Age: 50

Education: Benedictine High School, Wayne State University

Occupation: City Council member

Neighborhood: North Rosedale Park

James Tate was first elected to the Detroit City Council in 2009. He is currently the president pro-tem. Before he became a council member, Tate worked in communications for the Detroit Police Department. He also spent time with WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) where he was an assignment editor and he won an Emmy. 

Tate, who consistently hosts three monthly community district meetings, said the rallying cry for his next term will be working more closely together as a community.

The councilman said he makes no apologies about focusing on the district’s most challenging neighborhoods, including Brightmoor, which he said has faced difficulties for his entire life. The area has been plagued with blight, vacant housing, poverty and other challenges. 

He said he’s focused on revitalization, “and making sure neighborhood revitalization truly means revitalizing with the community and not to the community. This is very key.”

Earlier this year at the Detroit Policy Conference, Tate joined other council members for a panel on what matters most to Detroiters. His answer: “Affordable, accessible and attainable housing. It has become one of the most challenging things for residents and families to find.” He also said the next administration needs to find ways to continue programs residents have come to rely on that run the risk of closing now that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money has run out.

Tate is the council’s longest-serving member. He reflected on navigating emergency management and bankruptcy as well as the devastating health and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic during a BridgeDetroit Meet the Candidates event earlier this year.

“Through 15 years, there have been a lot of changes. I am thankful to be in a position to play a role from where we were to where we are now,” Tate told a crowd of about a dozen community members. The city, he added, is much better off today than it was during his first term, but is “a long way from declaring victory.”

Tate said immigrants serve a major positive role in the city. In District 1, there’s a sizable Afro-Caribbean population. He said Trump’s return to office has created a “chilling effect” on those who are here and an integral part of the community. 

“We’ve got to remove this idea that because you are an immigrant that you are evil, bad and violating the law,” he said. “This country itself was founded on immigrants who moved here and took it over.

Tate is married to Dr. Nutrena Watts Tate. He is running unopposed in the November election.

Age: 64

Education: Cooley High School, Spelman College, Detroit College of Law. 

Occupation: Adult education instructor, human resources administrator

Neighborhood: Green Acres 

In her first term, Whitfield-Calloway has been vocal in council discussions surrounding local business support, transparency in contracting, enhancing Palmer Park, holding landlords accountable and historic preservation, among other things.

Whitfield-Calloway said she was relatively unknown in 2021 when she first ran for office but has since proven her merit. 

“I’ve not been a rubber stamp,” she said at a June event hosted by the Election Department. “I’ve been a fighter since day one.” 

Whitfield-Calloway’s tenure has shown her skepticism of large tax subsidies without strong community benefits, a demand to award city contracts to Detroit-based businesses and a willingness to diverge from proposals pushed by Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration. She’s been known for tough questioning of city departments and positioned herself as a watchdog on the council. 

She chairs the council’s Rules Committee and serves on the Neighborhood and Community Services and Internal Operations committees. Whitfield-Calloway launched and leads a youth and civic engagement task force and a human trafficking task force. 

Whitfield-Calloway backed a ban on cannabis business ads near schools, parks and other youth-focused areas. She also codified regulations for electronic scooters. 

Whitfield-Calloway has led efforts to put a moratorium on new dollar store openings, helped pass a law requiring Detroit businesses to accept cash and opposes partial demolition of the Renaissance Center. Whitfield-Calloway supported creating a Tenant Bill of Rights to create renter protections, but the proposal hasn’t been adopted. 

A study of riverboat taxis was launched at Whitfield-Calloway’s request, and she expressed support for creating water transit options to Belle Isle. She’s pursued partnerships with lawmakers to explore an amusement tax on downtown entertainment. 

Whitfield-Calloway has been an outspoken critic of the city’s Solar Neighborhood Initiative, arguing there’s better uses for vacant land than solar energy fields that power city buildings. Whitfield-Calloway says the project would displace housing opportunities and fail to address blight.

She often criticized the city’s demolition efforts, urging the Duggan administration to preserve historic properties. Whitfield-Calloway was strongly opposed to tearing down the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum. 

Whitfield‑Calloway voted against the renewal of a contract with ShotSpotter, a controversial gunshot surveillance system. She also voted against tax breaks for Dan Gilbert’s downtown Hudson’s Detroit project and the Future of Health project in New Center. 

She’s pursuing regulation of short‑term rental properties to address housing shortages and neighborhood disruptions. Whitfield-Calloway was among a group of council members who proposed a $203 million affordable housing strategy in partnership with Duggan. 

