 2025.
Ayers was an at-large member of the Detroit City Council in Michigan. She assumed office on February 17, 2015. She left office on January 1, 2022.
Biography
Ayers graduated from Renaissance High School in Detroit, and then received a bachelor's degree in political science and public policy from Bowling Green State University. Her professional experience includes working as a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools, as a political director for UNITE HERE Local 24, and as vice president of Metro Detroit AFL-CIO.[1][2]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Detroit, Michigan (2025)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Detroit City Council At-large (2 seats)
Incumbent Mary Waters, incumbent Coleman Young II, Janee Ayers, and James Harris are running in the general election for Detroit City Council At-large on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Mary Waters (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Coleman Young II (Nonpartisan) | |
| Janee Ayers (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | James Harris (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Detroit City Council At-large (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Detroit City Council At-large on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Waters (Nonpartisan) | 32.8 | 47,845 |
| ✔ | | Coleman Young II (Nonpartisan) | 32.1 | 46,751 |
| ✔ | Janee Ayers (Nonpartisan) | 13.8 | 20,051 | |
| ✔ | | James Harris (Nonpartisan) | 7.3 | 10,649 |
 | Shakira Lynn Hawkins (Nonpartisan) | 6.0 | 8,694 | |
 | Valerie Parker (Nonpartisan) | 2.9 | 4,299 | |
| Gary Hunter (Nonpartisan) | 2.4 | 3,471 | ||
 | Levan Adams (Nonpartisan) | 2.3 | 3,388 | |
| Theodore Dorsette (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 16 | ||
| Patricia Hurt (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Anthony Walker (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Jenika-Renee' Whitehead (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 637 | ||
| Total votes: 145,806 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Victoria Collier (Nonpartisan)
- Ramon Jackson (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2021
See also: City elections in Detroit, Michigan (2021)
General election
General election for Detroit City Council At-large (2 seats)
Coleman Young II and Mary Waters defeated incumbent Janee Ayers and Nicole Small in the general election for Detroit City Council At-large on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Coleman Young II (Nonpartisan) | 31.3 | 48,380 |
| ✔ | | Mary Waters (Nonpartisan) | 26.9 | 41,678 |
| Janee Ayers (Nonpartisan) | 25.2 | 39,001 | ||
| Nicole Small (Nonpartisan) | 16.4 | 25,306 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 402 | ||
| Total votes: 154,767 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Detroit City Council At-large (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Detroit City Council At-large on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Janee Ayers (Nonpartisan) | 30.9 | 34,514 | |
| ✔ | | Coleman Young II (Nonpartisan) | 30.5 | 34,159 |
| ✔ | | Mary Waters (Nonpartisan) | 23.3 | 26,028 |
| ✔ | Nicole Small (Nonpartisan) | 10.7 | 11,990 | |
| Jermain Jones (Nonpartisan) | 4.2 | 4,647 | ||
| Oneita Jackson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.1 | 78 | ||
 | Royce Kinniebrew (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 30 | |
| Debra Eddington-Loper (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 26 | ||
| Tonya Wells (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 380 | ||
| Total votes: 111,853 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Steven Lett (Nonpartisan)
2017
The city of Detroit, Michigan, held elections for mayor, city council, city clerk, and the Detroit Board of Police Commisisoners on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on August 8, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 25, 2017.[3]
Incumbent Brenda Jones and incumbent Janee Ayers defeated Mary Waters and Beverly Kindle-Walker in the general election for two at-large seats on the Detroit City Council.
| Detroit City Council, At-large General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Brenda Jones Incumbent |
42.57% | 71,306 |
| Janee Ayers Incumbent |
28.72% | 48,103 |
| Mary Waters | 19.53% | 32,717 |
| Beverly Kindle-Walker | 8.67% | 14,522 |
| Write-in votes | 0.51% | 859 |
| Total Votes | 167,507 | |
| Source: Wayne County, Michigan, "2017 November 7th General & Special General Election Official Results," November 7, 2017 | ||
Incumbent Brenda Jones, incumbent Janee Ayers, Mary Waters, and Beverly Kindle-Walker defeated Alisa McKinney in the primary election for two at-large seats on the Detroit City Council.[4]
| Detroit City Council, At-large Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Brenda Jones Incumbent |
45.05% | 46,110 |
| Janee Ayers Incumbent |
25.15% | 25,742 |
| Mary Waters |
16.79% | 17,190 |
| Beverly Kindle-Walker |
6.44% | 6,587 |
| Alisa McKinney | 6.04% | 6,185 |
| Write-in votes | 0.53% | 545 |
| Total Votes | 102,359 | |
| Source: Wayne County Clerk, "2017 Primary Official Results," accessed August 23, 2017 | ||
Endorsements
Ayers received the following endorsements in 2017:[5]
- UNITE HERE!
