Poll: Watson, Talabi could be in trouble for re-election

The Detroit News

Detroit --A new poll claims the Detroit City Council campaign has become a two-person race for the presidency, and two incumbents -- JoAnn Watson and Alberta Tinsley-Talabi -- could be in trouble.

The poll found former broadcaster Charles Pugh is widening his lead over City Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr., while Watson is within striking distance of making the cut and Talabi is falling to the back of the pack. The top vote-getter leads the council, according to city rules.

"It looks like it's a two-person race," said Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, which commissioned the poll by Practical Political Consulting. "Pugh has widened his lead to the biggest one so far .... and it's possible we could have only three incumbents left after Nov. 3."

The outfit has used automated calls to survey about 1,000 residents every two weeks since Aug. 16, two weeks after the primary that whittled the field to 18 for the Nov. 3 general election for the nine-member panel. While so-called "robo calls" have been controversial, pollster Mark Grebner has used them throughout the year during city elections and accurately predicted the outcomes of mayoral races and the council primary.

The top nine candidates, according to the poll are: Pugh, 70 percent; Cockrel, 60 percent; former Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown, 56 percent; former council aide Saunteel Jenkins, 54 percent; Councilwoman Brenda Jones, 50 percent; Councilman Kwame Kenyatta, 46 percent; former police spokesman James Tate, 42 percent; businessman Jai-Lee Dearing, 42 percent; and former police Lt. Shelley Foy, 39 percent.

The bottom nine, according to the poll, are: the Rev. Andre Spivey, 38 percent; Watson, 37 percent; accountant Lisa Howze, 36 percent; businessman Fred Elliott Hall, 35 percent; Police Officer John Bennett, 33 percent; Talabi, 32 percent; former social worker Mohamed Okdie, 28 percent; community activist Raphael B. Johnson, 23 percent and real estate developer David Cross, 23 percent.