Whitfield-Calloway secured nearly $1.3 million in this year’s budget to fund things like the city’s Goal Line program, which provides transportation to after-school programs; add recycling bins to city streets and create a stipend for a citizens’ blight patrol. 

A year earlier, Whitfield-Calloway secured $5.8 million for projects like a lead paint protection program, repairs to the historic Merrill Fountain in Palmer Park, the Goal Line program and support for Black-owned farms.  

Before serving on the council, Whitfield-Calloway created the city’s first women’s commission. Public records show she previously lived in Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield. 

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, the NAACP, the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College Detroit Chapter, the National Association of Hearing Officers, and the United Nations Local Chapter. 

Whitfield-Calloway loaned her campaign $13,749 in personal funds to run for office in 2021. Her largest donation in that race ($3,500) came from Laborers’ Local Union 1191. City Clerk Janice Winfrey’s campaign committee donated $125 to Whitfield-Calloway in August 2024. 

She unseated McCalister in 2021 by winning 55% of the vote. 

Age: 71 

Education: Mackenzie High School, Eastern Michigan University, University of Oklahoma 

Occupation: Retired 

Neighborhood: Greenwich

McCalister is a lifelong Detroiter who worked in the Detroit Police Department as commanding officer of the homicide section. He performed other roles in internal affairs within DPD and was a special agent in the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division. 

He joined the council in 2018 after beating Virgil Smith to represent District 2. McCalister was denied reelection by Whitfield-Calloway in 2021, who beat him by 1,900 votes.

McCalister was also president of his neighborhood community association and an adjunct professor at the University of Phoenix. He was director of operations for Disabled American Veterans before running for council in 2017. 

While serving in the U.S. Army Reserves, McCalister was deployed to Iraq as an investigator who interviewed members of Saddam Hussein’s former regime. McCalister retired after 23 years, and later retired from DPD as a Detective Lieutenant. 

McCalister says he’s service-oriented and prioritizes enhancing quality of life issues in the city, with a focus on building up mental health resources. He said improving education, public safety and infrastructure are top issues. 

“District 2 is very diverse; you have people that are living in $1 million homes all the way down to $15,000 homes and barely making it,” McCalister said. “You can’t just expand or focus on one group, you have to focus on each and every community.” 

Turning renters into homeowners is vital to revitalizing residential areas and boosting tax revenue for the city, he said. McCalister wants to build up a workforce of residents who can take on good-paying, skilled trades jobs and rebuild neighborhoods, he said, suggesting the city could have saved homes that fell into disrepair if it had a stronger talent pipeline.  

Tax abatements should be granted to developers that enhance neighborhoods, he said. McCalister opposes using taxpayer resources to support the redevelopment of the riverfront Renaissance Center, arguing that the impact is concentrated downtown. 

“I always say that District 2 is the highest tax-paying and the highest-voting district in the city of Detroit,” McCalister said. “I’m going to have a big voice. If we’re the ones paying taxes and voting, you’re going to listen to what we have to say. If you can’t bring something back to the community, I’m going to vote against it.”

McCalister said he held regular roundtable conversations when he served on the council to seek feedback from residents. He’s undecided on whether the city’s solar neighborhood initiative should be expanded to new areas, saying he needs to do more research. 

The Detroit Land Bank Authority should be eliminated, McCalister said, arguing that it has too much control over vacant land.  

McCalister’s political ambitions stretch back more than three decades. He ran for a seat on the Charter Revision Commission of 1993 but was disqualified due to being a city employee. He mounted failed campaigns for City Council in 2005 and 2009, before the city adopted council districts and all candidates ran at-large. 

McCalister ran for an at-large seat on the council again in 2013 after districts were created but lost to Saunteel Jenkins, who is now running for mayor. McCalister then ran for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives, but lost in the Democratic primary to Leslie Love. 

McCalister declined to say who he wants to be Detroit’s next mayor, but he’s eager to work with the winner as a liaison between the community and the city’s executive leader. 

McCalister said he wants to improve community relations with police and secure greater investment in violence prevention programs that support young people who are unhoused or otherwise vulnerable. 

According to his campaign website, McCalister would formally integrate community violence intervention groups into the Detroit Police Department. Groups contracted with the city currently operate separately to reduce gun violence in select neighborhoods under the city’s oversight. 

Age: 56

Education: Wayne State University’s (Africana Studies and Political Science)

Occupation: Real estate

Neighborhood: Butler

Cranstana “Gina” Anderson is running on a platform for property tax justice, a more robust police force, rebuilding roads, keeping streets and alleys clean and providing raises for firefighters. She has lived on the east side of Detroit her entire life. 

