Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

Mayor Mike Duggan plans to unveil a plan in September to change city ordinances to make it “dramatically easier” for developers to build affordable housing.

I briefly caught up with Duggan over the phone on Monday while he’s attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Duggan said he’s working with mayors in other major cities to push for federal investments in affordable housing.

Federal partners want to see more density, Duggan said, which is causing some cities to reexamine restrictive zoning regulations that determine where people can build and what types of housing is allowed.

Detroit is starting a master planning process to update its zoning maps, but Duggan said the city probably won’t need to make major reforms compared to places like Austin, Texas.

Duggan is an ally of President Joe Biden and a vocal advocate of the impact federal funding has made through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Duggan said he’s looking for federal partners to supply Detroit with additional funding after the ARPA dollars expire in 2026. 

“One thing the federal government did not address in the last four years was a fundamental change in housing,” Duggan said.

“In Detroit, we’ve managed to build $1 billion dollars in affordable housing in five years, but now our population is growing at rates we haven’t seen in more than half a century. We’re going to need another $1 billion dollars in five years.”

In an interview with Michigan Radio, Duggan reflected on his decade-long friendship with Biden, which started when the former vice president took Duggan to dinner after taking office in 2014. Duggan said he expects a good relationship with Harris, but it’s difficult to make new friends with presidents who are often insulated by advisers and officials.

Duggan has spoken highly of a downpayment assistance program proposed by Harris as part of her economic agenda. Duggan said it was inspired by Detroit’s program, which was made possible with ARPA funds.

A second round of Detroit’s program was opened for 300 residents after the first phase helped 434 residents become first-time homeowners.

Duggan stumped for Harris at a massive airport rally her campaign held earlier this month. The mayor said he had met with former President Donald Trump to talk about infrastructure investments.

Trump had no real plan, Duggan said. The former president advised mayors to set up toll roads to raise funding because federal dollars weren’t coming.

Duggan contrasted that experience with Biden’s administration, which provided funding for lead water pipe removals through a bipartisan infrastructure bill signed in 2021.

Federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, signed by Biden a year later, are also helping the city create solar farms across the city.

Duggan was a featured speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention where Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination to challenge Trump. Duggan’s words at the time seem relevant today, as he spoke of improving employment opportunities and population growth in the city.

“Detroit’s true test is the same facing the next president: Are we creating an economy that works for everyone, or just those at the top?” Duggan said in 2016.

I asked Duggan if that test to create equal prosperity remains for whoever will take office in 2025. He disagreed with my framing of my question, arguing that he advocates for “equal opportunity,” and then said the following:

“If you look at the University of Michigan study, Black wealth grew more than $3 billion for homeowners in Detroit,” Duggan said. “That has been a growth in prosperity across the board like we have never seen. If you are a homeowner in the city, you’re doing dramatically better. Now we’ve got a down payment assistance program, so if you’re not a homeowner, you’ve got the ability to go from a renter to a homeowner.

We’re building housing so that there is housing available for everybody, (including) 600 affordable units in Corktown, which is the hottest neighborhood in the city. We believe there needs to be opportunity for people in all incomes and in all neighborhoods.

So that’s our goal every single day. And most of the other cities in the country are talking to Detroit about how we’ve made such progress on that. We had a long way to come from, and we got a long way to go.” 

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What’s next for Duggan?

There’s been a lot of discussion over the last year about whether Duggan will run for governor of Michigan after his term expires in 2025.

More fuel was added to the fire Monday when the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, remarked that Duggan would make a good governor.

Duggan jokingly responded that his campaign was being announced a little early, but later told reporters that he won’t make any announcements until the November presidential election is over.

Duggan has remained committed to stay uncommitted until the presidential race is over in the face of repeated questions about his ambitions.

So far, Duggan hasn’t said whether he will run for a fourth term or seek another office. There’s a year between the end of his current term and the 2026 gubernatorial election.

Duggan recently side-stepped the question again in a recent piece by the San Francisco Standard about what other cities can learn from Detroit’s recovery.

However, Duggan said he’s too young to retire and gave the author a sense that he’d like to replace Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

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Keep your friends close

U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, posted a photo with Duggan at a DNC reception in Chicago that turned a few heads online.

Duggan endorsed Council Member Mary Waters in the August primary to replace Thanedar and criticized the first-term congressman for being unresponsive to the city’s needs.

Thanedar won the primary with 54% of the vote, beating Waters by 20 percentage points and former city attorney Shakira Hawkins by 43 percentage points. He also narrowly earned a majority of votes in the city of Detroit, beating Waters among Detroiters by roughly 1,000 votes.

I asked Duggan whether he was working to repair his relationship with Thanedar, since he will likely go on to win the general election against Republican Martell Bivings and secure a second term representing Detroit.

“You know what, I work with everybody,” Duggan said. “Including Shri.”

Thanedar’s decision to join protesters demanding the City Council reject tax incentives for the District Detroit development in 2023 was cited by Democrats as a major fracture in his relationship with Duggan.

He previously told me that he’s directed $15 million for community projects to the 13th District, which includes communities directly east and west of Detroit.

“Detroit is the biggest city in my district, and I will continue to cater to Detroit and the residents of Detroit,” Thanedar said on Election Day.

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Council Pro Tem James Tate isn’t going anywhere

Council President Pro Tem James Tate teased an upcoming appearance on the Detroit Table Talk Podcast where he will discuss “upcoming elections and my final term before retirement.”

Tate used his Instagram page to advertise an Aug. 24 episode of the podcast. A spokesperson said Tate isn’t retiring and not announcing a run for mayor.

The post, which was removed a few hours later, had people speculating. But I was told the only announcement was that Tate would be a guest on the podcast. 

City elections will be held in 2025 for redrawn council districts that will take effect when officials are sworn in the following year.

Tate represents District 1 on the northwest side of Detroit. He was a communications officer at the Detroit Police Department and worked for WXYZ-TV as an assignment editor before joining the City Council in 2009.

He first served as an at-large member but was reelected in 2013 to represent District 1. Tate easily held off challengers in 2017 and 2021.

In his current term, Tate led initiatives to establish recreational marijuana businesses, ban gas stations from locking people inside, fund the removal of dangerous trees and improve mental health services.