Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

The City Council was handcuffed Tuesday when only four of nine members showed up for their regularly scheduled formal session.

Without a majority of the body present, the council lacked a quorum needed to vote on action items or hear a scheduled presentation from the Law Department on solar farm litigation. Technical issues prevented people who tuned in online from participating in public comment.

The meeting wrapped up in less than an hour after in-person attendees were given a chance to address the council. David Whitaker, director of the Legislative Policy Division, said it was a rare occurrence in his two-decade career.

“It’s very irregular (that) we don’t have a quorum for a formal session,’” Whitaker said. “The business they would have taken care of today has to be set to take place at the next formal session.”

Council President Mary Sheffield excused the absence of the five missing members, saying they notified her they would not be in attendance. She was present, along with Council Members Fred Durhal III, Mary Waters and Angela Whitfield-Calloway.

Whitaker said Sheffield does have power, as council president, to compel the appearance of other members, but that’s rarely used.

Council Pro Tem James Tate and Council Members Scott Benson and Latisha Johnson were in Philadelphia learning about sustainability best practices with the Green Task Force.

Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero was attending an immigrants rights organizing summit in Denver. Council Member Coleman Young II reported being sick Tuesday morning, according to a staff member.

The council has canceled sessions in advance when it was known they would be short on members. But I hadn’t seen a scheduled formal session hobbled by a lack of quorum in three years of covering the council. I asked Sheffield whether the situation was unusual and if she could explain what happened.

“Not really,” Sheffield said. “It’s really not much to understand. People submit memos that they’re not able to come and that’s what happened today.” 

Durhal and Waters said they didn’t know the council wouldn’t be able to conduct business until the meeting began. Both said it may have happened before in their time on the council, but they couldn’t recall specifics.

Council members didn’t seem too bothered by the outcome. I asked if I was making a mountain out of a molehill by focusing on their inability to take action on Tuesday.

“Maybe,” Durhal said. “I think a little bit.” 

Added Waters: “We’ll just have to stay later next week.”

Durhal said the voting agenda was already light, since committees didn’t meet last week while the council took a recess.

But the council couldn’t refer agenda items to committees that meet throughout the week, delaying progress on contracts, an audit of the Department of Transportation payroll issues, legal settlements and board appointments.

The council was also forced to delay an eagerly anticipated update from the Law Department on the status of litigation and other measures to collect land for solar farms.

Ronald Foster, a Detroiter who attends nearly every Tuesday session, said the situation left him feeling uneasy.

“It raises an alarm for how these things are damaging to democracy, where the business of the city can be done, in my opinion,” Foster said after the meeting.

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What page are we on?  

Today’s notebook covers the April 29 formal session.

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

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Looking for more coverage of 2025 elections? I’m interviewing candidates and community leaders for our new talk show Detroit Next.

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Thanedar files articles of impeachment 

U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, started a longshot process to impeach President Donald Trump a third time as rivals line up to prevent Thanedar’s reelection in 2026.

Thanedar introduced articles of impeachment on Monday, laying out an argument that Trump is exceeding his authority, breaking the Constitution and “attempting to establish himself as a lawless tyrant” in numerous ways.

“I really think this is the start of the movement to remove and impeach this president,” Thanedar said in an interview. “I truly believe he has done unconstitutional activities and this must not stand.”

Trump visited Michigan on Tuesday to mark his first 100 days in office. Thanedar put up billboards across the district reading “Rep. Shri demands Congress impeach Trump.”

Thanedar said he’s honoring the wishes of residents in the 13th congressional district, which includes much of Detroit, who told Thanedar at town halls that Trump should be impeached.

“I kept getting asked by my constituents, ‘Why aren’t Democrats doing anything?” Thanedar said. “People are saying ‘Democrats have got to be tough on this president.’ I agree with the people.”

The proposal isn’t expected to gain much traction in a Republican-controlled Congress. Much of the national coverage of Thanedar’s move to impeach Trump noted his effort is almost certain to fail.

Thanedar acknowledged he will lack support in the current iteration of Congress, but compared the effort to when U.S. Sen. Cory Booker held the Senate floor with a 25-hour marathon speech. Thanedar drew other comparisons to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking out against Trump.

“Nothing is a waste of time,” Thanedar said. “When people march on the street, it’s not a waste of time. Every time we do this resistance, we are advancing and exposing this president a little more.”

The articles of impeachment cite Trump’s attempt to evade court orders, purge federal employees, dismiss bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, unlawfully dismantle the Department of Education and United States Agency for International Development, impose unjustifiable tariffs, threaten to annex sovereign foreign territory and other alleged offenses.