On her website, Anderson describes her political philosophy as “rooted in the principles of empathy, integrity, and transparency.”

“I believe that an elected official must be professionally committed to their role, empathetic towards the needs of the people, and transparent in their actions and decisions,” she writes. “Upholding the laws and maintaining the integrity of the office are paramount.”

At 24, Anderson joined the United Auto Workers (UAW), rising through the ranks and being elected as Youth Committee Secretary, Trustee, and eventually Recording Secretary for UAW Local 235 — representing more than 2,500 members.

In 2004, she transitioned to administrative contracting, gaining experience with DTE Energy, Henry Ford Community College, and Title Source. Along the way, she says she began offering essential support services to her neighbors — helping with property tax assistance, loan modifications, resumes, unemployment filings and more.

According to her LinkedIn, Anderson owns her own business, Seehope Real Estate Investments LLC. She is also the president of the Gardenia Community Block Club Association.

Anderson’s mother worked for the State of Michigan and Chrysler before becoming a licensed cosmetologist and instructor, while her father—an automotive engineer and Detroit Athletic Club athlete—later became an independent contractor. When she was 17, her brother was fatally shot, and Anderson stepped in to raise his child. She now has two biological children as well.

She is facing Scott Benson in November. 

Age: 55

Education: Hampton University (undergraduate degree), Wayne State University (master’s of urban planning), National Naval War College, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business (certificate).

Occupation: City Council member

Neighborhood: Regent Park

Scott Benson was elected to the City Council in 2013 to represent District 3 and has won re-election each time since. He says his top priority is to make the district a community where families settle and grow, and where the youth and seniors thrive and prosper.

Benson has more than 17 years of community development experience and served 24 years with the U.S. Coast Guard. During that time, he achieved the rank of commander and was deployed overseas twice. He also served as Small Business Director with Midtown Detroit, Inc. and was a real estate developer. 

During his time with the council, Benson has helped to create or receive commitments on close to 1,000 jobs for the district. He reduced blight by authorizing the demolition of over 10,000 residential and commercial properties, and helped to reestablish the citywide street sweeping program. He also wrote and implemented an ordinance to aid in shutting down non-compliant and ultra-violent strip clubs. 

Benson also touted progress with the reinvention plan for Detroit City Airport and the long-awaited deal to bring Davis Aerospace back to the grounds. He also discussed his “Dining with Confidence” ordinance. The law, which went into effect last fall, requires food service establishments to display color-coded placards to indicate whether they are in compliance or have been closed for failure to address serious violations of the state’s food safety code. Benson has been vocal about party stores and tobacco shops illegally selling products to youth and noted that six gas stations in the district have been shut down in response.

At the Detroit Policy Conference in January, Benson said his biggest focus for his next term would be 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.

He said he wants to help establish a dedicated funding source for museums in Detroit and wants to work with the state Legislature on a proposal that would allocate  10% of revenue from marijuana sales to youth intervention and drug prevention programs. 

He’s also focused on business development. 

“My three primary areas of public advocacy have been jobs, jobs and more jobs. I’m a firm believer that people need to be working and people need to be making money,” he told BridgeDetroit at a Meet the Candidates event earlier this summer. 

Benson told BridgeDetroit he is a “strong supporter” of the land bank and has been since it was established in 2008 to oversee Detroit’s massive inventory of vacant, blighted properties.  The land bank ramped up its staffing and efforts in the spring of 2014 with an infusion of federal Hardest Hit funding to launch an unprecedented demolition program, a cornerstone initiative of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s tenure. 

“The land bank is a critical tool that we need and will continue to need,” Benson said. “It will work itself out of business, but not anytime soon.”

Benson was born in Los Angeles and is the son of two public school teachers. A proponent of environmental conservation. Benson is a passionate bicyclist and can often be seen riding around the community. He is married to Andrea Benson. 

Benson is running against Cranstana Anderson in the November election. 

Age: 49

Education: Unknown

Occupation: City Council member

Neighborhood: East English Village

Latisha Johnson was elected to City Council in 2021 and has served one term. But she’s been serving Detroiters much longer than that. 

Over 20 years, she has served as a community organizer, marketing the city and attracting money to Detroit. In 2007, Johnson was elected to the executive board of East English Village Neighborhood Association, where she spent seven years advocating for her community. In 2014, she founded the nonprofit MECCA Development Corporation, a collaboration between three neighborhoods to address concerns of well-being, workforce development, youth engagement, and neighborhood revitalization. Latisha’s leadership has led to the implementation of the Community Closet free store, skill-building programs, and the rehab of affordable houses.

