Authentically Detroit
Authentically Detroit is the leading podcast in the city for candid conversations, exchanging progressive ideas, and centering resident perspectives on current events.
Hosted by Donna Givens Davidson and Orlando P. Bailey.
Produced by Sarah Johnson and Engineered by Griffin Hutchings.
Check us out on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @AuthenticallyDetroit!
Authentically Detroit
2025 Mayoral Candidate Debate
Last weekend Authentically Detroit teamed up with Daily Detroit, Outlier Media, and Eastside Community Network to bring together some of the top polling candidates in the running to become Detroit’s 76th Mayor!
Candidates in Attendance:
- Fred Durhal III
- Saunteel Jenkins
- Todd Perkins
- Mary Sheffield
The debate included questions and topics specifically highlighted by the audience members. If you’re interested in watching the full debate, click here.
Hey y'all, it's Orlando. We just want to let you know that the views and opinions expressed during this podcast episode are those of the co-hosts and guests and not their sponsoring institutions. Now let's and the world. Welcome to a collaborative episode of the Authentically Detroit podcast and the Daily Detroit Podcast. In collaboration with Outlier Media, we are broadcasting live from the Stoudemire Wellness Hub inside of the Eastside Community Network. I am Orlando Bailey.
Speaker 2:I'm Dinah Gibbons-Davidson.
Speaker 3:And I'm Jer Stays.
Speaker 1:Be sure to like, rate and subscribe to Daily and Authentically Detroit, wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3:Yes, today we are happy to bring you our 2025 mayoral candidate debate. This debate is brought to you in partnership with Daily Detroit, outlier Media and the Eastside Community Network. This debate is also live streaming on Daily Detroit's YouTube page. This debate will be moderated by myself, my colleagues Donna Givens-Davidson and Orlando Bailey. Special thanks to Higher Heights for America PAC for sponsoring the food here at the debate.
Speaker 2:Higher Heights for America is the only political action committee exclusively dedicated to electing more progressive black women at the federal and statewide levels and as mayors in the 100 most populated US cities. Both Solomon Kinloch and former Chief James Craig confirmed attendance for today's event. Before pulling out, however, you can still check out their interviews with Authentically Detroit anywhere you get your podcast and once again, visit menteecom and enter the codes 23659981 to participate in today's poll.
Speaker 1:Yesterday, Outlier Media rolled out our Meet your Mayor quiz, which is a chance to see where you and all nine candidates, plus two write-ins, stand on important questions related to safety, neighborhood conditions, housing and more. Each candidate has already taken the quiz. Upon your completion, the quiz will tell you which candidate most likely aligns with your views. Special thanks to the city of New York for sharing this incredible resource with us. We hope that Detroiters will use this as they fill out their absentees or in the ballot box in August and November. Visit outliermediaorg to take the quiz today and get your match Again. That's outliermediaorg.
Speaker 3:There is a live audience here and they have promised to remain silent throughout the duration of today's forum, except for right now. Hear it out loud. Let's hear you, Detroit. Please help us welcome four of the candidates in the race to become Detroit's 76th mayor Councilman Fred Durhall, Sontiel Jenkins, Todd Perkins and Council President Mary Sheffield.
Speaker 2:The parameters for today's debate are simple. Each candidate will have the opportunity to give two-minute opening remarks uninterrupted. We will direct questions to candidates and they will have 90 seconds to respond. We will allow for 30-second rebuttals if a candidate makes a direct claim at another candidate. If time permits, each candidate will be allowed two minutes for closing remarks uninterrupted.
Speaker 3:We have randomly pulled names to determine who gets to go first. And Sontiel Jenkins. You have two minutes for your opening remarks. The order of candidates for opening remarks will be Sontiel, councilman Fred Durhall, todd Perkins and Council President Mary Sheffield. So.
Speaker 4:Sontiel, first of all, thank you all for hosting this debate and thank you for what you do every day to make our city and our democracy stronger. I am Sontiel Jenkins, a proud Detroiter and proud candidate for mayor. I am running for mayor because I want Detroit to be a place where all Detroiters can grow, live and thrive, not just survive, and thrive, not just survive. I want Detroit to be a place where children can achieve their highest potential, live out their greatest dreams. I want to be a mayor who is known as the champion for education across this city, because we need to have stronger schools to have a stronger city and, yes, I do know that the mayor does not control the schools. But in order to have a stronger city and, yes, I do know that the mayor does not control the schools, but in order to have a stronger city we have to have an education system where all of our children can fulfill their greatest dreams.
Speaker 4:Frederick Douglass said it is easier to raise strong boys than repair broken men. I want Detroit to be a city where we are raising strong boys and girls, no matter what zip code you live in, so that we can have a city full of strong men and women. Thank you.
Speaker 3:All right. Next up, Councilman Fred Durhall.
Speaker 5:Thank you and good morning to you all, and thank you to all of our hosts today and all of you again joining us. I'm Detroit City Council Member Fred Durhall. I serve Detroit's 7th District. Prior to serving on Detroit City Council, I served two terms in the Michigan Legislature and my first term served as the Assistant Democratic Leader of the House. My second term the Ranking Democrat Democrat over house appropriations and our budget Left there went to work for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority for two years helping folks get connected to paths to home ownership as well as affordable housing, and then ran for city council, where I chair budget, finance and audit and the vice chair of planning and economic development.
Speaker 5:I am running for mayor of the city of Detroit because we are in a critical time and a pivotal time here in our city. Our city has come a very long way, but we still have a very long way to go and in order to have continued growth here in the city of Detroit, we need experienced leadership. I am the only candidate that is running in this race that has served on the state level of government and now on the city level of government, so we come with a wealth of experience. My vision is simple I want to create a Detroit that is for families again, that have safer neighborhoods, that have cleaner neighborhoods, but also opportunity for folks who can get by, those who are in the middle class, that missing middle, that make too much to qualify for the subsidies and programs that we provide but still don't make enough to feel like they're getting by.
Speaker 5:I am running for you to ensure that we close the gap here in the city of Detroit, make it equitable for everyone and create opportunity for everyone to grow, whether that's our families, whether that's small business and whether that is us. Fixing our neighborhoods, commercial corridors, improving public safety and public transit here in this city will continue to push and make Detroit the world-class city that I know. We and all of us know that it can be. So thank you so much. I look forward to sharing more of my vision with you this morning.
Speaker 3:All right, todd Perkins Good morning.
Speaker 6:My name is Todd Perkins and I'm asking for your support. I'm asking for your vote on August 5th, but I am an individual who is running for mayor, just like everyone else here. But again, when we talk about experience, let me tell you a little bit about myself, because what I am running for is to restore leadership to the city of Detroit. That's what's been missing. And when you talk about leadership, what you're talking about is putting Detroiters first, and I think that's what's been missing over the past eons. And that's one of the things. When you put Detroiters first.
Speaker 6:I think we can all agree that we're going to have to do more with less. We have a lot ahead of us. We have I would describe it more so we've stopped the free fall that Detroit has been in, but we can't say how far we've gone when we look at certain articles and we look at certain media resources that indicate that we're the second least favorable city to raise a family in the United States, behind Memphis. So we have to understand that, and just understanding where we're at it's not a negative thing and it's not anything to go on, but we have to have a baseline. I'm here to give you the facts. I'm here to give you the information and I'm here to give you that leadership that's necessary.
Speaker 6:I'm the only lawyer that's running and I think it's very critical when we're dealing in these constitutionally challenged times to have a lawyer at the forefront, and that's what I intend to do. As a city attorney in Inkster, former city attorney in Highland Park, I work as city attorney in some capacity for the city of Detroit and the city of Detroit city council. I understand both administration and I understand legislative, so I understand all those things. I have run a law firm for 28 years and I continue in downtown Detroit. The only thing different in me transitioning from mayor is I'm going to change that address from 615 Griswold to 2 Woodward on the 11th floor. I intend to bring that to you and bring you listen to the source and listen to the feel that you get from the answers that you receive and that's how you make your decision today and going forward. Share that information. I trust that you will and I look forward to your vote.
Speaker 3:Thank forward, share that information. I trust that you will and I look forward to your vote. Thank you All right. Council President Mary Sheffield.
Speaker 7:Thank you and good morning everyone, and thank you so much for hosting us this beautiful morning. I am honored to be here and let me just start off by saying it has been an absolute honor to serve the city of Detroit for the last 12 years. I was the youngest ever elected to the city council, at the age of 26, and I wore that with honor to show my leadership and to feel that it was my obligation to ensure that I'm serving this city with integrity and ensure that I'm delivering for everyday Detroiters. We have accomplished a lot Detroit together, whether it's saving the home repair grant program here in Detroit so our seniors have access to home repair grants. To ensuring that families now have access to an attorney if they're being evicted through right to counsel. To creating the city's first ever neighborhood beautification grant, where over 80 organizations have access to beautification grants to beautify their neighborhoods. Or the first ever housing trust fund, just to name a few.
Speaker 7:But we know that there's still far more work to do and while serving on the council, I have tried my best to always advocate and push for more for Detroiters. While I've been a partner in the growth, people know that I've also have pushed back. I have challenged the status quo. I have also stood alone when need be to ensure that we're getting a return on our investment and ensuring that Detroiters of all incomes and backgrounds are represented here in the city of Detroit.
Speaker 7:I am running for mayor because there is still far much more work to do in this city. We know that we have to ensure that this city, our neighborhoods and everyday Detroiters long-term Detroiters are benefiting from the growth of our city, and so I believe my job and my responsibility is to increase the quality of life of everyday Detroiters. We'll do that by ensuring that there's housing that is affordable, that our educational system is improved, that our neighborhoods are redeveloped and invested in, that public safety is strengthened and that we're building our middle class by providing good, livable wage jobs and ensuring that Detroiters are prepared for those jobs as well. I will also encourage that we also dig a little bit deeper into the work that we've done over the last 12 years, because this amount of time will not allow us to get everything out.
Speaker 1:Thank you, council President. Thank you, president Sheffield. We're here on the east side and Jefferson Chalmers has endured repeated flooding over a decade from sewer backups and rising river levels. Since 2020, a wide range of proposals have been put forward to address this crisis. These include city led infrastructure upgrades, a proposed 20 million dollar canal floodgate system, a community driven alternative known as the Water Project, a community-driven alternative known as the Water Project, which would invest $41 million into parcel-based shoreline defenses, and over $30 million in potential state and federal funding for flood resistance.
Speaker 1:So here are the questions. If you are elected mayor, how would you build on these existing proposals to reduce flooding in Jefferson-Chalmers? Will you support the city's canal floodgate plan or do you prefer community alternatives like the Water Project? How would your administration prioritize incoming state and federal funding to protect low-income residents and preserve the neighborhood's water access, housing and character? And finally, what will you do to ensure transparency and meaningful community input during the design and construction of a long-term flood protection? We're going to start with Council President Sheffield. You have 90 seconds to respond to such a big question.
Speaker 7:Yes, thank you so much. I think this is a definitely a very important topic and I'll say a couple of things. Yes, you have my commitment to build upon the work that has already been done. We're going to continue to aggressively go after state and federal funding to ensure that the funding is available for infrastructure and continue to use what we have existingly. But, most importantly, the neighborhood has uplifted a lot of concerns, a lot of issues and a lot of alternatives that I think should be respected and should be valued, and so, throughout this entire process, as money comes in and as ideas come forth, the community should always be front and center of that decision making process.
Speaker 7:I know another big issue is removing the designation of the floodplain zone, which prevents a lot of funding coming to this community, which I will aggressively work to change and remove at the federal level as well. Also, I have to give it up for Councilmember Johnson, who I'm going to work with. Hopefully, as mayor she's going to continue her seat in District 4. She has done a lot of groundwork around this issue and working collaboratively with our council and the community to uplift forthcoming proposals to address the issue of infrastructure. Lastly, I would say it's just not the far east side in District 4. District 5 and other areas of Detroit when it rains also experiences flooding and basement backups. So we have to continue to invest in our infrastructure and aggressively go after grants, federal and state funding. We know the environment has changed, but we still have to continue to go after additional funding as well.
Speaker 1:Thank you, President. Sheffield Ty Perkins, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 6:Thank you so much. It is a very important question and I think President Seffield has brought up a lot of issues, one being that it's just not just the east side, it is. You know, I went into Councilman Durhall's district and there's certain areas in his district where it could be a sprinkle and just not even a rain like we had earlier this morning, and people's basements flood. So the distribution of assets that we receive have to be spread equitably behind the around the city. Now again, this area right here, because we're here, the focus is here today, but I'm always Detroit is first. So I have to be thinking about how everyone is affected and how we have to restore our infrastructure. Many of these areas have 100-year-old systems that have yet to see any improvement, and so going after those federal grants and going after that additional funding is absolutely necessary, and you need someone who knows how to advocate and knows how to find those dollars.
Speaker 6:I've done it for the cities, the distressed cities that I've worked for. I'll do it for the city of Detroit Also. What I want to do is educate our homeowners and teach them. There's a lot of grant funding around rain gardens, and what a rain garden is is something that will absorb flooding outside of people's homes, and they can be qualified through a grant on how to do that. They're doing it at St Suzanne, over in the 7th District, and it's a magnificent thing and it also will save people money. They can get a set-aside or a write-off from the Water Department if you can establish the effectiveness of your rain garden. So there are little things. I won't say little things. There are a lot of things that we can do, and being innovative is one of them All right.
Speaker 1:Thank you, todd Perkins. Councilman Durhall, you have 90 seconds, thank you.
Speaker 5:I would say to you this is a very important issue, particularly near and dear to my heart. The first half of my childhood I grew up in the Jefferson-Chalmers area on Ashland Street and had a canal in my backyard my backyard and I can remember going out there with my dad putting sandbags against the fence every time that it rained too much and it was flooded. I remember not having the ability to go into our basement and water bugs being in the basement, and that is the reality that some of our residents live with today. The problem is is that we kicked the can down the road for too long and we do have grant funding that comes here, whether it's federal or whether through the state, but we have not worked in a strategic, collaborative effort, even with our community partners, to design what that plan looks like for them.
Speaker 5:You talk about the community water project. You talk about Jay Jergeson, someone who has been boots on the ground. You talk about the Community Water Project. You talk about Jay Jurgensen, someone who has been boots on the ground. You talk about Council Member Johnson as well in that district, who represents that area. I think we have to listen more to that community and what they want to see, and whether that's adding more water retention basins or whether that is investing more in a basement backup protection plan or taking folks' designation out of the floodplain so when it does flood they are prevented from getting FEMA assistance right. I think those are comprehensive ways that we can move forward, but if we don't work in a collaborative effort to secure that funding, then put the money in the right places. We are going to have an issue here, and so I am going to be looking forward to sitting down with all the partners to develop a strategic plan.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Councilman Durha Santil Jenkins, 90 seconds.
Speaker 4:Thank you, I agree. I think that planning is going to be so important. It's why I will have a strategic master plan for each of the seven districts, and the planning for District 4 will include mitigation for flooding. We will work with community organizations, and I think the solution, first of all, is a combination of multiple things. There isn't just one solution.
Speaker 4:Especially as climate change continues to get worse, as a community, we will have to build more resiliency into everything we do, and that will require community input. It will require federal and state funding and it will require us adequately using the funding sources that are currently there. There is currently over $300 million available for green infrastructure. We should be going after those dollars to help mitigate some of the flooding in this community, but also utilizing them for workforce development, so we're training Detroiters to do the work that is needed to reduce the flooding that is happening in the community. And then, lastly, I will say that since 2020, we've received nearly a billion dollars in infrastructure funding. We should have seen a lot of this work already done in the city. Thank you.
Speaker 3:So for our second question, we're going to focus on single-family neighborhood housing. Detroit has more than 30,000 vacant lots and thousands of empty homes. Vacant lots and thousands of empty homes. Yet despite strong demand for home ownership, we've seen very little new construction or large-scale rehab of affordable single-family homes. Under Mayor Duggan, most public housing dollars and incentives have supported large apartment projects and only a small fraction has gone toward rebuilding homes for families who want to own. Rehabbing a house or building a new one often costs more than it's worth and without help to close that gap, many neighborhoods are left behind. So here is the question If you are elected mayor, what specific actions would you take to increase the construction and rehabilitation of affordable single-family homes in Detroit's neighborhoods? Would you commit new public funds to close the appraisal gap? Would you change land bank policies, zoning or permitting to make small-scale development easier, and how would you work with the state, federal government or philanthropic partners to make this happen? Sontiel Jenkins, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 4:Yes to all of the above. I would utilize affordable housing bonds to build more affordable housing of all kinds at every level, including single family homes. I think it's really important that when we talk about affordable housing, we understand that that means something different to different people. A family who's starting out needs a different kind of affordable housing than a senior who is retired and on a fixed income. So we have to have housing at every level for folks throughout our community, and I would utilize those housing bonds not only to incentivize developers to build affordable housing, but I would also utilize it to make it easier and cheaper for small developers, community-based developers, black and brown developers to build that housing throughout the city of Detroit. And I would also add senior housing. It's very important as we travel throughout this city visiting senior facilities. The condition of some of the facilities is just horrific, so I will also make that a priority to build high quality affordable housing for our seniors. Thank you.
Speaker 3:All right.
Speaker 5:Fred Durhall, thank you. So one of the first things that I'll do is expand ordinance that I've currently sponsored, which is the pilot fast track ordinance, which is slated to create over 1400 new affordable housing units per year here in the city of Detroit. That passed council and that is for multifamily, but I'd love to go back and open that up for single family to allow smaller and minority developers to get that incentive to build in our neighborhoods. Oftentimes what we see in these spotty areas that are not contiguous with those parcels, oftentimes what we see in these spotty areas that are not contiguous with those parcels, folks don't have the money to build brand new housing. So we're going to need developers to come in and as I talk to smaller developers and minority developers in groups like reed here, which is a black collaborative of developers, they would love the ability to be go to go into those neighborhoods and build that single familyfamily housing with the same type of incentives that we provide to build multi-family housing. So we'll work to expand that.
Speaker 5:The second thing is that we have to work with our state partners, such as MSHDA. You know I come from the State Housing Development Authority and I've seen across the state where they have the opportunity to put infill housing in neighborhoods, as well as utilize modular housing in some areas where it's conducive. So we can do that here in the city of Detroit, because the most important thing that we have to do is rebuild neighborhoods here, and we've got to give those who want to rebuild those neighborhoods our smaller and minority developers access to capital and the ability to be able to complete those projects where it doesn't exacerbate their funds.
Speaker 3:All right, todd Perkins.
Speaker 6:Yes, I would start off as Ms Jenkins said yes to everything, yes to all those questions. So what does that mean? But let's take a step back. The question should be taken very seriously and people listen to that question, because a lot of the housing and when we talk about units of housing, we're not talking about single-family homes and that is.
Speaker 6:You know, detroit is always, as the city that I've grown up in, is a city of families, and these are units, these are studios and one-bedroom units. So there definitely has to be an intentionality behind building single family homes. So we take those. You know there's a confluence of different things that we would have in doing it. But it would start with the neighborhood input Because in my vision, in my plan, in the Perkins administration plan, it's the neighborhood organizations that are going to be at the seat of the table as you create a master plan of where housing should be, what type of housing and what's going to be most effective for the development of that neighborhood, also infusing in there how you're going to build up that neighborhood economically.
Speaker 6:But you have access to resources through MISHTA. You have the federal funding that comes through HUD, so I do envision reallocating those funds to put a priority on rebuilding and rehabbing those homes, because we do have a land bank with a lot of properties. A lot of them have been distributed, but we want to use that land bank effectively. We also want to make it more effective for small businesses and small developers to not encounter the red tape that has been obstreperous to them being able to do it efficiently and economically. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Mary Sheffield.
Speaker 7:Thank you. So Detroit at one point was the mecca of home ownership. You know, when we talk about the great migration and everyone moving up to Detroit, they came here because they had an opportunity to own a home, they had a path to prosperity, their dreams can be realized, they had good paying jobs, et cetera, and I would love to see Detroit get back to a place where we are once again leading in homeownership. People oftentimes ask me where do you and Mayor Duggan or the administration differ? And I would say this is actually a prime example.
Speaker 7:My time on council, I have always pushed for the path to homeownership in the city, investing in more single-family homes.
Speaker 7:When the ARPA funding came to Detroit $826 million, we have it on record we submitted a memo that $100 million should be set aside to actually invest in developing infield housing in Detroit. And again, this is an example of where sometimes we differ. So, my administration yes, we will use every tool that you just mentioned and more. The same way that developers can go to the DEGC and get tax abatements for residential multifamily projects, the same way they should be able to do it for building single family homes. So, yes, we will utilize any tool necessary to ensure that we're building more homeowners here in the city of Detroit. We also have proposed in our vision, within the housing department, an office of housing rights and homeownership to keep families in their homes, number one, but also to create and transition more renters into homeowners and then, lastly, those residents. Well, I can't continue because my time is up, but thank you so much All right, let's talk about how Detroit spends its tax dollars.
Speaker 2:Since the city's bankruptcy, billions in public subsidies have supported downtown development, including new stadiums, skyscrapers and office towers. Much of that funding has come through the Downtown Development Authority, which uses tax capture to redirect property tax revenue away from schools, parks, libraries and the city's general fund. In 2023 alone, the DDA captured over $60 million in tax revenue funds that could have gone to basic services or neighborhood investment. Meanwhile, many Detroit neighborhoods still struggle with blight, poor infrastructure and underinvestment. Black and Detroit-based developers also say they've been shut out of the city's biggest projects. So here's the question If you are elected mayor, what specific steps will you take to rebalance development between downtown and the neighborhoods? Would you support changes to the Downtown Development Authority? Did you redirect some of its tax revenue back to public services, and how would you ensure Detroit-based and black developers have an equal opportunity to shape the future of this city? You have 90 seconds to respond, starting with Mary. Starting with Mary. Mary Sheffield. I'm sorry. Yes, I'm sorry.
Speaker 7:That was four questions in 90 seconds. Let me try to get through them all. One, I'll say, with DDA. We all know I issued a report to re-examine the DDA whether or not it has reached its intent in which it was set out to do. I encourage everyone to read that.
Speaker 7:Yes, I do think that as a city we have to look at how we better capitalize on the economic activity I should say that is happening in downtown Detroit.
Speaker 7:So, whether that's extending the boundary, whether that's duplicating that model and moving it back into our neighborhoods, I do think we have to be creative in how we encourage more of that growth to benefit our neighborhoods. One model, an example of what I've already done, is created the Neighborhood Improvement Fund. 20 percent of all commercial sales now goes into a fund that can only be used for neighborhood development. When the Detroit Pistons came downtown Detroit, I created a deal that captures all of the income taxes from that arena that goes into a fund that can only be used for neighborhood development. So we have to be creative in our approach in that regard that actually creates and directs funding from downtown Detroit into our neighborhoods. So yes, I will explore methods. I do think that downtown Detroit, we all know has developed and we have to figure out ways now to bring that same economic growth back into our neighborhoods. So we will be innovative in our approach, like the Neighborhood Improvement Fund that captures funds and brings it back into our neighborhoods.
Speaker 2:All right, todd Perkins, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 6:Thank you, and yes, I do I would. I, as the leader of the city of Detroit, would convene all the parties who are at who this affects. And that affects everyone. That affects big business, because they're downtown. That affects the neighborhoods, as an individual who's been termed the neighborhood mayor, obviously it's the neighborhoods and Detroiters first that I'm looking at. So I would evaluate how the DDA. Has the DDA lived out its mission? Does the DDA need to continue?
Speaker 6:But I wouldn't make any haphazard decisions as I sit here today, and that's the reason why I've proposed a full-scale audit not just of city's finances but also the departments and those agencies that interplay and work with the city of Detroit, because these agencies and the authority itself has to be for the benefit of Detroiters.
Speaker 6:So again, does it mean that we stop development or do we sit at the table and developers or, excuse me, big business says we're going to stop developing if the DDA ceases to exist? I don't think that's going to happen, but through effective leadership and communication of all the people and all the players. There's one thing about it and I have to take a segue, is that those people who are most affected, like representatives of the school system and of the libraries. Those people most affected by the DDA would have a seat at the table in how we design this plan and using that master plan to help develop our city on a long-term basis. So again, I am looking at all avenues and all access to resources as to how we can move forward. But to move so quickly and to say I'm going to dissolve it right now, I think that would be haphazard. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Fred Durhall, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 5:Thank you. When people go to Nevada, they don't go there to go to Reno, they go there to go to Las Vegas. When people go to North Carolina, they don't go there for Riley Durham, they go there to go to Charlotte. And when they go to Illinois, they don't go there to go to Peoria, they go there to go to Chicago. We want folks to come to the city of Detroit and we've got to utilize every tool necessary. Now. Does that mean we utilize the DDA for another 50 years?
Speaker 5:No, I think we can have a realistic approach of setting a sunset of when we stop utilizing the DDA.
Speaker 5:But right now I would work to expand the DDA because I don't think it has went far enough. So when we talk about Gratiot, when we talk about Michigan Avenue, when we talk about Woodward, when we talk about Grand River, these are corridors that lead into our downtown that still need development, that still have opportunities for small business. And as we talk about regional transit and expanding regional transit to connect communities, we're going to have to build those corridors there, and so we'll have to utilize a tool like the DDA to be able to do that. But secondly, I don't think people get, you know, uberly mad just about development downtown. They're worried about the development that's adjacent to the neighborhoods that they live in. So we will be focused on creating commercial improvement authorities adjacent to those neighborhoods where they have walkable communities. They have access to fresh groceries, retail, pharmacy, a doctor's office all within one mile of their home and we'll have those corridor improvement authorities to improve the quality of life for those folks in that community.
Speaker 2:Santel Jenkins, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 4:Thank you.
Speaker 4:First, I would not eliminate the DDA, but I would certainly support changing it so that school dollars and library dollars are not a part of the tax capture.
Speaker 4:Until we are able to level the playing field in the city of Detroit and make development more affordable for everyone, we have to have tools and resources, but we have to be more intentional about how we use those resources, which is why that strategic master plan is so important. My plan would involve creating this master plan with community development groups, with residents across the city, and we decide what we want to see developed throughout our city. And then, after that decision is made, we would be going to developers and saying District 4 has decided they want a movie theater and a grocery store and a bakery. If you can come here and build those things, we have incentives for you. So we would still utilize the incentives, but we would be using it to build the things that residents have said they want, and we'd be using them to incentivize developers to come to the neighborhood, instead of waiting for developers to come to us and say this is what I want to build, this is where I want to build it. Now you give me tax dollars to do it. Thank you.
Speaker 3:All right. Well, Detroit is facing a serious budget crunch ahead. The city must resume $135 million in annual pension payments and is running out of federal ARPA funds. Each of you has proposed a different solution from taxing entertainment tickets or vacant land, to asking Lansing for a local sales tax, to avoiding taxes altogether and focusing on business growth or outside partnerships. So here is the question what is your specific plan to close Detroit's looming budget gap without stalling the city's recovery? What's your approach Whether a tax, a reform or a growth strategy that's the best option in your view, and what trade-offs should Detroiters expect under that plan? Whether it's tax, a reform or a growth strategy, that's the best option in your view, and what tradeoffs should Detroiters expect under that plan?
Speaker 4:The first 90 seconds go to Sontiel. Thank you. First, there isn't one magic plan. It's going to be a combination of all of the above, and one of the things I'll have in my administration is a chief growth officer whose sole focus will be how do we grow our revenue and how do we grow our population. We are looking at all of the proposals for taxes that include an entertainment tax, a destination tax, the land value tax and a local sales option tax. Thus far, the one that seems to be able to generate the most revenue would be the local sales option tax, and the other benefit of a sales tax is that you can exempt certain things so that our most vulnerable citizens aren't further impacted when they're buying and purchasing, paying for basic needs such as food and groceries. So I would utilize a new tax, small tax, like a penny on the dollar, a penny for Detroit. I would look at growing our population, growing jobs and the economy in the city of Detroit as well. Thank you.
Speaker 5:All right, fred Durhall, thank you. First I want to just clear up a couple of things, and I know Council President Sheffield and I disagree on a lot of things, but one thing we agree on is that this council has taken a great step forward to ensure that our finances for the future will be fine. We have invested in our retiree protection fund here in the city of Detroit and there is no budget gaps right now. We've enjoyed surplus for the last couple fiscal years. It's trending down but there's still surpluses, so that's important to recognize.
Speaker 5:But when we talk about tax relief and we talk about generating new revenue streams, we have a comprehensive tax plan that we have just rolled out that will eliminate the operating mills by 19.5 mills and also charge speculators who sit on this land and our commercial corridors and our neighborhoods and have no plan on developing it and they contribute to blight. We are going to tax them more and put more money back into the pockets of residents so they pay less. We have folks who own parking lots here 50 to 60 spaces and they generate $2 to $3 million per year in income but pay less in property taxes than our homeowners. That is insane. So we are going to tax them more and we are going to get aggressive on blight here. So we are going to charge you 25 times what the property tax millage is if you are a contributor to blight here in the city of Detroit, on our commercial corridors, in our neighborhoods, on non-owner-occupied homes. So when you talk about tax relief plans and folks will have a couple ideas.
Speaker 3:This is the only plan that doesn't tax the resident.
Speaker 6:It taxes the bad actors, and that's what we are going to be focused on. Todd Perkins, yes, I think that. Well, not think. One of the things that Mr Durhall proposes, I think, is going to create a bevy of litigation. We have to determine how we're going to assess these things. They're good ideas I'm not saying that they're not but we have to focus and we have to have the intent on not singling people out because those people have. We have to look at those people, those businesses. They're going to be suing us if we go and attack them, and that's how I'm looking at that as a lawyer. But I'm not. I'm not negating, I don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Speaker 6:But I also believe that we can't tax our way out of the problems that we have. You know Detroit, we already have a 2.4 municipal tax. We have some of the highest property taxes in the state, so we can't continue to tax. But if we focus on a poignant tax, on a business tax, to the extent I know, one of the things Mr Durhall has always talked about is this these parking lots that generate a lot of revenue. But I'm also looking at it to the extent that that revenue pays an income tax to the city of Detroit.
Speaker 6:I have to balance that too, but what I look at is number one is the full-scale audit, and I say this a lot, and I'm talking about auditing departments, because I think that there's a lot of things that the administration has done that pay too much, and I think we're overpaid for the services that we have. So I'm going to focus on the four core things that we have to have in the city of Detroit, because Detroiters are not going to stand for less, and nor should they. That is, public safety, education, affordable housing and economic growth. Economic growth is coming to the city of Detroit, whether you believe it or not. It is coming and it will be here, and we'll talk about that later. I'm timing this up.
Speaker 1:Fred Derhawe, we want to allow you 30 seconds to respond.
Speaker 6:Thank you I didn't respond to him.
Speaker 5:I was helping him you didn't say anything bad, but it's good, but I still get a chance to reply. What I would say is I think it's important to realize to Attorney Perkins' point we don't have to worry about getting sued, because any comprehensive tax relief plan has to go through the state legislature period, and so when it becomes part of state law, it'll be in the state constitution, and it's not necessarily targeting an individual group. We are talking about the way that we tax land. We are talking about the way we tax tax land. We are talking about the way we tax under development here in our communities, and when we talk about income tax revenue, the folks that are owning those lots. They got one or two people that are operating those lots that don't even live in the city of Detroit.
Speaker 5:We're not generating any income.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Councilman Durha. We do have to move on. We have to move on. We have to get President Sheffield on the question Go ahead.
Speaker 7:Are you sure I don't want you to. So I believe that all of them should be thoroughly researched and studied. I think, when it comes to bringing in and diversifying our revenues which I've strongly talked about for quite some time and we submitted memos and research is being conducted as we speak that all of them should be explored, to be quite honest. And so we have talked about a local sales option tax. More recently, we started to talk about a half penny tax. We've looked at what Columbus Ohio has done using that revenue for infrastructure and transit. So we just have to see what works best for Detroit, and I think that it's not going to just be one solution. There'll be multiple tools that we can utilize that will give a significant reduction, hopefully, in property taxes here in the city of Detroit. So I think all of them should be explored.
Speaker 7:I did also want to mention I agree with Member Durhall on the budget, because we've already made our first contribution to the pension fund. Right, we've already done that and we are still fiscally sound. We have a retiree protection fund in place and so very confident in our ability to make those annual payments every year. But I do agree that our financial environment has changed and we have to explore different revenue streams to come here to the city of Detroit and whether it is forming a coalition of stakeholders to explore those or actually having a position within the mayor's office. Our number one goal, day one, is to figure out how we diversify our revenues and continue to drive economic growth, because as people move to Detroit and people are hiring, getting good paying jobs, that comes back to our general fund through property taxes and income taxes.
Speaker 1:Thank you, president Sheffield. Let's talk about the future of Detroit. Despite signs of recovery, detroit continues to lose young residents. Many Detroiters under the age 35, especially black youth, say they leave the city because of unaffordable housing, unreliable transit, limited job opportunities and a lack of voice in city decision making. If elected mayor, what specific policies will you implement to retain and attract Detroiters under the age of 35? How will your administration promote housing affordability, expand opportunity and make sure young residents, especially those in disinvested neighborhoods, have a real seat at the table? And finally, what role should young Detroiters themselves play in shaping the city's long term population strategy? Council President Mary Sheffield, we'll start with you. You have 90 seconds.
Speaker 7:Thank you. So I talk to our young people all the time and what they want is a destination of opportunity. Oftentimes they leave Detroit for big cities like Chicago and New York, la DC, because of opportunity. So we have to continue to drive that Detroit is a place for opportunity, where their dreams can be realized, where their purpose can be fulfilled, where there's access to good, high-demand, high-wage jobs, access to mass transportation and regional transportation and a path to home ownership.
Speaker 7:We have to continue to improve our school system because we have a lot of young adults who are starting families and want to raise their children here. So often it goes back to how do we cultivate an environment that creates a place of opportunity that can compete with other major cities? We also have a youth services department within the mayor's office that I think can be completely revamped. That would allow more of a voice and a seat at the table for our young people to help drive some of the policy decisions that are made within the city of Detroit, which I intend to do. So again, I think often ultimately, I should say it comes back down to good housing, affordable housing and home ownership, a strong education system, improving our neighborhoods and ensuring that we have mass and regional transportation to attract and retain young people here in the city of Detroit.
Speaker 1:Ty Perkins, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 6:Yes, again, these go to the. It starts with the four components In our plan. We have a 13-point plan, but it starts with public safety, education, affordable housing and economic development. So let me take them in the back roads backwards from that four that I mentioned. One I do believe in our plan is to having a youth council. I want to have direct access to youth and I want to start earlier than just 18. I want to start from high school all the way up to 25 years old to have a youth council that has a say in the framework and the development of this particular city. I want them to be invested in this as they go off to college. There's a fellowship program that's working through the mayor's office that definitely needs to be expanded so that these individuals understand they have opportunities within the city government, but also to expand it to work in a public-private capacity and give them access to corporations that are developing in our city, and so that's how you keep them.
Speaker 6:I have a son who's a junior at Howard University right now. My concern is that, whether or not he's going to want to come back to the city of Detroit and apply his trade in computer science, and that has to be available. We know that people are coming to our city, apple's coming to our city, so we want to make sure that Detroiters are first. And when we put Detroiters first, that's not only contracting but employment and good employment and making sure that we retool our society so that they have the retraining that's necessary to be able to have access to the jobs, so these corporations can't default and say, well, they weren't ready. We know they're coming, so let's get them ready right now. And that's my focus and that's what I intend to do for those young people.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Todd Perkins. Councilman Durhall, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 5:Thank you. There's a young, beautiful woman in the audience that's under 35. I dare not say her age, but she is my wife, who is an accomplished attorney, and we had this same discussion when she was in Washington DC clerking for a federal judge, of me wanting to marry her and get her to move back here to the city where a lot of her friends live in some of the cities that are mentioned, and in these discussions that I even have with professionals who have graduated from college, what they look to move to cities for is a place where things are happening. So, as we talk about development, when we talk about opportunity, when we talk about tech and mobility and innovation, we have yet to tap into that untapped potential that Detroit has to grow those industries where folks want to come back here. So we've got to have a greater focus on that.
Speaker 5:We've got to continue developing, whether that's downtown or whether that's industrial, in some areas where that's conducive to do so, to attract those bigger businesses to come here. But we also got to focus on a couple of things are there's a lot of talent that leaves here. Talent retention is important, and so we've got to create that path when our children are even in high school, okay, and start promoting hey, we want you to come back here. How do we get you to come back here? Connect those to, though connect them to those jobs in that path. So by the time they graduate from the 12th grade, they know that they want to come back here and they know that where they can be placed. But we'll focus on regional transit, we'll focus on development and creating a place that's for families again, because that's what attracts and that's how.
Speaker 1:I think it is my wife to come back here. Councilman Durhall, santil Jenkins, you have the last word. 90 seconds.
Speaker 4:Thank you.
Speaker 4:I first want to give Councilman Durhall kudos on getting that beautiful young wife to come back here, because she's brilliant and we're glad to have her in the city of Detroit.
Speaker 4:It is a few things, but jobs, I believe, is the greatest factor in keeping young people here and attracting young people here. So we have to have the industries and the jobs of today and tomorrow. We have to be focused on building new industries and keeping them here. Right now, when you go to Black Tech Saturdays or you go to New Lab, there's probably 90 to 100 startup tech businesses there. As they grow and become too big for New Lab, we need to have options for them to grow and stay here in Detroit and hire Detroiters for those jobs, attract and recruit students from Wayne State and Michigan State and U of M who can come here live, work, play and then, when you're ready to raise your family, there is quality, affordable housing available for you, because we've laid out a housing plan that is already in the works and you can find an affordable housing in a safe, viable neighborhood for you and your family and send your kids to a high quality school.
Speaker 2:All right, all right, let's talk about water. Water shutoffs have resumed in Detroit. Over 60,000 households are behind on bills, the Lifeline Affordability Program has stopped accepting new applicants and the program is set to expire at the end of the year. Meanwhile, large corporate accounts with six-figure debts, including stadiums, golf courses and state facilities, have largely avoided shutoffs. Critics say this violates the Volt v Lansing decision, which requires public utility fees to be fair, cost-based and serve a public purpose. Many Detroiters are asking why are working-class residents losing water service while corporate users aren't held accountable? So here's the question why hasn't water affordability been a central part of your campaign platform? Do you believe it's fair or legal to shut off low-income households while large institutions don't have their water shut off? If elected, how will you ensure enforcement is equitable and that Detroiters can afford a basic human right like water? You have 90 seconds to respond, starting with you, santil.
Speaker 4:Thank you.
Speaker 4:Certainly, if I am elected, I will ensure that it is enforced equitably and that companies corporations, no matter who they are are paying their fair share.
Speaker 4:We cannot turn off mothers with kids turn their water off but then leave the water on for a corporation that's not paying their bills. That is unacceptable. In addition to that, when I went to the Heat and Warm Fund, one of the first programs I created was the Detroit Water Assistance Program, because so many Detroit residents have been struggling with water affordability. I'm really proud that that program has helped thousands of families across this city and now across the state, because I was able to lobby our state legislature and get state funding to expand the water affordability program, and we're also providing minor plumbing repairs as well to create long-term savings for families. One of the things that I would work on as mayor is changing our state constitution, which is often cited as the reason we cannot have income-based water rates. We've changed our constitution many times to make it more applicable to where we are in today's world. We could change it again to ensure that Detroiters are able to pay their bills based on their income and that the energy burden does not continue to fall on our most vulnerable residents.
Speaker 2:Thank you, fred.
Speaker 5:Thank you. We don't care who you are and what type of business that you run. If you have an unpaid water bill, we are going to collect and we need that money and we need that revenue. But we do want to provide opportunities for folks who cannot pay, and I think one of the things to really notice is that in this past legislative session there was a package of bills in the Michigan legislature for water affordability that did not pass. As mayor, we will go to Lansing and ensure that those bills get across the finish line unless they beat us to it by January to ensure that we're delivering a level of affordability for our residents here.
Speaker 5:But we've got to work to get funding to expand some of the programs that we have. The Lifeline program is an amazing program that still allows folks to keep their water on while still paying a percentage of what their bills are. However, we've got to look deeper into that, because paying just $25 a month and you have a $6,000 water bill is not going to get you where you need to be because you're still going to incur costs. So we've got to be more aggressive on grants, federal or otherwise, to ensure that we can deliver savings to the folks so they're not stuck in debt and it doesn't continue to be a perpetual cycle for them here in the city of Detroit. And as mayor, we will work to do that and go get more funding from DC, from the state, and pass those water affordability plans, but also look at how we lower the cost of water for our residents, whether that is drainage fees, which is a huge issue here in the city of Detroit, work to develop green space and other methods to help them lower their water bills.
Speaker 2:All right, thank you, todd.
Speaker 6:Okay. So you know a lot of the questions that you asked and I think that question is really rhetorical. The answer is absolutely. People are going to be treated fairly, if not better, than corporations. I mean, it kind of makes you mad as hell that that even exists, the idea that other people would see six-figure bills are not subject to shutoff, but you have low-income families and families with children who are subjected to this. That's unacceptable. I don't even think that's constitutionally permissible and I think about what happens when people do that. I mean, I would be. You know, to the extent I don't have all the access to that information, but you know, having on this journey of looking to lead the city of Detroit, I've learned so much and I've learned from the people and I look into the faces almost of despair, and that's one thing that's just unacceptable. So the answer to that question is absolutely. Everybody will be treated fairly, but what I'm going to do is align our resources with our public-private partnerships and those non-profit efforts to align them and direct those individuals who are having those problems.
Speaker 6:All of the things that have been said so far by all these candidates are things that you can do, but we're talking about to change the Constitution. Do you understand what that takes? It takes a vote of the city or the vote of the state, and so we have to change those things, and it takes time. People's water is getting shut off right now, and that's what we can't accept, and so I will do anything to make sure and evaluate how we determine how families' water is shut off on a case-by-case basis, and it's a lot of work, but we're willing to do the work for the people. Thank you.
Speaker 7:All right, and finally, mary, thank you so much. Water is a human right. Plain and simple, it is a human right. I want to first lift up all of the water advocates and agencies and organizations that have been on the ground for years leading the fight around water affordability in this city. I have. I will talk about what I've done actually. So we submitted numerous resolutions to stop water shutoffs in the city and because of that we have gotten to a point now in Detroit where we really don't have the mass water shutoffs like we've had in the past. That attracted the attention of the United Nations.
