Judge throws out lawsuit over Warren City Council

MOUNT CLEMENS (AP) -- A judge has thrown out a lawsuit over changes to the way City Council members in the Detroit suburb of Warren are elected. Macomb County Court Circuit Judge Matthew Switalski on Tuesday made the decision after hearing arguments about the case. Voters amended the city charter last year to switch to mostly election by districts. The lawsuit was filed earlier this month by Eugene Sawyer and Dean Berry, two at-large candidates in the November election. They claim the Warren Tea Party circulated misleading petitions about the proposed changes. Their lawyer plans to appeal. The group says it was upfront about the proposals and was pleased with the judge's decision. The revised charter shrinks council from nine to seven members and makes five seats elected by district and two at-large. Published: Thu, May 26, 2011