Johnson has also served as the Treasurer for the 5th Precinct Police/Community Relations Council, Vice-Chair for the City of Detroit’s Board of Zoning Appeals, Wayne Metro Community Action Agency Regional Advisory Council member, and Wayne State University’s AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program.

One of the major challenges Johnson has been tackling while serving District 4 is the aftermath of historic rainstorms in 2021 that left as many as 70% of residents with flooded basements and subsequently toxic mold. 

“The sewer backups and flooding basements show this issue is already happening,” Johnson said during a BridgeDetroit Meet the Candidates event earlier this summer, addressing climate change. 

“We’re working on addressing the seawalls, the stoploss system to shore up the shoreline in the Jefferson Chalmers community,” she said. “When it floods, the Detroit River rises and comes over the barriers.”

Johnson said she decided to run for City Council four years ago because she had been doing volunteer work and felt disconnected from City Hall.

Moving forward, Johnson said she is focused on helping the next administration rightsize staffing and programs in a post-ARPA world. 

“We may see some reductions in that, but between the administration and City Council we have to be clear about what’s in front of us and how we use those dollars,” Johnson said. “It’s important to communicate.”

Johnson lives in East English Village and is a mother of one. She is running unopposed in the November election. 

Age: 56

Education: Unknown

Occupation: UAW Retiree

Neighborhood: Indian Village

Miller was born and raised in Detroit and currently lives in the Indian Village neighborhood where she has been an advocate for historic preservation, single-family residential zoning, and small businesses. She’s a UAW retiree, founder of the Historic Districts Alliance and a program director for The Lawn Academy which teaches environmental stewardship and provides job training to Detroit youth.

Miller said residents aren’t happy with current elected officials who she says have stuck to the status quo. “I believe I am a bold change for Detroiters. I believe I am the person to bridge, as they say, the two Detroits.” 

The top three challenges facing Detroiters, according to Miller, are affordable housing, jobs and development and safety. 

Miller said she believes the city needs to find a way to recalibrate the formula for calculating Area Median Income so it better represents Detroiters and their income, whereas now AMI encompasses surrounding cities and sits at approximately $77,397, despite Detroit having a median income of $39,575, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data from 2024.

Having been a small business owner herself, Miller said she understands the unique challenges entrepreneurs face when developing and growing their business. On the other hand, her experience in grassroots organizing taught her the importance of communication and education. She hopes to leverage both experiences to bridge the divide between residents and city government, especially when it involves development. 

Miller said she understands the importance of tax incentives but wants to see stronger community benefits agreements and better communication and education in the negotiation process. 

“You’ve got to give people education and hope, because people are just surviving, we want them to thrive in the city.” 

Additionally, Miller said she wants to see more “homegrown” business development. 

On safety, Miller said she’ll push for expanding the neighborhood police officer program, investments in alley lights, gun safety programs, bringing mini police stations back, mental health awareness initiatives, among others. 

In District 5 specifically, Miller said she wants to see an “adopt-a-block” initiative so nonprofits and foundations can “adopt” certain areas by investing in improvements that residents have long-complained about, such as sidewalks and alley lights. 

Miller also said she’d like to see more investments in neighborhood amenities such as grocery stores, community pools, outdoor athletic facilities and recreational spaces. 

She’s excited to work with the next mayoral administration and to serve as both the check and balance.  “If you say you’re committed to the people, let’s prove it. If you say you’re committed to development, how can I help you? If you say you’re going to bring jobs, what can I do to be of service? I’m here to be that person that bridges residents with the vision.”

Amid federal and state budget cuts, Miller said city officials have to ensure someone is at the table advocating on behalf of the city.

Miller said she’d like to revamp the DLBA and she believes Detroiters should have a seat on its Board of Directors and first priority when it comes to buying properties. “For people who are turned away from buying lots next to their houses, or a portion of vacant land, and to call and find out that it’s on reserve,” Miller told BridgeDetroit, “this is disheartening for our residents.” 

Miller has a domestic violence conviction from 2003, which she confirmed to BridgeDetroit and explained it was a situation that occurred between her and her spouse when she was in her 30s. Miller said she went through anger management as part of her probation and was discharged in 2005, less than a year after she was sentenced, Oakland County court records show.  

“I learned that nothing is more important than me, my children and the reputation of my family, and that self control was essential,” Miller told BridgeDetroit, “It was a costly experience to learn from and I wish I had just walked away.”

