Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey assured City Council members that upcoming elections will be safe and secure.

They appeared before the council on Tuesday in part to push back on claims from a cadre of Detroiters who repeated voter fraud allegations in public meetings for several months. Winfrey’s office found no evidence of voter fraud after investigating concerns raised by Ramon Jackson in March.

Jackson then filed a federal lawsuit in April alleging Benson and Winfrey conspired to fraudulently register roughly two dozen voters and cast ballots without their permission. He’s since attended multiple city meetings to spar with council members over his unproven allegations.

Attorneys representing Benson and Winfrey argued in court that Jackson’s claims were based on a misunderstanding of how voter registration works and made a major leap in logic to suggest that election officials are acting illegally. They filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit.

Jackson disputes President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and the outcome of local races dating back to 2017. In an interview with BridgeDetroit, Jackson said he was working with an unnamed Republican group filing lawsuits against election officials across Michigan.

The Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit in March seeking to force Benson to clean up the state’s list of registered voters.

Michigan has more registered voters than citizens of voting age (8.3 million versus 7.9 million). Detroit elections administrator Daniel Baxter said that’s because federal law requires officials to wait two election cycles before removing inactive voters from the rolls.

Benson warned that Detroiters are being targeted with “lies and falsehoods” aimed at undermining confidence in voting. She said false allegations are being used to “wrongfully cast doubt on the legitimacy of our elections.”

However, Benson said her office is committed to investigating claims of voter fraud. She encouraged people to report potential issues to the Secretary of State, FBI or Michigan Attorney General.

Benson said election fraud is extremely rare: There were only 10 substantiated cases prosecuted in 2020 among 5 million votes cast.

Michigan primary elections are scheduled for Aug. 6. Residents can begin turning in absentee ballots at drop boxes and can vote in person at satellite voting centers starting July 27.

See key election dates and other important election information with BridgeDetroit’s 2024 voter guide. Check your voter registration status online or see locations of early voting sites here.

Detroit resident Reuben Crowley was unsatisfied with the presentation, calling Winfrey a liar and characterizing Jackon’s claims as “irrefutable” during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting.

Council Member Pro Tem James Tate said it’s frustrating that information was being ignored in favor of “disinformation.”

“We have heard this over and over again, nothing has been validated or substantiated,” said Council President Mary Sheffield. “There is no voter fraud in the city of Detroit.” 

I wrote today’s notebook from the newly reopened third floor of the Detroit Public Library’s main branch. Word got around and folks were eager to see the beautiful murals while I was there. 

What page are we on?

Today’s notebook covers the July 9 formal session. Council Member Fred Durhal III was absent.

Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.

Sheffield is holding a vigil for victims of a weekend mass shooting shooting and a call to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Edmore Marbud Park in the Mohican Regent neighborhood. 

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The City Council is taking the month of August off. An annual recess is scheduled from July 31 through Sept. 2.

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Solar farms raise legal questions 

The council is considering a request for a third-party legal opinion on Mayor Mike Duggan’s neighborhood solar farm initiative.

Duggan recruited the first three neighborhoods – Gratiot-Findlay, State Fair and Van Dyke-Lynch – to host solar energy fields. The farms are meant to put vacant land to better use and provide clean energy for municipal buildings. Five other neighborhoods are under consideration.

Up to 200 acres could be redeveloped into solar fields, but the city will first need to acquire private land. The city will offer buyouts to homeowners and relocate renters.

Sheffield is seeking more insight into whether solar farms can sidestep existing zoning restrictions. Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett said the sites are exempt because it would be for public use, and the council’s Legislative Policy Division came to a similar conclusion.

Sheffield suggested hiring Perkins Law Group, PLLC to provide its own legal analysis on the zoning issue, taking of private land through eminent domain and other aspects of the solar initiative.

Mallett said the council is within its right to hire its own attorney, but “time is of the essence” and Duggan’s administration is seeking the council to authorize the first phase of his solar program before the end of July.