- American Federation of Teachers-Michigan
- Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union Local 2
- Detroit Fire Fighters Association
- Detroit Police Lieutenants and Sergeants Association
- Int'l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 58
- Int'l Union of Painters and Allied Trades District 1M
- Ironworkers Local 25
- Laborers Local 1191
- Metro AFL-CIO
- Michigan Association of Police Organizations
- Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council
- Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights
- Operating Engineers Local 324
- Pipefitters Local 636
- Roofers and Waterproofers Local 149
- Service Employees International Union
- Teamsters Joint Council #43
- United Auto Works (UAW-VCAP)
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 876
- 13th Congressional District Democratic Party
- 14th Congressional District Democratic Party
- The Black Slate
- Senator Gary Peters (D)
- Congressman John Conyers (D)
- Congresswomen Brenda Lawrence (D)
- Mayor Mike Duggan
- Council President [Brenda Jones
- Council President Pro Tem George Cushingberry Jr.
- Council Member James Tate
- Council Member Scott Benson
- Council Member André Spivey
- Council Member Mary Sheffield
- Council Member Gabe Leland
- County Executive Warren Evans
- Sheriff Benny Napoleon
- Treasurer Eric Sabree
- Commissioner Alisha Bell
- Commissioner Irma Clark-Coleman
- Commissioner Tim Killeen
- Commissioner Burton Leland
- Commissioner Jewel Ware
- Senator Coleman Young II (D)
- Senator Bert Johnson (D)
- Senator Morris Hood (D)
- Senator Ian Conyers (D)
- Senator David Knezek (D)
- Representative Wendell Byrd (D)
- Representative Fred Durhal III (D)
- Representative Stephanie Chang (D)
- Representative Rose Mary Robinson (D)
- Representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (D)
- Representative LaTanya Garrett (D)
- Representative Leslie Love (D)
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2021
Janee Ayers did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Ayers participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[6] The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Sustained population growth is a key issue facing Detroit into the future. Conseqeuntly, we must address the historic and substantial barriers to population growth like insurance rates (both auto and homeowners) that make living in the city comparatively and unfairly expensive compared to neighboring suburbs; our struggling public school system; and the lack of truly regional transit that keeps Detroiters from having access to economic, social and educational opportunities outside the city. Removing the barriers to long-term population growth is more than a single issue and it will take more than simply the city government infrastructure to fix it them. We will need an unprecedented coalition of leaders: in federal, state, county and city government; business leaders; and labor and community leaders working together to make difficult decisions. As we saw in the great recession, as goes Detroit, so goes Michigan. Building a vibrant and growing Detroit will benefit the entire state.[7] | ” |
| —Janee Ayers (June 19, 2017)[1] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| Crime reduction/prevention | Recreational opportunities | ||
| Transportation | Government transparency | ||
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | Environment | ||
| Public pensions/retirement funds | K-12 education | ||
| Housing | Unemployment | ||
| Civil rights | Homelessness | ||
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| State | |
| Public outreach/education programs. When I was barely 6 years old, my loving, educated and hard-working father fell into a life of drug abuse and repeated incarceration. That experience changed the trajectory of my life and was singularly formative in making me who I am today. Every month, nearly 200 former inmates come back home to Detroit. Nearly 75% will commit a crime again – one of the highest rates in the nation. For their sake and ours, we must work to make our city safer by reducing recidivism and ensuring that every returning citizen has a chance to become a productive member of society. I am proud to have created and chair the Detroit Taskforce on Returning Citizens where we are working to remove the nearly insurmountable barriers to reintegration | |
| Focusing on small business development. I represent the city At-Large, so I consider appropriate development anywhere progress. However, I am keenly aware of the disproportionate investment being made in certain parts of the city while other areas remain stagnant. I spent many years working with Detroit youth in summer and after-school programs so I am always keen to see projects that provide safe and fun spaces for our kids, in their own neighborhoods. As well, I believe we must continue to encourage developments that foster sustainable neighborhoods with an enhanced quality of life for residents like shopping, recreation and access to services. | |
| Our resilience. | |
| Two parts.
a. First, I want to ensure that Detroit’s greatest asset – its human capital—sees the same focus and investment that we see downtown, on the riverfront and in midtown. As we rebuild the city, bring new industries and employers, and invest in our infrastructure, we must ensure that economic opportunities are open to Detroiters and Detroit businesses. With aggressive and accountable inclusion programs, for example, we can ensure that Detroit’s challenged workforce has access to skills training and placement in good-paying jobs. b. Second, I want strengthen and build sustainable and thriving neighborhoods where families, senior and youth have access to shopping, amenities, services and good schools nearby. |
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Janee Ayers's Responses," June 19, 2017
- ↑ Janee Ayers campaign website, "About," accessed June 21, 2017
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announces re-election bid," February 4, 2017
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "It's official: 8 Detroit mayoral candidates will be on primary ballot," May 11, 2017
- ↑ Janee Ayers campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed June 21, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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