Miller is facing Willie Burton in November.

Age: 46

Education: Unknown

Occupation: Board of Police Commissioners (District 5) member since 2014

Neighborhood: Rivertown 

Burton’s campaign did not respond to BridgeDetroit’s requests for an interview. 

When Burton was elected to the Board of Police Commissioners, he was the youngest person to serve on a police oversight board in the United States.  According to his campaign website, if elected, Burton plans to push for more affordable housing, lowering property taxes and water and sewage rates and improving public transit. Additionally, he wants to fight back against “immoral tax giveaways” and ensure that public tax dollars are serving the public, rather than developers. In a Facebook post on July 10, Burton said he believes District 5 is in need of stronger protections against displacement, fair development practices and transparency in city government. Additionally, Burton said District 5 would benefit from investments in affordable housing, public safety “rooted in community trust” and small, Black-owned businesses.

He said he would support diversifying the city’s revenue sources by way of partnerships with foundations, leveraging state programs and advocating for investments in infrastructure, housing and clean energy.

Burton said he’s not satisfied with public safety and as a current police commissioner, he’s witnessed firsthand how civilian oversight is undermined. He would support strengthening civilian oversight, faster investigations into police misconduct, and faster investigations for police misconduct complaints, and “non-police crisis response alternatives.”

During his tenure on the BOPC, Burton strongly opposed the city’s use of facial recognition technology.

When it comes to tax incentives for large development projects, Burton said he believes “public money should prioritize public needs,” and any investment should come with a benefit for Detroiters such as housing, jobs, and community reinvestment.

Burton said in his post that the land bank has “potential,” but he would amend the city’s agreement to improve oversight and residents’ access to city-owned land, and support community land trusts and nonprofit development projects.

Additionally, Burton says he would support an expansion of the low interest home repair program and grants for seniors and low-income residents, and advocate for an “emergency repair fund” using public tax dollars and partner with the skilled trades to offer free or low-cost home repairs through a workforce development pipeline.

Burton is facing Renata Miller in November.

Age: 63

Education: Southwestern High School, Central Michigan University (Bachelor’s in management), Wayne County Sheriff’s Police Academy

Occupation: State Representative for District 1; retired Wayne County Sheriff’s Office

Neighborhood: West Outer Drive

State Rep. Tyrone Carter is serving his fourth term in the Michigan House of Representatives. He currently represents the 1st House District, which covers a portion of the city of Detroit, as well as the cities of Ecorse and River Rouge.

Carter was born, raised and educated in the district and raised his own family there. He graduated from Southwestern High School and Central Michigan University. 

Carter graduated from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Police Academy and spent 25 years with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, attaining the rank of Executive Lieutenant before retiring in 2008. Carter also graduated from the FBI National Academy and the Michigan Political Leadership Program. He has served as assistant director of campus police at Wayne County Community College District and as a community involvement specialist at Southwestern High School, his alma mater. Carter also has his own consulting firm, TLC Management and Consulting.

Carter has served on several nonprofit organizational boards committed to improving the quality of life for their populations of focus. He has served as president of his neighborhood organization and has mentored high school students through monthly presentations and an annual college tour. The college tours provide many of the students with their first opportunity to visit a college campus. Since 2015, Carter has worked with the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Summer Youth Program at Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies, ensuring that the youth in Detroit have positive experiences while providing service to Detroit and surrounding communities.

Carter currently serves as the Minority Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee and as a member of the Finance and Regulatory Reform committees. In his six years as a state representative, he has sponsored or co-sponsored dozens of bills focused on everything from criminal justice reform and environmental protections to protecting immigrants and children. 

During a BridgeDetroit Meet the Candidates event earlier this summer, Carter spoke about plans to tackle pollution, immigration enforcement and affordable housing in District 6. 

“We’ve probably been the most researched, studied zip code anywhere. We’re also tired of all the talk about pollution, and we need action,”  Carter said at the event. “It’s not just a (Southwest Detroit) problem. It has impacted our lives. It has made people lose their lives from things like cancer.”

Immigration also stood out as a major issue for residents in attendance. Carter pointed out that Southwest Detroit has a large Arabic-speaking population in addition to Spanish-speaking residents. He stressed the importance of information access.

“We want them to understand their status. Every person here deserves to be treated decently,” he said. “I’m a retired police officer (with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office). We’re not going to use city dollars to enforce federal laws.”

The Detroit Police Department has a policy to not assist US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Border Patrol with deportations as part of an expanding federal policy. However, Detroit Police will show up if requested by either agency to help with crowd control.

