Equitable and affordable housing are top of mind for residents in a City Council district that encompasses swaths of the east and west sides as well as downtown.

The district will have new representation for the first time in more than a decade, as current District 5 representative Mary Sheffield, also council president, runs for mayor. 

With more than 88,000 residents, District 5 covers 58 neighborhoods, including Eastern Market, Indian Village, Boston Edison, Virginia Park and is home to landmarks including Belle Isle, the Renaissance Center, Ford Field, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Medical Center and Henry Ford Hospital. 

The lightning bolt-shaped border of District 5 – from the city center from the east side, across downtown, and into the west side – includes Belle Islem borders Livernois and Grand River to the west, and has an eastern edge that curls around Highland Park and Hamtramck. and has a western border along Livernois and Grand River Avenue and an eastern edge around Highland Park and Hamtramck.

District 5 has a 33% homeownership rate, the lowest of all seven council districts, according to data provided by the Neighborhood Vitality Index survey. The index is produced by Data Driven Detroit, Community Development Advocates of Detroit, and others, to collect feedback from residents about the conditions in their neighborhoods.

The district has the lowest median rent of around $929 but also sees more evictions than other districts with over 5,000 in 2019 and 4,400 in 2022, according to NVI survey data.  The median home price in the district is $131, 870.

Who is running

Renata Miller and Wille Burton are battling for City Council President Mary Sheffield’s seat for Council District 5. 

Miller is an entrepreneur 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 has said she will be an advocate for recalibrating the formula for calculating Area Median Income so it better represents Detroiters and their income as well as a stronger community benefits process for major development projects. She is also calling for more neighborhood police officers and an “adopt-a-block” program that would allow nonprofits and foundations to invest in community improvements.

Miller has been endorsed by the UAW, AFSCME, The Black Slate, and current councilmembers Scott Benson and Mary Waters. 

Miller has been criticized for a domestic violence conviction 21 years ago, late property taxes, and her role in a legal battle that involved her homeowners’ association.

Miller has raised around $16,000 so far this election cycle with contributions from several UAW members and Stellantis employees, and skilled-trades union Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters (MRCC), among her donors. 

When Willie Burton joined the Board of Police Commissioners in 2014, he was the youngest person to serve on a police oversight board in the United States. Prior to his election for BOPC, Burton served a two-year appointment on the Detroit Public Schools Police and Public Safety Oversight Committee, and later as Director of Community Relations for Wayne County Commissioner Martha G. Scott. 

Burton’s campaign website states he will support affordable housing and water rates, improved public transit, and tax justice for Detroiters. During an appearance on the Detroit is Different’s podcast, Burton said he’ll hold a “symposium” on mental health within his first 100 days in office to address the challenges associated with mental health, such as the lack of available beds in the mental health system that has left many without needed treatment. He’s also advocated for fair development practices, transparency in city government as well as more investment in affordable housing and diversifying city revenue sources through partnerships with foundations.

He faced criticism over a 2019 eviction as well as emotional outbursts that same year in response to the police department’s use of facial recognition technology, which disrupted a police board of commissioners meeting and led to him being handcuffed and escorted out. In 2021, Burton’s microphone was muted during Zoom meetings and he argued the action was disenfranchising voters in District 5 by not allowing him to speak because it meant his constituents didn’t have an elected official to represent them. 

Burton has raised around $3,600 so far, with donations from familiar, yet controversial, names, such as former Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and convicted former Detroit City Council president Monica Conyers. Most of his campaign funds have been spent on food and poll worker expenses.

DeQuincy Hyatt, a trucking company owner and tech startup founder, has filed to run as a write-in candidate. Community activist and organizer Kevin “Coach Kellogg” Jones is also running a write-in campaign, but has not yet filed a required declaration of intent. 

Esther Haugabook, who came in third in the August primary, first announced that she also would run as a write-in for the Nov. 5 general election, but later issued a statement saying she decided to “redirect my energy” and discontinue the campaign.

Voices from the district

Lanora Chambliss lives in the Dexter-Fenkell neighborhood and said she is mostly concerned about public safety and enforcement, such as garbage cans being left out and people riding mini-bikes up and down neighborhood streets. 

“The city just needs to communicate with people,” Cambliss said about large amounts of trash being left out because homeowners don’t know the rules, “so I don’t have to go out there and pick it all up.” 

The Detroit Police Department, she said, has been responsive any time there’s been complaints on her street. 

Taura Brown, a long-time resident of District 5 and housing advocate said affordable, quality housing is one of the district’s biggest challenges. There are multiple developments with one- and two-bedroom units, she said, but those rentals don’t support families. For example, Brown said that if she wanted a 3-bedroom townhome, she would have to buy a condo with cash or hope she can get into low-income housing, such as Martin Luther King Homes.

“There’s no in-between. Either you’re a renter or you’re an owner,” Brown told BridgeDetroit, “If you’re an owner, you own something expensive.”

Elmwood Park resident Steven Wallace told BridgeDetroit in an interview he wants his next councilmember to focus on making Detroit affordable, especially for long-time Detroiters, and bringing more resources into the city. 

More specifically, he wants to see more affordable places to live, more grocery options, things for youth to do, and a way for them to get there. 

“Keep in mind that when you’re developing new apartments or building new houses, that people who live here need to be able to afford to live here, too.”