In a social media video, Thanedar said Trump’s defiance of a U.S. Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a high security prison in El Salvador was the “final straw.”

The post was flooded with replies from Trump supporters calling Thanedar to be deported. The Indian-American congressman has been a citizen since 1988.

Impeachment starts in the U.S. House when a lawmaker introduces a resolution. The Judiciary Committee chooses whether to pursue impeachment and report the articles to the full House for a vote.

The Judiciary Committee is led by U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who was an ardent defender of Trump during the past two impeachment efforts. Jordan led investigations aimed at impeaching Democratic President Joe Biden and is reportedly interested in impeaching federal judges who rule against the Trump administration.

Trump already survived two impeachments during his first term. He was charged by the U.S. House for impeachable offenses but found not guilty by the U.S. Senate and acquitted both times. Trump is the only president to be impeached twice.

It’s been tried more than a dozen other times by lawmakers. Detroit’s other congressional representative U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced a resolution in 2019 inquiring whether the House should impeach Trump. Thanedar wasn’t elected until after Trump left office.

The announcement came on the same day that state Rep. Donavan McKinney, D-Detroit, announced plans to challenge Thanedar in 2026. Former state lawmaker Adam Hollier is also running a third time to represent the seat in Congress.

Thanedar said the impeachment push has nothing to do with his re-election hopes.

“I’m not really concerned about the election,” Thanedar said. “I didn’t cook this up in two hours. This has been something me and my team have been working on for the last two to four weeks.”

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Donavan McKinney challenges Thanedar

McKinney, 32, launched his 2026 congressional bid by arguing Thanedar has more in common with Trump and Elon Musk than the average constituent.

McKinney, a young state lawmaker representing upper northeast neighborhoods and part of Macomb County, said voters deserve a more responsive representative in Congress. McKinney described himself as a fighter who represents the poorest House District in Michigan.

“I hear from my residents day to day as they figure out their economic struggles, how to survive, making poverty wages, working two or three jobs,” McKinney said in an interview. “Whether it’s the higher cost of childcare, utility costs, housing, groceries, there’s so many things impacting our district economically.”

McKinney said he receives calls from Thanedar’s constituents because the congressman ignores them. McKinney said he has the backing of residents and community leaders across the 13th District who want a new generation to meet the moment.

“We as a Democratic Party aren’t meeting the needs of our communities and that’s why, when you look at polling of the party, we’re down in the dumps,” McKinney said.

McKinney said he knows what it’s like to struggle, his family moved 13 times growing up, Thanedar is a multi-millionaire who “bought” seats in government and takes corporate money. McKinney pledged not to accept a dollar from corporate groups.

Recent examples show Thanedar’s negligence, McKinney said. He claimed Thanedar was absent when a February water main break flooded Southwest Detroit and when a mass shooting rocked northeast Detroit last year.

“I talked to local officials — I talked to state legislators, county officials — they said Shri doesn’t pick up the phone,” McKinney said. “He doesn’t show up unless the camera is there.”

McKinney said Thanedar is clearly using taxpayer dollars to promote his candidacy, citing reporting from The Detroit News that showed Thanedar used nearly half of his office budget on advertisements during the 2024 campaign season. McKinney said Thanedar’s impeachment effort is another bid for attention.

While McKinney compared Thanedar to Musk, the incumbent congressman has been sending promotional mail to constituents arguing Thanedar is fighting Musk’s overhaul of federal agencies.

McKinney announced his campaign on Monday and held a launch event at the SAY Detroit Play Center with supporters like state Sen. Darrin Camilleri, who represents part of Thanedar’s congressional district in southern Wayne County.

The campaign touted endorsements from Detroit Caucus Chair and state Rep. Stephanie Young, state Sen. Stephanie Chang and progressive group Justice Democrats.

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Johnson to boost flood prevention funding

Council Member Latisha Johnson plans to direct federal pandemic relief funding toward basement flood protection in District 4.

Each council member was given $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds during budget negotiations to boost existing programs. Johnson submitted a memo indicating she wants to use $964,868 for the Basement Backup Protection program and $87,500 to support the “ShotStoppers” Community Violence Intervention program.

Through the flood prevention program, backwater valves are installed on home sewer lines to prevent water and sewage from backing up into basements. It was created after a June 2021 rain storm caused massive flooding, resulting in a presidential disaster declaration.

A December report showed $1.85 million was originally appropriated for the basement protection program.

The Community Violence Intervention program pays local organizations to reduce shootings within specific high-crime hot zones. The program had $11 million in federal funding to start.