Vetoes aren’t just polite refusals. They're vital checks of power between executive and legislative branches, at every level of government. 

But when the city council doesn’t grasp how vetoes work, things can get heated.

During a recent city council meeting in Highland Park, confusion over veto authority sparked a heated moment with a dramatic walk‑out by Council Member Khursheed Ash-Shafii. 

The city council had previously voted to cease a contract with the consulting firm McKenna. The mayor vetoed that decision and then the city council was tasked with upholding or overruling the Mayor’s veto, per the city’s charter, at the Aug. 4th meeting. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Detroit Documenters Caitlin Santer and Lynelle Herndon to unpack the tension and decipher what went wrong. 

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