Council Members Coleman Young II argued Detroit already has the opinion of capable legal representatives. He and Council Member Scott Benson argued against taking action that could delay the solar initiative.

Sheffield said the impactful nature of the solar project requires council to do its due diligence.

“We’re talking about condemnation, eminent domain, sensitive topics that historically impacted Detroiters,” Sheffield said. “If there’s any ambiguity at all, we have a right to have independent counsel weigh in. It doesn’t hurt the process when we’re talking about a major project that will impact us for 35 years.”

Residents continue to voice mixed opinions about the solar project. Markesha Ellis told the council on Tuesday that she occupies one of only two homes on her block. Ellis would prefer solar fields to illegally dumped trash.

Patricia Bosch was skeptical of the impact on residents and objected to a pending contract with DTE Energy to operate one of the solar fields. She said DTE has been a poor steward of land it owns in Detroit. 

Settlements approved for wrongfully jailed, family of crash victim 

The City Council unanimously approved an $8.5 million settlement with Larry Smith, who spent nearly 27 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Smith was freed in 2021 after his 1994 murder conviction was overturned. Smith was 18 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Retired Detroit Police Detective Monica Childs was also listed in a lawsuit Smith filed after his release. Smith had accused Childs of fabricating evidence.

The council also approved an $800,000 settlement for a lawsuit filed by the husband of India Sullivan, who was killed after her car was crushed by a Detroit Fire Department engine.

Sullivan died in 2018 after spending more than three months in a coma.

Sullivan was driving on Seven Mile Road when multiple fire engines were headed to a burning house. Court records state that Sullivan pulled to the side of the road but suddenly turned as a second fire truck attempted to pass her, resulting in a collision.

DFD officials testified that the firefighter was accelerating as he attempted to pass Sullivan and failed to recognize the risk of collision and the likelihood of other drivers being confused when encountering an emergency vehicle at an intersection. 

Deadly mass shooting raises questions 

Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero reiterated calls for an Office of Violence Prevention in the wake of a deadly shootout last weekend.

Santiago-Romero said she was concerned that the response to a mass shooting that left two dead and 19 wounded, mostly teens and young adults, focused on preventing illegal block parties. She said the city needs to consider the root causes of violence and fund community-based programs through a dedicated office, similar to approaches taken in other major cities.

Chief James White said the Sunday morning mass shooting is the worst single incident of violence he’s dealt with since taking the helm of Detroit’s public safety department in 2021.

White said multiple shooters fired at least 100 times into a crowd of roughly 300 people gathered across multiple homes on Detroit’s northeast side. Those shot were between the ages of 16 and 27, police said.

Sheffield is holding a vigil for victims of the shooting and a call to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Edmore Marbud Park in the Mohican Regent neighborhood.

DPD is dedicating 80 officers to patrol neighborhoods, prioritize responding to disturbances at parties and crack down on illegal gatherings that block streets.

Council Member Mary Waters also expressed concern that fear will cause the city to make “bad decisions” like curtailing public gatherings.

“We must also address unacceptable root causes of gun violence such as the unacceptable breakdown of Black family structure resulting in the streets raising our children with street values that don’t give a damn about human life, respect or love for self and one another,” Waters said.

Benson represents the Mohican Regent neighborhood where the shooting occurred. The retired U.S. Coast Guard officer said he served two wartime deployments but was shocked by “this type of carnage.”

“To have that level of violence in our neighborhoods is deplorable and unacceptable,” Benson said. 

Benson seeks code enforcement blitz 

Benson is requesting a “code enforcement blitz” in District 3 on Detroit’s northeast side.

Benson submitted a memo to the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department to address quality of life issues reported by block clubs.

He said residents are experiencing headaches with illegally parked cars, abandoned vehicles, uncut grass, illegal dumping, and improperly stored solid waste and recycling containers.

BSEED was requested to step up enforcement in the following areas: