BridgeDetroit joined hundreds of business owners, politicians, investors and influencers Thursday at the Detroit Policy Conference. The sessions focused on how to advance the innovation economy and prepare Detroit for a future in tech. Mayor Mike Duggan spent his afternoon session reflecting on his time as mayor, the investments that business and manufacturing made during his tenure and how the city needs to prepare for artificial intelligence.
“As the economy of this country moves to an innovation economy, like with AI, there are areas of this country that will benefit from it because they were ready for it and there are some areas that will be left behind,” he told the crowd.
From my perspective, the most interesting part of the day was the closing session with five members of the Detroit City Council: President Mary Sheffield (5th), President Pro Tem James Tate (1st), Scott Benson (3rd), Fred Durhal III (7th) and Coleman A. Young Jr. (At Large). With Sheffield launching her mayoral candidacy in December and Durhal exploring a run himself, the panel offered insights into what the two would focus on if they get the job.
The councilmembers talked about securing funding for public safety programs like ShotStoppers, improving transit reliability, retaining talent and evaluating whether solar fields in blighted neighborhoods is the best use of the land.
Two questions stood out to me.
Question 1: What are the most pressing issues for the city of Detroit?
Sheffield: Removing barriers around poverty, increasing the living wage, growing our population and retaining Detroiters.
Tate: Affordable, accessible and attainable housing. It has become one of the most challenging things for residents and families to find.
Benson: Wealth generation, attracting and supporting young families, retaining the middle class and making Detroit a place where middle-class and wealthy Detroiters want to come back.
Durhal: The biggest issue that we’re facing is investment in our residents, our businesses and our city. When you talk to small business owners they ask where are the support services to ensure my business stays open. Those are things that connect our neighborhoods.
Young: Housing is very important: supporting payment in lieu of taxes, tiny houses, 3D printed houses, housing for people who are coming into Detroit and housing for people who stayed. The second thing is dealing with taxes – I support the land value tax.
Question 2: What is one bold idea or initiative you’d like to see in Detroit?
Sheffield: Structural property tax reform – I’m a fan of an entertainment tax or ticketed entertainment venues. (She explained the proposal would add a few dollars to ticket prices at local entertainment and sports venues in exchange for reducing millage rates for the venue owners and residents.)
Tate: Identifying how we continue the ARPA-funded programs that people have come to rely on.
Benson: (He offered two)
1. Establishing a dedicated funding source for museums
2. Working with the Legislature to make it so 10% of revenue from marijuana sales in the state goes to youth intervention and drug prevention.
Durhal: (He also offered two)
1. Expand the Downtown Development Authority into commercial corridors like Gratiot and Michigan avenues and work to create a main street in every single neighborhood (like the Avenue of Fashion)
2. We have to look at how we get these speculators off the land.
Young: (His list included three)
1. We need to make it easier for businesses to get started here.
2. We need to do more for people who are struggling now to be able to make it. We should be looking at a guaranteed income, a local Earned Income Tax Credit.
3. Upgrading our infrastructure.
Stick with BridgeDetroit as we head into a year of municipal elections that will see new city council members and a new mayor.
Thanks for reading!
Laurén Abdel-Razzaq