Speaker 7:I remember those times during the COVID-19 COVID pandemic. It was our office that also launched a resolution to ensure that during that pandemic we did not have water shutoffs in the city, and so I will continue to push to ensure that we have an income-based water affordability ordinance. Our office submitted an ordinance around that we uplifted the work of Reverend and former member Joanne Watson, who did a lot of work around water affordability. That ordinance, of course, did violate state law. We were not able to move forward, but I do believe in an income-based water affordability plan. There is one currently in Lansing right now that has to be approved. I physically went out there myself and testified on the record to ensure that we have that in place and will continue to do that as mayor. We will also continue to expand any existing water affordability plans that we have in place to ensure that we have proper funding for those who cannot afford their water, and we will also work to reduce in or eliminate drainage fees in Detroit.
Speaker 3:All right, so let's talk transit. Detroit is a 139-square-mile city without a regional rail system. Many Detroiters, including myself, rely on DDOT buses. Yet service remains limited, infrequent and unreliable in too many neighborhoods. And let me tell you, waiting for a bus that will never come will screw up your day.
Speaker 3:Cities with similar challenges like Cleveland, grand Rapids and even the hated Columbus have made big gains by investing in bus rapid transit, more frequent service, on-demand, microtransit and dedicated bus lanes. In fact, the only transit lane in the entire state that's a dedicated transit lane is out front of LCA. It took us this long to get just that little strip to happen. These are not flashy rail projects or anything that are happening in these cities. These are practical solutions that are realistic and affordable. So here is the question If elected, what specific transit improvements would you prioritize for Detroit, and what's the right mix of options like better bus service, bus rapid transit, microtransit or transit only lanes, or some mix of it, all of it? And how are you looking at paying for this? You know there's many options local revenue, reallocating funds or making trade-offs to make it happen. I know recently there were some dollars added, but requests by advocates were for a lot more. You have 90 seconds to respond and we will start with Mary Sheffield.
Speaker 7:Thank you. So I'm very proud in this last budget that we had a $18 million investment into DDOT and we are going to continue that effort. I fully support DDOT Reimagine, which is a strategy and a framework that has been uplifted by writers and advocates. The goal was to implement that by 2030. We're going to try to accelerate that as much as possible, but we have to continue to invest in DDOT drivers, our mechanics, all of the staffing within DDOT and ensure that we have the proper amount of fleet to increase reliability and frequency.
Speaker 7:We want to ensure that people have the ability to get to and from where they need to go in this city in a timely fashion, and so I believe in investing and having a robust department of transportation and ensuring that we're exploring more frequencies on our commercial corridors, more 24-hour services, more weekend services as well, too, to ensure that people have as much options as possible to get to and from here in Detroit. Lastly, I would say that we know that economic opportunities and where people need to go go beyond just city limits, and so we have to continue to have a regional approach, regional collaboration and conversations around how we ensure that Detroiters can get to opportunities outside of Detroit and also residents not residents, but others can get to our city for economic opportunities, and that takes a regional approach. So we will continue to explore all of the options that you mentioned, particularly bus, rapid transit, a dedicated line and ensuring that all of our existing routes and hopefully expanding routes have more frequency and reliability for those who currently ride the system.
Speaker 3:All right, todd Perkins.
Speaker 6:Yes, without the improvements to mass transit we are, I believe, flailing in the wind. Some of your questions of you being a rider, I had an opportunity to ride the bus. I rode the bus every day to school when I was in high school, except for the last day when my parents were able to rent a car so I could go to prom. But it worked then and it wasn't the best then. But considering the advances in technology, they have not come to the city of Detroit. I took the bus the other day, some of the more what we consider to be more of the expansive lines in the city of Detroit and from the Rosa Parks Center going to 8 Mile and State Fair and going back downtown took almost three hours. So what did that tell me? It tells me that people are not getting to work on time. You miss work enough, you're going to lose your job. Kids are not getting to school on time, as Ms Jenkins has proposed, and I know this fact to be.
Speaker 6:Absenteeism is the worst thing in education to the development of these individuals. So we're talking about the core people that we're trying to keep, the core people that we're trying to keep, the core people that we're trying to raise and keep in this city. In fact I'm out of time, almost out of time, but I'm going to get to it. But in fact you have people in the hierarchy of DDOT whose children have left here because of mass, the failure of mass transit. Those are people who work for the city of Detroit, who say that so we do have to pay our bus drivers more, our mechanics more, so we don't lose them to smart, but we also need to work with the regional transit authority. We are, in the first time in a long time, have a relationship that might exist so that we can work equitably. The fear that I have with Detroit not fear Only thing I fear is God. But the concern I have is with authorities. Sometimes Detroit gives up too much and that's what the concern is.
Speaker 3:Thank you. All right, we're going to go with Fred Durhall.
Speaker 5:Thank you. So the first thing we will work to do is double DDOT's budget. I will tell you we made significant strides in this past fiscal year's budget by funding DDOT. It was the department that received the biggest increase in general funding in this past budget cycle the biggest increase in general funding in this past budget cycle and that's because of a lot of our transit advocates and Transportation Riders United and Brother Cunningham and so many great others who come down there each and every day to counsel. But what I would say is we have to examine all options.
Speaker 5:When we talk about rapid transit, when we talk about dedicated lanes, those are great, but we've got to get more drivers, and that is the reality. We have 168 buses now. We're looking to have close to 220 by the beginning of the year that are on the road. But we are still not being competitive of attracting drivers here. Smart bus drivers on average or you look at our region they're making over $27 an hour, while our drivers are still making a little bit about $21 an hour. We have to become more competitive here within our region to make sure that we are hiring more drivers, because that also improves the rider experience.
Speaker 5:We also have to examine routes. It should not take 40 minutes to catch a bus. I don't care what line that you are on. 40 minutes is entirely too long, and so we want to be able to add more buses to those routes, and we want to make sure that we're examining the efficacy and efficiency of those routes by doing traffic studies, because that's going to be important as well, to make sure that we are picking folks up on time, that we have enough buses to deliver them to where they need to go. Time's up, all right.
Speaker 3:Thank you, sontiel Jenkins.
Speaker 4:Thank you. The first thing we have to do is change the culture of how we look at public transit in the city of Detroit, In the Motor City. For decades we've been taught that you should have a car and if you ride the bus, then you must not be doing something right or you're poor. This is a transit system for poor people. No, it's a transit system to get people to and from where they need to go. It's a transit system that is more environmentally friendly. It is safer because you're not running into the back of anybody if you're texting while you're on the bus.
Speaker 4:So we have to change the culture of public transit in the city of Detroit and get more people on buses. But in order to get people on buses, we have to create a system that works. So I agree with Durha Forty minutes, a bus coming every 40 minutes. There's no way I would have been able to ride two buses to school which is what I did to get to Cass Tech if they only come every 40 minutes. So we have to increase the frequency of routes. We do have to pay our drivers more money and our mechanics to keep buses on the routes, but then we also have to have multimodal transportation. So the strategic plan that I talked about would include transit hubs in each of the seven districts that are a smaller version of the Rosa Parks Transit Center, and it would have our traditional buses but smaller shuttles. It would have scooters that I hate those scooters, but people use them, so we should have them. It would have bikes as well, so that we can have all options for people.
Speaker 2:All right, thank you. We're going to move now to environmental justice. If you pulled into this parking lot you probably saw the Stellantis plant. Detroit's recent Stellantis plant expansion has been celebrated for creating jobs, but it comes at a steep cost to nearby residents. The expansion increased truck traffic, air pollution and noise in neighborhoods that already have Michigan's highest asthma hospitalization rates. Some of these actions actually violated Detroit's published zoning ordinance, upzoning the St Gene-Conner Creek Greenway from a buffer zone to intensive industrial, which should not be done adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
Speaker 2:Residents have not stayed silent. We signed petitions, testified at public meetings and demanded protections from the city, the state and the company itself, including buffer zones, emissions monitoring and mitigation commitments. Yet many of those demands have been ignored. In the end, the jobs came for some people, but the promised environmental safeguards did not. Other cities like Louisville and Newark have required industrial developers to fund home air filtration, create green buffers and are contributing to health and emission mitigation funds in overburdened neighborhoods. So here's our question If elected, how will you balance economic development with the environmental health of Detroit residents, especially in black and low-income communities that already bear the brunt of industrial pollution? How will your administration hold corporations accountable for mitigating harm, and what will you do differently to make sure community voices aren't ignored next time? You have 90 seconds to respond, starting with you, santil.
Speaker 4:Thank you. This is I know I keep talking about a plan, but this is one of the reasons the plan is so important so that the community has a say in what the future of your community looks like. If we had a plan in place, I'm sure that this community would not have said you know what I want as part of our master plan? A factory that's going to increase pollution and may or may not hire some Detroiters. So we have to have that plan in place and we have to respect the wishes of residents once it's in place.
Speaker 4:That's the first thing. The second thing is accountability. So in the development agreement there should have been some very concrete plans for mitigation for mitigation for air pollution for truck traffic and then accountability measures for when, if and when they are violated. Yes, it's important to have a truck traffic ordinance, but we should have had that as a part of the planning and the development. It's important to make sure we're measuring air quality. All of those things should have been a part of the agreement up front, and the agreement should have had enforcement clauses and clawback clauses in there as well for any tax incentives that we could claw back if you violated the agreement in any way. All right, fred Durhall.
Speaker 5:Thank you, and I will say I think a clawback is important for folks who violate any incentives or agreements that we have. I think it's important, though, to focus when these deals and these conversations start, setting the expectation and setting the tone of what development here is here in the city of Detroit. I know at the council table we have made significant strides. We supported a resolution against Atlantis, we also supported the fugitive dust ordinance. There's some truck traffic ordinances that are coming up, and been very supportive of those as well. But, again, I think it starts with the tone and it starts with that discussion when we are talking to our CEOs, when we are talking to developers, setting that high level of expectation and then codifying it and putting it into ordinance and putting it into legislation to ensure that you do have that callback that's on the books. You ensure that there is some standard that is set.
Speaker 5:We have a level of unpredictability here in the city of Detroit as well that is set. We have a level of unpredictability here in the city of Detroit as well. So when a lot of these developments or industries they come here, it's different. It's different for every neighborhood. We've done a pretty decent job of working to downgrade zoning here in the city of Detroit from M4 to M2. But we've got to continue that trend and set a predictable environment. So they're not even looking at these areas to come and develop in, because they know it is that that's not going to be somewhere that their industry will be welcome, and so that is what we'll do. We'll set a level of predictability, we'll set higher standards all right um turning to todd perkins well, environmental justice is is a priority and it is really.
Speaker 6:You can't be in a healthy society with just spewing pollution. And Detroit has been being a manufacturing town, just like Delray community. I know we're talking, we're in the east side right now, but at one point in time Delray had the highest rate of cancer per capita in the nation, so that's unacceptable. But the problem that I have is the current administration and the leadership in the city has you know they're talking about doing things that should have been done at the inception of these agreements. You know we're building a plant in 2000,. I believe it's 2017, 2018. We start building a plant, we have all the technology to do it right and it wasn't enforced.
Speaker 6:So legally, are we empowered to go back and claw back now? You can't do that. But what you can do is enforce and be an advocate on enforcement of how admissions are supposed to take place and what is acceptable for the quality of air for the citizens who are in the area, because in the Perkins plan it is going to be the neighborhoods first. I've said that before and I'll say it again Detroit is first. So how Detroit is designed and how we build the city back is going to be focused on neighborhood input and have those neighborhood organizations having a seat at the table along with the schools and with the libraries and big business, because this is unacceptable to have a situation in which we have air quality that is sending people to the hospital.
Speaker 2:All right, so Council President Mary.
Speaker 7:Sheffield, you have the last word. Thank you. I pretty much echo everything that has been stated. Environmental justice is extremely important. We know that Detroiters are impacted disproportionately.
Speaker 7:We have faced several health disparities because of it, and so, number one I want to bring attention to the incinerator, which was in my district.
Speaker 7:I had to hear almost every day, through calls and emails, about the pollution that it caused for the residents in District 5. That's something that I had to inherit when I came to the City Council, but we worked extremely hard with community and we shut down the incinerator and any type of polluters that have been in my district. We've ensured that there has been accountability, and so we will continue to hold individuals, corporations and or polluters accountable. We will ensure that they are not coming into residential neighborhoods. I mean there's no reason why they should be coming to an area where residents are living, and so we will ensure that that is not taking place. Lastly, we are going to ensure more clawback provisions and accountabilities through a legal measure and contracts, but also ensuring, through our Office of Sustainability, that we are empowering them with the resources that they need and bringing our environmental justice advocates, industry and the health department all together to implement more strategies and solutions as well.
Speaker 1:Thank you, council President. Detroit's poverty rate remains one of the highest in the nation, with roughly one in three residents living in poverty. Despite years of job training programs and workforce initiatives, many black Detroiters, returning citizens, immigrants and others remain trapped in a persistently poor underclass, disconnected from the formal economy and unable to access stable living, wage employment. Here's the question why do you believe poverty has remained so entrenched in Detroit even after decades of workforce development efforts, and how will your plan, I'm sorry and if elected, what specific structural steps will you take to create real economic mobility for Detroit's most disconnected residents, and how would this plan go beyond the status quo and actually empower Detroiters to move out of poverty? Council President, we'll start with you All right.
Speaker 7:Thank you, this is something that's very important to me as the City Council President.
Speaker 7:In my entire time on council, one thing that I know for sure is I've tried to address the issue of poverty Almost every ordinance, every policy that I've put forth.
Speaker 7:The people's bills is a package of bills that deals with the socioeconomic issues of our city, whether it's water, affordability, the issue of homelessness and housing.
Speaker 7:I've always tried to address the most vulnerable in our city, and I think oftentimes we don't have the appropriate social services safety net that residents in this city need, and so we have proposed creating that safety net that oftentimes the most vulnerable in our city does not receive.
Speaker 7:And so I believe it's number one ensuring that we're investing in people whether it's programs like Earn to Learn Skills for Life, or we're paying individuals to go back and get trained and get their basic training and GED skills, that we're providing access to homeownership and we're transitioning people from being renters to homeowners and creating good quality jobs in Detroit. I think oftentimes we talk a lot about affordability and housing, but we don't talk enough about how we're creating upward mobility for residents, and so our administration will be very much so focused on how we're creating upward mobility for residents, investing directly in them, ensuring that they have paths to economic opportunities through good-paying jobs and creating the wraparound services that they need, whether it's access to mental health, education and housing, and making sure that those opportunities are easily accessible directly in the neighborhoods and meeting people where they are.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Council President. Attorney Ty Perkins, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 6:Well, I believe that the first thing we have to do and at first it's what my mom said. When we grew up in a household I had five brothers and parents that didn't make a lot of money, and my mom said the way out of what the condition that we're in is through education it's no different today and bringing that education again and, as Ms Sheffield said, meeting people where they're at and supplying them with the educational, the retraining and the retooling so that these jobs that are coming that corporations just can't check the box and say, well, you don't apply or you don't fit this dynamic of what we're looking for by your training and your skill set. Focusing our intentions on those people who are returning citizens, and not only our youth, but we also have to look at individuals who are older, who want to take advantage of these higher paying jobs. I'm not talking about jobs, we're talking about careers. So let's change our mindset. We want to offer people careers and opportunities to raise a family, to purchase a home, because you can build all the affordable housing you want, but if they can't afford it, it's not affordable to them.
Speaker 6:And so those are the type of basic principles that you have to apply in this particular situation because if you don't go to them then they'll, people will leave and we stay the one of the more the poor cities in this particular in the city. So we have to, we have to retrain them. We have to also get rid of this toothless legislation of the community benefits ordinance, all this thing of compelling. We need to compel the detroiters first mentality in our community benefits agreements that are made with these corporations who have benefits and untold benefits and have benefited from their involvement in the city of Detroit. Thank you.
Speaker 1:All right, councilman Durhall, your thoughts.
Speaker 5:Thank you. So education opportunity and then connectivity to that opportunity. We talk a lot about programs. Every time there's an issue, we create programs. We have too many programs that are not efficient and don't provide a level of efficacy and connect directly to residents. We are not going to program our way out of here. And also, when we talk about the safety net, we can keep adding ropes to the safety net, but if we're never pulling anybody out of that net, it is going to eventually burst, and so what we are going to be focused on is creating pathways outside of that safety net.
Speaker 5:So, yes, affordable housing is important, but we don't want a city full of renters. We want to create a path to home ownership where everybody can own a home. That's the only way that you create generational wealth. You don't create generational wealth by saving money, but by owning land that you can pass on from generation to generation and owning a part of this city. We're going to be focused on home ownership, but we're not just going to be focused on just job creation. We're going to be focused on giving folks those skills at an earlier age.
Speaker 5:When we're talking about our kids right now in our educational system, we are doing them a disservice. They should know by the time they graduate in 12th grade if they're going to be an entrepreneur, if they're going to be a member of our skilled trades community or if they are going to go to college. And if they want to choose any one of the three, they should be. They should have the opportunity to be connected to that. That, and so we'll start at an earlier age by developing individualized learning plans for each student right now, and for the folks who are not there, we'll provide those wraparound services for the parents to get them trained as well and get them right, thank you to our workforce.
Speaker 1:Uh, sign till jake. Is you have the last word?
Speaker 4:thank you. As the only social worker in this race. This is an issue that I have studied extensively and I think there are two things that we need to focus on. The first is part of the reason that our poverty rate remains so high is that, as people do achieve and increase their income and their wealth, often they leave. Do achieve and increase their income and their wealth, often they leave, so we have to find ways to keep them here, and then we have to create upward mobility for the folks who are still here, and that's why I want to be a champion for education.
Speaker 4:In our system, it starts early. We have to invest in Detroiters from cradle to career and beyond, and that is making sure that we have the training programs for kids who don't want to go to college. When you leave, as Durhall said, you should have a career pathway, whether it's trades, whether it's college, whatever your career pathway is, you should know about it time you graduate, and the mayor should partner with the schools to create those, those training programs that make sense and work, and we need to retool our training programs so that we're training people for real jobs and career pathways of today and tomorrow. We should be businesses. What are you hiring for today, 12 months from now, five years from now? And our workforce training programs should be focused on making sure Detroiters are prepared to answer that call.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much, santeel. All right, we're going to talk about infrastructure and neighborhood equity. Over the past decade, detroit has upgraded streets, sidewalks, parks and storefronts in select areas through the Strategic Neighborhood Fund, focusing investment in 10 neighborhoods. In those places, we've seen real transformation, but other communities are still waiting for repairs, flood protection and upkeep. Meanwhile, demolitions have left behind tens of thousands of vacant lots, many of which are poorly maintained and aging. Stormwater, sewer and street systems continue to break down in neighborhoods. So here is the question If elected, how will you ensure that all neighborhoods, not just the few chosen for investment, receive equitable upgrades to infrastructure? And what will you do with the treaty, with the strategic neighborhood fund? Continue it as is, revise it to include more, or replace it with a city-wide approach? We're going to do 90 seconds and we will start with santil definitely replace it with a city-wide approach.
Speaker 4:That's what I I keep talking about the strategic master plan for the entire city that accounts for each of the seven districts. It's really important that planning and resources are equitable across the city, and what that looks like will be different in each neighborhood, what it looks like will be different in each district. But what I would commit to throughout this planning process is to ensure that we're making improvements along the way. It might take two years, it might take three years to complete the plan, but within the first year you'll see some improvements. In the second year you'll see more improvements. In the third year you'll see some additional improvements. So it is important that, no matter what zip code you're born in, that no matter what zip code you're born in, what neighborhood you grow up in, that you're able to see a city that puts you first, that prioritizes you. We can't say families, children, seniors are a priority, but only if you live in 10 neighborhoods. We need to say that Detroiters come first in all. That we do, and that's what I would do as the mayor.
Speaker 3:All right, fred Durhall.
Speaker 5:Thank you. I think you would tell a lot about what a person will do by what they've done. I walked into a district that hadn't had development. That's the area you're talking about. We had zero recreation centers. We had no new job growth. The last new housing that we had was the old Herman Gardens that turned into the Garden View Estates, and there was little opportunity even on our streetscapes on Dexter or Warren. And now we've got two new recreation centers, both totaling over $30 million of investment. We created 400 new jobs and turned an old vacant building for 20 years into an automotive supplier for GM, and we've had over $30 million of affordable housing in my district alone and really, because I've been very pointed saying that our district needs this and being very vocal and aggressive about it and I'll be aggressive as mayor for each of those other communities who have felt forgotten Simply, we will take a citywide approach, not just based on density of those neighborhoods, because the fact of the matter is, I don't care if it's five people living on the street.
Speaker 5:Those five people are still paying taxes and they live on the street and they deserve the same amenities as everyone, and so we'll focus on corridor improvement authorities. I have said it, I want to create a main street in every neighborhood here in the city of Detroit that creates walkability, where folks have access to those groceries, access to retail, sit-down restaurants and everything that improves their quality of life. We are going to implement that again in every neighborhood here in the city of Detroit and we're going to start by focusing on some that have been forgotten to ensure that they are filling the growth of Detroit.
Speaker 3:Thank you, todd Perkins.
Speaker 6:Yes, I think that when you look at the infrastructure improvements and having talked to particularly when we talk about the liver noise, I've talked to a lot of business owners along that way and they weren't consulted about how that street was redeveloped. So we need the input Before we make these changes. Again, we have to bring the neighborhood to the table. They're the ones who are indigenous to these particular areas that they lived in and we want to grow it around them and not without them, and what we have to focus on is not displacing Detroiters and Detroit businesses. You know, a known fact is that from 2000 to 2020, 295,000 black people left the city of Detroit. Now the people are coming back. Most of those individuals from that demographic are white. That's not a problem, but no one's asking the questions as to why they left. No one's talking about that. So we have to be focused on that and bringing the neighborhoods to the table.