Carter cited an effort at the state level to help undocumented individuals in Michigan get driver’s licenses. The effort, which had been underway since 2008, ultimately failed to get traction. 

“Sometimes a loss is a blessing,” Carter said. “Can you imagine if the state had a database of all the undocumented immigrants?”

Carter is married to Lisa Carter, Detroit Police Commissioner for District 6. They have two sons, Tyrone II (deceased), and Tyler. Carter is facing off against Santiago-Romero in November.

Age: 33 

Education: University of Michigan

Occupation: Community organizer

Neighborhood: Central Southwest

The pillars of Gabriela Santiago-Romero’s campaign to retain her seat in District 6 are trust, transparency and service. She was first elected in 2021.

Santiago-Romero was born in Mexico, raised in Southwest Detroit and is an active organizer in Michigan. Prior to her stint on the City Council, she worked as an assistant to Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, was an organizer for the Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and served in the cabinet of Detroit City Councilwoman Raquel Casteneda-Lopez. She also worked with state Rep. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, on her Girls Making Change program, which teaches young girls how to become involved in their communities. She is the former policy and research director for We the People, a Michigan-based movement organization. 

Santiago-Romero was student union president during graduate school at the University of Michigan – School of Social Work. She was the first in her family to pursue higher education and graduate with a master’s degree. After grad school, she continued her education at Harvard Kennedy School in the Executive Education Certificate Program.

When the pandemic hit, Santiago-Romero connected with community leaders to form a mutual aid fund that has created lifelines of resources to people hardest hit.

“Growing up an immigrant in poverty in Southwest Detroit has forced me to see and learn things the hard way. I know our family isn’t the only one in our community that has experienced these struggles,” she says on her website. “Too many families in our community have struggled to make ends meet, have been pushed out of their homes by foreclosures, and have struggled to get to jobs or school due to the lack of reliable public transportation.”

She lists her priorities for the district as equitable development, transportation, housing, environmental justice, public safety and protecting and expanding resident rights. 

Santiago-Romero said she is proud to have worked with the council to pass a fugitive dust ordinance earlier this year that requires facilities like scrapyards and concrete plants to control airborne particles linked to respiratory issues and other health problems. The proposal was in the works since 2022. 

“If you see dust in our communities, you can call our office to report those companies, Santiago-Romero said during a BridgeDetroit Meet the Candidates event earlier this summer. “We’re also working on a truck route ordinance to prevent trucks from driving through neighborhoods. With the new bridge opening soon, truck traffic is likely to get a lot worse.”

Aside from air quality and the effects of pollution, District 6 has been impacted heavily by gentrification.

“As we’re becoming the cool spot on the block, it’s displacing a lot of us. We’re being gentrified,” Santiago-Romero said. “We’re being pushed out. We need to make sure we can afford to stay here.”

Santiago-Romero has made protecting residents in her district a priority even before she was elected to City Council and has said much of her community activism stems from her own experience as an immigrant. 

She said the City Council has policies in place to outline how local police can and cannot interact with federal agents and that officers are not permitted to ask questions about someone’s immigration status. And she said she is spearheading other policies. 

She also cited a city effort to get an independent contractor for handling Detroit IDs. The program allows for any resident, regardless of immigration status, to get an ID that will allow them to apply for relief programs and other assistance. 

“Now that the Trump administration is going around FOIAing information, we have nothing to share with them,” she said.

Santiago-Romero is facing state Rep. Tyrone Carter in the November election. 

Age: 33

Education: Graduated from Michigan State University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and General Management 

Occupation: Managing Director for Progress Michigan

Neighborhood: West Outer Drive

McCampbell said two reasons he believes he’s qualified for City Council are his experience working on public policy at various levels of government and the knowledge he gained about the council’s authority and the city’s overall structure while serving on the Charter Revision Commission. 

“I just have that deep knowledge and passion behind really centering the neighborhoods and the needs and being innovative about the solutions we can push at the council table,” he told BridgeDetroit.

McCampbell said the top three challenges facing Detroiters are affordable housing, public transportation and well-resourced neighborhoods.

For affordable housing, McCampbell said he’ll work towards expanding down payment assistance and senior home repair programs, build up the Right to Counsel program and Tenants Rights Council and support nonprofit housing. He’d do so by leveraging resources and talent, and improving the permitting process so nonprofits and community land trusts aren’t locked out of development opportunities.

McCampbell’s vision also pairs workforce development and training with housing development by creating a public works program in partnership with the skilled trades so Detroiters have a broad range of opportunities and can participate in the revitalization of Detroit.

