History
As
early as 1959, the
Village
of
Novi
was considering
becoming a city. There were unsuccessful elections toward
Novi
cityhood in 1959 and 1962. The Novi Village
Council again took formal action toward cityhood in 1966, although
Novi
did not incorporate as a city until 1969. The
Village Council unanimously adopted a resolution in December of 1966 which set
the date for a special election of a Charter Commission and the adoption of the
City Incorporation Proposal. Originally planned for April of 1967, the
special election was delayed due to court proceedings until May of 1968.
Residents
took discussion of cityhood seriously, as well they should have, since this was
a large step toward
Novi
's subsequent growth
and economic vitality. From a grass roots perspective, groups like the
Novi Jaycees and the Willowbrook Community Association had a part in
Novi
's incorporation into a city. Jaycee members
participated in a door to door campaign in support of cityhood, and the
Willowbrook Community Association sponsored open forum meetings to discuss the
overall issue.
The special election in May of 1968 had 6,902
residents turn out to cast their votes for the charter commission. The
population (per the 1970 census) was 9,668. The top nine candidates
receiving the most votes became the Charter Commission which had the
responsibility of drafting
Novi
's first city
charter. The original members of the Charter Commission were Raymond H.
Evans, Joseph Crupi, William L. Duey, Denis M. Berry, A. Russel Button, William
D. Brinker, Edwin E. Presnell, J.F. Buck and David S. Harrison. The
Incorporation Proposal on the ballot passed with a total of 694 votes to 283.
The first meeting of the new Novi City
Council was called to order by Raymond Evans, the chairman of the Charter
Commission, who administered the oath of office to Mayor Joseph Crupi. It
is at this meeting that the Council of seven members, including the Mayor was
established, and the organizational rules of the new charter took effect.
Historic
American
Engineering
Record
Grand River
Avenue
Bridge
(
US Route
16 Bridge)
Location: Spanning the
Chesapeake
and
Ohio
Railroad, City of
Novi
,
Oakland County
,
Michigan
USGS Northville Quadrangle
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