Speaker 6:I do look at not disrupting the source of funding for the Neighborhood Improvement Fund, but from a citywide perspective, and it should be done by the districts, but the city's focus should be on those areas that have seen the least attention, because we want to let them know that those individuals matter. It just let them know that we're here, we're coming and there's going to be development, but it has to take their input. We have to seek their input on how it's done. But also, along with business being at the table, just as well as those businesses downtown who have enjoyed building up downtown, we're going to make them enjoy building up our neighborhoods and create these commercial corridors that I think every candidate there's no one up here who would disagree with that. Building up these particular neighborhoods with some economic vitality in it, that's what it's going to take for them to survive and keep these people here. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Mary Sheffield.
Speaker 7:Thank you. So to answer your question, yes, I think the strategic neighborhood fund should be citywide. That's a way to leverage additional funding to bring investment back into our neighborhood. So, yes, it will definitely be a citywide approach. I will continue to invest and hopefully expand the Neighborhood Improvement Fund and also the beautification program that I started. That again has went back into neighborhoods. These are organizations and block clubs who are looking for funding to beautify vacant lots, to create community projects and gardens. Again, we've given over $4 million to over 80 block clubs citywide. We will continue to expand upon that program.
Speaker 7:But when we talk about neighborhood development, one thing that is near and dear to my heart is neighborhood infrastructure and that is our generational Detroiters, those who have been in their home 30, 40 years, who are looking for home repair grants to fix their home.
Speaker 7:One thing under my administration that I will continue to push is the need for us to continue to provide access to adequate home repair funding for our seniors and disabled in the city of Detroit. We will also expand upon the 0% interest loan program. I'm not a big fan of it, but some people utilize it. But I do think that those residents who've been here, who are not going anywhere and who are in need of repairs to their roof or their front porch should have access to funding to support their needs. Also, basic things like sidewalk repairs, dead and dangerous trees, the cleaning of alleys these are things that oftentimes overlooked. Communities are still complaining about that. I believe we can enhance those city services as well and that are very important to me, and all of those neighborhoods should get the attention that they deserve because, again, they pay city taxes and they should receive the support that they need.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. Let's talk about safety. This is something that's on everybody's mind. Detroit has made major investments in public safety under Mayor Duggan. The police budget has grown exponentially and the city has spent millions on technologies like ShotSpotter. Meanwhile, community violence intervention programs like ShotStoppers have shown strong results, with some neighborhoods seeing violence drop by over 80 percent, but those programs receive only a fraction of the funding. At the same time, Detroit's police commission has a backlog of over 2,000 unresolved complaints against officers, and many residents say police are unresponsive and sometimes disrespectful. Here's the question If elected, how would you rebalance Detroit's public safety strategy? Would you shift funding toward CVA or community violence intervention, scale back investments in surveillance technology or change how the police department is held accountable? Investments in surveillance technology or change how the police department is held accountable, and what specific steps would you take to improve officer conduct, clear the complaints backlog and restore trust in the Detroit Police Department? Each candidate will have 90 seconds to respond starting with Council President Sheffield.
Speaker 7:Thank you so much.
Speaker 7:So we've made progress, but we know that there's still far more work to do.
Speaker 7:One thing that I will change, and I would like to see more of, is more preventative methods and preventative measures around gun violence and public safety in Detroit, so I would like to see more of a focus on investing in youth services, youth programming, more safe spaces throughout Detroit where our young people actually have productive and positive outlets for them to do.
Speaker 7:There's no way that we can police our way out of anything, and so, while there is a place for public safety in our police department and I think they need the tools that they need we have to have a greater emphasis on how we invest in our young people through education and through mentorship and positive outlets for them to do. Secondly, I would love to see us focus more on community policing in a way that builds trust with our community. While we've had significant increases in gun violence, we still have a large amount of people who call our office, for example, for property crimes, auto theft, and so I think that there could be a lot of progress made in reducing response times and really enhancing community policing around the lines of building trust with our community. And then, lastly, proper training for our police department culture, culture, sensitivity training and ensuring that they have the proper training to reduce the complaints, and empowering our board of police commissioner with the resources that they need to reduce that backlog is also important.
Speaker 1:All right, thank you, president Sheffield. Todd Perkins, you have 90 seconds. Yes.
Speaker 6:This is the number one thing in my Perkins plan. In administration is public safety. I'm the only one who has not only worked on the administration side but also worked on the defense side. As a defense attorney, I've seen not only looked into the faces and the families of the defendants that I've represented, but also understand how departments have worked. And it does need to again in our master plan and in coordination of creating how we police our areas.
Speaker 6:It's going to not be a one-size-fits-all for the city of Detroit Because we can always agree I've said this many times the way that we police on Six Mile and Gratiot is going to be different than you police in Sherwood Forest. It just is. It's a matter of fact. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. So what does it take?
Speaker 6:It's going to take the input of the community sitting at a table as you create a master plan for public safety in that particular area. You're going to have to have one. You're going to have to have intervention and prevention. We're going to put more dollars into that because it's easier to save and prevent the event than the aftermath and the social costs and the direct economic costs to our environment once somebody has committed an offense. What we want to do is, through the intervention, you're going to have the mentoring. You're going to have the tutoring, but you're also going to have the community component of policing and also using and working with D-WIN and partnerships with Wayne County to provide more mental health services, because every time a 911 call is made, it does not require a law enforcement officer to appear with his gun drawn. These people need help. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Todd Perkins, councilman Durhall, you have 90 seconds.
Speaker 5:Thank you. So as the chair of the Gun Violence Task Force, I've been very focused on helping CVI grow. We were instrumental in the creation of the Shot Stoppers Program, which was a $10 million program at its start, and just this past fiscal year's budget we added an additional $3 million to the Shot Stoppers Program to ensure that they continue until we can find a bigger and larger sustainable funding source. Hopefully we're getting that passed through the Public Safety Trust Fund in Lansing. What I would say in regards to our police department yes, I think we still need to invest in tools. There are a lot of folks who say they don't like green light or they don't like license plate readers or they don't like shot spotters. But when I look at cases like a young lady Winter who lost her life because she was put into a car, driven down the freeway and then dumped here in the city of Detroit, wouldn't it be great to have those cameras that we could have probably caught that car a little bit earlier? So I'm going to invest in the technology and ensure that we have all the tools that we need to make sure that we are stopping crime here, and we still have to focus again on safety.
Speaker 5:It's not just about numbers. Safety is about how you feel. If you don't feel you can go to the gas station at 5 pm and fill up your car, or you can let your child run outside because you're scared they're going to get hit by a straight bullet or get snatched up, or if you can't leave your car in your driveway, hoping that you wake up in the morning is still going to be there. We have a problem here. Still in the city of Detroit, I had my vehicle stolen out of my driveway and it is a city-owned vehicle with an x-plate that lets you know. We have a long way to go here and we'll be realistic about the approaches that we utilize to make sure that we're investing in public safety.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, Santil Jenkins. You have the last word here 90 seconds. Thank you so much, Asanteel Jenkins. You have the last word here 90 seconds. Thank you.
Speaker 4:I agree with much of what has been said about the approach to crime, and many of you have heard me say this before. This is personal to me. I lost my 14-year-old brother to gun violence and when I lost my brother and threatened to quit school because of anger, my mother told me I needed to keep going, not for my brother, who was loved every day, but for the kids who thought his jacket was worth more than his life. She said if they had been loved and nurtured, if there had been some intervention, some programs for them, my brother might be alive. So that has to be our approach.
Speaker 4:We cannot police our way out of this. We have to provide positive pathways for our kids so that they don't choose guns, gangs and drugs. We have to make sure that we are investing in after-school programs and safe spaces and places. In the same way, we're investing in juvenile detention facilities and Wayne County Jail, because for every dollar we spend on prevention, we're spending five to seven dollars on the juvenile detention facility and the jail. We have to flip that equation and then we have to make community policing a philosophy, not just a few officers in each precinct. Everyone in the Detroit Police Department should be about community policing and they should show up in good times and bad times. There should be officers. I know there are a couple of officers here today.
Speaker 2:Thank you. The final question, and it's a question on the minds of many Detroiters Between 2010 and 2016, detroit overtaxed homeowners by an estimated $600 million, contributing to tens of thousands of tax closures that disproportionately affected black residents and homeowners. While some city programs now offer in-kind relief, legal and fiscal constraints have been cited as barriers to providing direct compensation or tax refunds. So here's the question If elected mayor, what specific actions will you take to make overtaxed residents whole? Will you pursue financial compensation, housing restoration or tax reform, and how will you overcome the legal and funding challenges to ensure meaningful restitution? As you answer this question, I want you to think to yourself what would happen if this was done in Grosse Pointe. Would residents of Grosse Pointe be willing to hear we've done as much as we can and time's passed, so please answer this question seriously. Keeping in mind residents of the city of Detroit is having the same rights as residents everywhere in America. So this question begins with you, mary.
Speaker 7:So I have spent a lot of time trying to address the issue of over-assessment and it is not enough just to say, oops, my bad, it was a mistake, right and or time has passed. I think we have to still aggressively figure out how we address the issue of those who were over-assessed, but also ensure that the continued over-assessment is not happening, so that people with the lowest valued homes are not being over-assessed. So, number one yes, we were informed legally that we cannot provide direct compensation. I didn't take that as an answer to just stop my work. We went on ahead and created the affected homeowners program that is in place now for those who are interested. If you were over-assessed, you can find that program online.
Speaker 7:But thirdly, I have made a commitment and I've been very vocal that I will pursue changes in state law that will provide a tax credit on residents' bills who were over-assessed in the amount that they were over-assessed. That will be phased in within five years. I've already had conversations with the assessor office and we're working on changes in state law to do that. But also we are going to continue to look at how properties are assessed in this city, working with the assessor's office and ensuring that people's properties are assessed in an accurate way and ensure that the assessor's office has the resources, the proper amount of assessors and that the methodology that they're using is accurate so that people's properties are not over-assessed. This is something, an issue that I'm very, very passionate about and will continue to try to provide as much relief for homeowners that were over-assessed and stop any continued over-assessment. Thank you, I'm Ty Perkins.
Speaker 6:Yes, this is troubling to say that this happens in this era, which is a 2000 to 2010 to 2016. You know, the city has a comedy of different things that have happened not only to the people who've over-assessed, but also to the retirees. Let's remember all of those individuals who paid a price to be in Detroit. That's what you've done. You paid an exorbitant cost because we talked about the people that have lost homes and all of those things as a result of this over-assessment.