Public transportation is an economic justice issue, according to McCampbell, and the need for increased route frequency is among the top challenges that keep Detroiters from quality employment, groceries, healthcare and other essential services.

McCampbell said he’s committed to ensuring neighborhoods are “well-resourced:” city services that are abundant, frequent, high-quality and administered and delivered by Detroiters.

To accomplish this, his office would have a “robust” constituent services program to address the problems residents experience in District 7, such as city trees and lots that need to be cut. This also means tackling issues, such as public safety, with a “whole-of-government” approach, McCampbell told BridgeDetroit. Ensuring residents are connected to resources when they need to get out of a violent situation, such as housing, transportation and mental health resources, helps address the root causes of poverty and crime.

McCampbell told BridgeDetroit that community input and transparency in the decision-making process are essential, especially as it relates to the city’s budget, which the next city council will begin deliberations on in their first three months of taking office. “For me, transparency increases the leverage that I will have at the council table to really fight for the issues that my residents are working on,” he said.

“I think we also have to be very clear about how we are using public dollars and making sure as much as possible stays in the public domain, and that the city and its residents are actually benefiting from those things.”

His approach for tax incentives is based on the needs of Detroiters and an assessment of what’s needed in the area surrounding development could help inform decisions, he said. Additionally, McCampbell wants to improve the community benefits agreement process to ensure developers are holding up their end of the deal and that Detroiters have input from the very beginning of projects. “I think we need to make sure that folks are actually keeping up their end of the promises.”

When it comes to the Renaissance Center, McCampbell said, “The notion that something that was already built with public dollars, and then to use public dollars to demolish it, and then the goal is it still being in private hands…. If public dollars are being used for something, it needs to be a public entity.”

McCampbell supports renewable energy and efforts to achieve a carbon-neutral future, and although he supports solar fields, he wants Detroiters to benefit from the investment, such as reduced energy costs.

“I really want to be innovative in this way as we’re using public land, public dollars. How can we make sure that residents, especially those who are around these projects, are getting even more of a benefit?” he said.

“Ideally, I would like to see that function back in the city’s hands,” McCampbell said about the Detroit Land Bank Authority, adding that it’s a significant undertaking that would take time to accomplish. In the meantime, he said he wants to work towards a solution to increase Detroiters’ access to city-owned properties.

He is facing Karen Whitsett in November.

Age: 57

Education: Unknown

Occupation: Michigan House of Representatives

Neighborhood: Littlefield Neighborhood

Whitsett didn’t respond to BridgeDetroit’s requests for an interview.

Whitsett is serving her fourth term in the state Legislature, and currently represents District 4 as a Democrat. Her name has made headlines on more than one occasion as she’s repeatedly clashed with her own party. In 2023, Whitsett was the sole Democrat in the Michigan House Health Policy Committee to vote against the Reproductive Health Act, an 11-bill package pertaining to abortion access. Most recently in December, she joined Republicans in boycotting lame duck session in the final days of the year and walked out of the chamber, refusing to return to vote and denying House Democrats the ability to pass several remaining bills before the end of the term.

Whitsett graduated from Cody High School and, prior to seeking office, was a community organizer and union supporter. As a state representative, Whitsett’s website says she is focused on “preventing and reforming tax foreclosure processes, protecting vital senior citizen services and assisting entrepreneurs secure resources to develop our community.”

She is facing Denzel McCampbell in November.

Mary Waters, an incumbent, said there’s still a tremendous need for housing, employment and public safety improvements. 

“Housing is a top challenge and I know that firsthand. I’m talking about true affordable housing. … We have people that make less than $30,000 a year,” Waters, 69, said. 

She supports income-based housing, she said, and cited the Fast Track PILOT ordinance, offering property tax cuts to developers based on rent prices, as a way to bolster development in neighborhoods. 

Waters said she’s a seasoned leader and touted her track record as a council member, including a one-stop shop and a call center for housing needs and a $203-million housing plan. She spearheaded the creation of a tenants rights’ commission to represent and advocate for residential renters.

If reelected, Waters said she’d advocate at the state and federal level for stronger renter protections, money for downpayment assistance programs and home repairs for aging infrastructure.

“If I wasn’t doing my job, I can understand why other people would want to take it. But I do my job, otherwise I would not be there and I believe that Detroiters know that,” said Waters, who lives in Lafayette Park.  

Last year, Waters also ran for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District seat, losing the primary election to incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit. Waters previously served three terms in the state House, from 2001 to 2006, as a Democrat. 