Speaker 6:First and foremost, we're gonna make sure that this never happens again. We're gonna work with our assessor's office. We're going to ensure that the laws are enforced and we're going to market that to people and tell people to come down to our office to help so that we can help individuals going forward those individuals who are a certain income that they can work with the county to apply for an exemption of taxes. So they need to understand this information and one of the things in talking to the treasurer's office and the treasurer himself is that people are not aware of this. So we need to market these things and explain these things to our citizens and encourage them to come to our assessor's office if they feel they're being overtaxed, and we will do our own assessment and our own evaluation of how properties are taxed.
Speaker 6:But again I want to acknowledge to them, I want to give them a personal apology you know, I don't think that's ever happened in this city to say I'm sorry and to give you an IOU. I don't know how we're going to pay it, but what we're going to do is use all of the resources Because if it was Grosse Pointe, like Donna said, if it was Grosse Pointe, the state of Michigan would step in, and that's what I want them to do, and I would advocate and lobby for resources from the state of Michigan, from the federal government, because it was our mistake and again, they shouldn't have to pay that cost.
Speaker 2:All right, fred Durha.
Speaker 5:Pistforks and torches would be on the street in Grosse Pointe.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God.
Speaker 5:What I would say is, no matter what we say, I think it's important to note we're never going to be able to make those folks whole, even if we gave them direct payment and compensation. Folks lost their homes and in some cases they lost their families or their wives or their husbands, and some lost their jobs. And money doesn't simply pay that back, and apologies or IOUs won't do it either. But what we can do is be very focused on going to Lansing to change preemption. That gives us the ability to be able to decide how we can pay our folks back here in the city of Detroit.
Speaker 5:I don't believe that when we talk about tax breaks or you know, we talk about a tax credit. I don't think that helps as well because it's over time. Folks want a lump sum payment and the way that we'll be able to do that is by working to create a property tax relief fund that is part of our comprehensive property tax relief plan. That will allow the City Council, in collaboration with the council, to directly put surplus dollars into these funds. So, as we are going up to Lansing to change preemption so we can have the ability to pay folks back. We are going to start there, but we're also going to look at our philanthropic organizations and public-private partnerships to ask them to kick in a little bit, because, as folks are allowed to continue to stay here in Detroit and our city flourishes, they'll flourish as well. But you have to show the buy-in, and so we are going to be very focused on making folks hold that way.
Speaker 2:Santel Jenkins, you have the last word.
Speaker 4:Thank you. I would venture to say that this wouldn't happen in Grosse Pointe, so we would be talking about what happens afterwards because it wouldn't happen there. It has happened in the city of Detroit and people need to be made whole period. People who've lost their homes need to be made whole. I support a tax relief program, especially for those who are overtaxed and they're still in their homes. We can find a way to address it for those people.
Speaker 4:But for families who are out on the streets because they lost their homes to a tax foreclosure based on an assessment that was inaccurate, that's a crime. That is a crime and we need to address it with the sense of urgency that it should have. So, whatever it needs, whatever the city needs to do to find the resources to make those families whole, that's what we need to do and it does have to include working with Lansing to change legislation. It does need to include tax relief, not only for victims of over-assessment but for all Detroiters. We need tax relief. So the comprehensive tax reform is going to be important, but for families that lost their homes, they need to be made whole period and that has to be a priority for whoever the mayor is. Thank you, all right.
Speaker 1:It is time for closing remarks. Again, the order has been selected at random. Each candidate will have two minutes for their closing remarks. Make it good, and we're starting with Council President Mary Sheffield. Thank you.
Speaker 7:Thank you so much for hosting us and thank you so much, detroit, for coming out Again. It has been an absolute honor to serve on the Detroit City Council the last 12 years and being a partner in the growth of our city. I truly believe that the best days are ahead of us. We've made tremendous progress, but we know that Detroit still has a huge opportunity to grow and to thrive, and so my focus, as always, will be on increasing the quality of life for this city, growing our population, retaining our generational Detroiters and ensuring that we're protecting all of our city, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We'll focus in on housing and affordability, strengthening our educational system, investing back in our neighborhoods, making sure that this city is more safe and, of course, building our middle class and ensuring that we're attracting good, livable wage jobs here to the city of Detroit.
Speaker 7:I bring 12 years of governmental experience. I know how this city operates and functions. Under my leadership, we've had 12 balanced budgets. 11 of them have been surplus. Bring 12 years of governmental experience. I know how this city operates and functions. Under my leadership, we've had 12 balanced budgets, 11 of them have been surplus, and I also have a track record of delivering for this city, and so I would just urge Detroiters not you know, these forms are great to give us an idea of where we stand on issues, but it's so much more. I think that can be captured by looking at someone's entire history and work of what they've done. So I encourage you all to look at the work that I've done in this city.
Speaker 7:I'm very proud of the legislative accomplishments and the record of what I've been able to do to move this city forward, and I'm ready day one to ensure that we're continuing to move this city in a positive direction and ensuring that all Detroiters benefit from the growth and progress of our city. We will grow this city, we will ensure that Detroiters feel a part and included and heard and seen, and we will continue to invest in our neighborhoods and build a city that we all can be proud of. So thank you all for having me. You can visit MarySheffieldcom for more information on my platform and my vision. But again, thank you, detroit. It's been an honor to serve.
Speaker 1:Thank you, President Sheffield Santil Jenkins, your closing remarks. You have two minutes.
Speaker 4:Thank you. We have come a very long way as a city, but we still have a long way to go and it is fragile. Our next mayor will have to be able to lead us through some challenges while continuing the progress for all Detroiters, and to do that it takes experience. I have more than 10 years of legislative experience as a staff member for the late great Marianne Mahaffey, whose chief of staff I was honored to be. I was a city council member. I was city council president, so that's over ten years of legislative experience. But also the mayor is the city's CEO and I have executive experience.
Speaker 4:I am a social worker who has owned a small business and for the last ten years I've been the CEO of the heat and warm fund, a nonprofit that has been serving the most vulnerable residents across this state.
Speaker 4:I have provided over the past 10 years more than $100 million in utility assistance for struggling families across this city, Detroit. I see you. I see you. I see the growth and progress we've made, but I also see that so many of us have still been left behind. And that's why I'm running for mayor, because I want to be a mayor for all Detroiters, no matter what neighborhood you live in, no matter where you've gone to school, no matter what your chosen profession or lack of chosen profession is. I want to serve you and help move you, your family and our city forward together. I will be a mayor that is focused on making sure neighborhoods are safe and thriving and that families are thriving, not just surviving, and I will be a mayor that always puts people over power and people over politics. I'm Santil Jenkins. Please go to SantilJenkinscom to learn more and remember there's no H in my name.
Speaker 1:Thank, you Santil, no H in the name Todd Perkins. You have two minutes.
Speaker 6:Thank you. Thank you. My name is Todd Perkins. I'm asking for your vote, august 5th, and what I'm asking you to do is to look at it and understand this. I think it's consistent with what everybody says is we need leadership, and that's what leadership is almost like. Faith is trusting in things that you might not be able to see, but you have to trust the source and entrusting the source. Understand.
Speaker 6:I've worked with cities for an intimate, very intimate relationships as city attorney, as an individual not only has sued cities when they've done things wrong, but I've represented individuals and I've done that for 28 years. I've been a zealous advocate. I want to work with the community. I think I saw, you know, speaking of mayors. I think I saw the mayor of the East side in here today Mr Brooks, is he here today, but I thought I saw him here earlier. But those are the individuals that I want to work with, who have been significant figures in a fabric of our city, and I say working through neighborhood organizations. That's the only way that we're going to pull ourselves out of this, because it has to be designed from the neighborhood's perspective, because for so long, this is so well attended and all these places are well attended. This is well, so well attended and all these places are well attended because you feel like this is the one opportunity in the past Decades or so that you think that you're going to have an opportunity in the say so and how the city is developed and it's going To take leadership to pull all this off.
Speaker 6:I do have all the skill sets. If you take the sum total of experiences of everybody here and I don't say this Arrogantly, I say it confidently they don't match what I offer. There's no lawyer and you're going to need a lawyer. You're going to need someone who understands the legal parameters and the nuances that take place in building a city and building us back and building us with a foundation that you can take into the next wave. And again, working with city council, I intend to create ambassador relationships with city council and so we work intimately together as we build this city together. But it happens through leadership. The last time I saw a leader in the city of Detroit, that was Coleman Young. He didn't get along with everybody necessarily, but he knew how to lead, and that's what I intend to do for you, city of Detroit. But I'm going to start with you one by one, as I've represented individuals.
Speaker 1:I'm going to represent you. Thank you, Tom Perkins. One as I've represented individuals, I'm going to represent you, councilman Durhall.
Speaker 5:You have the privilege of being the last one. What a privilege, a privilege being here with you all this afternoon. It's simple Detroit. We are in that pivotal moment where our city, for the first time, will elect a new mayor in over 10 years and yes, we've made that tremendous progress and yes, we have a long way to go. But it's also important to recognize that we cannot go backwards and to have that continued growth you need experienced leadership.
Speaker 5:A lot of what you heard up here tonight, whether it's property tax reform or whether it's overassessment a lot of those roles lead through Lansing. And here's the common denominator we're the only candidate that is running in this race that has actually served on the state level not testified in committee, not been up there and been in rallies, but actually served and delivered over $1 billion of resources for the city of Detroit. That deliver money to test on untested sexual assault kits here in Wayne County. That have saved programs like Meals on Wheels, dapsep, flip, the Script and many other programs when we serve there. That has actually created this type of law that can be represented in a court of law, because no one can say they have made state law. We can, and we've done that on Detroit City Council, whether we have increased the amount of affordable housing that we will have here in the city of Detroit, or taking a district that felt forgotten and have two new rec centers, 400 new jobs, over $30 million of affordable housing, and we'll duplicate that across the city of Detroit and make sure that everybody feels the growth of our city.
Speaker 5:I am dedicated and one of the first things that I have said to you is that I want to create a Detroit that is for families again, and it's important to me because I have a young family. I have a wife who came back here as a single mother putting herself through law school, married me and I made her a promise I am going to make this city better for her and my children. But guess what? What I want for your family, I want for mine and vice versa, and we are the only one that's experienced, that's going to be able to deliver here. We don't need on-the-job training, we don't need a lot of promises and platitudes, we need delivery, and Durhall delivers. Visit wwwDurhallForDetroitcom.
Speaker 1:Thank you, councilman. Durhall Audience. Please give these candidates a great big round of applause. Candidates A great big round of applause.
Speaker 2:This has been your 2025 mayoral debate. Be sure to vote on August 5th. Thank you so much for attending. Before you leave, please log into menteecom using the code 23659981. It's on the TV to give us feedback on this event and also to respond to the final question about who you support as mayor.
Speaker 3:And this event will be replayed on the Authentically Detroit and Daily Detroit podcasts, and a follow-up, including your poll responses, will be reported by Outlier Media. Remember that you are somebody and we'll see you around Detroit. Outro Music.