In 2010, Waters pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for filing a fraudulent tax return and admitted to accepting a $6,000 watch, according to an FBI news release. She was sentenced to one year of probation. 

In a written response, Waters said the plea occurred 15 years ago and said the IRS “eventually said I owed no taxes on the watch.” 

“All this is mind boggling given that the people of Detroit elected me to Detroit City Council,” she said in a text message to the Free Press. 

She cited her “perfect attendance ” in the state House, including her role as floor leader, and her journey from Alabama to being a University of Michigan graduate and surviving breast cancer. 

Coleman Young II said he wants to implement a guaranteed income pilot program, providing $500 to 125 people, based on their income, for up to 24 months. 

That idea — and the funding for it — still is in the works, the incumbent council member said. He also listed off a number of other issues he’d like to tackle.  

“I want to create more jobs. I want to lower taxes. I want to make sure that buses show up on time. I want to invest in public safety. And I want to make sure that we have a better, more responsive city for the citizens of Detroit because they deserve it,” Young, 42, said. 

The top challenges confronting Detroiters are housing, public transit, public safety and jobs, Young said. 

He wants more mixed-use and multi-family housing, as opposed to single-family housing. What would that look like? Condos, apartment buildings, tiny homes and 3D-printed houses, Young said. 

“We also need to expand our community policing program,” he said. He wants to revive police mini-stations, an initiative his father, the late Mayor Coleman Young, started. The idea is to place officers in certain neighborhoods and inside senior buildings. It’s a pitch he made in his 2017 bid for Detroit mayor, which he lost. Young previously served in the state Senate and House as a Democrat. He lives in the Islandview neighborhood.

Former Council Member Janee’ Ayers has spent the last few years “doing the work without the title,” she said. She’s taught, consulted and worked for the city’s parks and recreation department — back where she started 26 years ago. 

“I am running again because the work that we started is not finished,” Ayers, 43, said. 

Ayers lost her council seat in 2021 amid a federal public corruption investigation into several officials, related to the towing industry. That case closed in January. 

“Was it fair? No. Was it judged in the court of public opinion? Absolutely. But am I upset about it? Absolutely not,” she said. “Because they had a job to do and they did their job; and through their job and the due process, everything that I’ve said from the beginning — I haven’t done anything — has been proven to be true.” 

The experience has taught her what it means to have the true spirit of Detroit, she said. 

“I know what it means to be counted out. I know what it means to be drug through the mud. I know what it means to swing and keep fighting,” she said. 

Ayers feels as though the timing of the investigation cost her the 2021 election, but it also “cost the people representation,” she said. She didn’t come to the decision to run again lightly, she added, but the closing of the case and interactions with community members prompted her desire to return to public service. 

“I know exactly what our constituents are looking for in a leader. And, more importantly, what it is that they’re looking for in their neighborhoods, because I stay with boots on the ground, knowing what it is that people are looking for,” she said. 

She cited fiscal responsibility, public safety and neighborhood growth as pressing issues for Detroit and Detroiters. Ayers currently lives in the Minock Park neighborhood.

James Harris, community relations chief for the Detroit Fire Department, said he’s not a politician, he’s a public servant.

“I’m not trying to make a career out of being a politician. I want to get elected to serve the people,” Harris, 54, said. 

Harris said not all Detroiters have felt the same resurgence as certain parts of the city, like Corktown, downtown and Midtown, and he wants to see similar development and small business growth in other neighborhoods. He said he’d create programming similar to the Motor City Makeover, Detroit’s annual city-wide volunteer cleanup and beautification initiative that takes place each May, bringing together thousands of volunteers to clean and beautify neighborhoods, parks and playgrounds, and around businesses, schools, and places of worship.

“I want our neighborhoods to look good. I want our trees to be cut. I want our grass to be trimmed. I want everybody to feel the rebirth of Detroit,” he said. 

Safety is number one on his list. He emphasized the importance of educating the public on fire safety and pulling over to the right for first responders. He said he’d work with Community Violence Intervention groups to prevent crime. He said he’d also like to hire more firefighters to go out and educate the public on hands-only CPR, for instance. 

Detroiters, both new and longtime residents, and regardless of their income, want to be safe, he said. 

“When you go to work in the morning, when you leave out of your house, you want to be safe. You want to make sure your street lights are on if you got to go to work in the dark so you can see where you’re going. You want to make sure when you dial 911, not only is the fire department coming, the EMS is coming, but the police are coming,” he said.

Harris, who’s been with the Detroit Fire Department for nearly 28 years, said he lives in District 1, north of Rosedale Park.