Today in the notebook
- Election skeptics double down
- River taxis, helicopter tours, park upgrades
- Herman Kiefer misses deadline
Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
This is the final year of business for this version of the Detroit City Council. Elections are being held in 2025 for seven recently redrawn districts and two at-large seats.
Tuesday’s meeting was typical of the first post-holiday session. Council members reviewed contracts that were approved during the recess and fueled committees with new business items. But residents made it known: What the council does this year will matter when it comes time to ask for votes.
Several members are planning to run for re-election, while others consider seeking different offices. Council President Mary Sheffield launched her bid for mayor in December. District 7 Representative Fred Durhal will make an announcement on his candidacy for mayor this month.
Durhal said the mayoral race “is really going to set the tone for what the city is going to look like for the next couple of decades.”
“You’re going to hear a lot of jazz, a lot of folks talking about ‘I did this,’ but what are the plans?” Durhal said. “The most important thing in this election that has to come out is ‘you say you want to fix the neighborhood. How are you going to do that?'”
Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway told me she will run for re-election in District 2. Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero also announced she’ll seek a second term in District 6.
Council Member Mary Waters plans to run for re-election as an at-large candidate, which represents the city as a whole. I haven’t had a chance yet to talk with other council members directly.
So who are the newcomers? American Bryden Block Club leader Anita Martin filed to challenge Santiago-Romero in District 6.
Businessman Michael Clemmon and community organizer Kevin “Coach Kellogg” Jones are running to replace Sheffield in District 5. State Rep. Karen Whitsett filed to run in District 7.
Ronald Foster, a veteran and common face at city meetings, told me he’s considering running for an at-large seat.
At-large candidate Ramon Jackson and conservative pastor Lorenzo Sewell organized a group of two dozen residents to demand more focus on election integrity with 2025 races ahead. Martin was among them.
Sewell is a prominent supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, whose joint fundraising committee paid $5,000 to rent Sewell’s church last June.
Sewell has preached at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and said he could leverage a friendship with U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to call a congressional hearing on Detroit election issues.
Jackson unsuccessfully sued city and state election officials over allegations of a fraudulent voting scheme. He reiterated those claims Tuesday, arguing that he’s found evidence of votes being cast on behalf of people without their knowledge.
Melissa Love says she didn’t vote in the August 2024 primary, but a document from the clerk certifies that a ballot was cast for her. Love claims she’s been disenfranchised.
Sheffield noted that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey investigated Jackson’s claims and found no evidence of voter fraud. But Durhal later told me he’s worried that the “false narrative” will promote apathy in Detroit elections.
“Somebody actually said today, which is insane, ‘you shouldn’t vote because your vote doesn’t count,’” Durhal said. “That is a very scary narrative to put out there in an already apathetic environment when it comes to voting. If I were them, I would talk more about transparency, more than putting out the negative rhetoric.”
Durhal has been a particular target of election skeptics. In 2021, he narrowly beat Regina Ross, who is rumored to be considering another campaign, by only 59 votes.
Jackson and others who don’t trust the outcome of races across the ballot claim Durhal won unfairly. But Durhal said observing the recount process in 2021 affirmed his belief in election integrity.
“I sat there as they opened every ballot box and counted every single ballot,” Durhal said. “If I’ve never had faith in the process before, I had faith then.”
The group of election skeptics posed for photos outside the council chamber and left during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting. After they left, the council increased the salary range for Detroit’s Deputy City Clerk.
Deputy Clerk Andre Gilbert was given a pay adjustment at Winfrey’s request. The position’s pay scale was increased by around $5,000 based on a market study, and now ranges between $84,800 and $101,800.
What page are we on?
Today’s notebook covers the Jan. 7 formal session.
Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details. Did a friend forward you this? Sign up for BridgeDetroit’s free newsletters to catch the next one.
Surf these other headlines:
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River taxi concept shows promise
Whitfield-Calloway told me she’s eager to advance conversations on creating riverboat transit options after commissioning market studies that show promise in the concept.
It’s a discussion dating back more than a decade that received new attention when the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority was given $200,000 to identify possible landing ports. Whitfield-Calloway said the idea is to quickly move people along Detroit Riverfront destinations, not across the border with Canada.
Detroit used to have water ferries that moved visitors to and from Belle Isle. Private companies like Detroit Water Taxi offer chartered trips, but Whitfield-Calloway said there’s huge interest in creating leisure transportation.
She said water taxis could be a source of income for the city that can be used for conservation efforts.
Whitfield-Calloway said Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority Executive Director Mark Schrupp will be asked to give a full presentation on the study results early this year.
Airport revamp includes sky tours
Helicopter tours and charter flights are the next stage of the revitalization of Detroit’s limited-use city airport.
The city struck a revenue agreement with My Flight Tours, LLC to operate out of the Coleman A. Young International Airport, which hasn’t had a commercial flight lift off in nearly 25 years. The airport is used by private fliers, with hangar space leased to private and corporate jets.
My Flight Tours will occupy a portion of the airport and spend $3.4 million in capital upgrades to facilities. They plan to offer one hour helicopter tours, fixed wing charter flights up to 100 miles, sell food and beverages and build an entertainment center.
The city will receive $1,000 in monthly rent, plus a monthly fee for concessions and collect a portion of revenue from flights and tours.
Herman Kiefer misses deadline
Detroit’s civil rights office found the Herman Kiefer hospital redevelopment has fallen behind promises to restore homes acquired in a controversial deal with the city.
The details were in a biannual report the Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity Department delivered, which outlines how developers are meeting community benefits agreements stuck with residents in exchange for large tax breaks.
It reviewed 12 projects governed by the city’s community benefits ordinance dating back to 2017. Most are on track to meet commitments, but the Herman Kiefer project stood out.
Crain’s Detroit Business dove into the battle brewing between developer Ron Castellano and officials in Mayor Mike Duggan’s office. The city warned Castellano has six months to meet its obligations or deed the property back to the city.
The documents show developers missed a July 2024 deadline to complete 60 land bank homes. So far, the developer has only finished 15.
Developers haven’t worked with the city to maximize job opportunities for residents, falling short of an executive order requiring residents to work 51% of hours on public funded construction projects.
They also haven’t opened an on-site resource center as promised and failed to properly advertise stakeholder meetings.
Night vision and bomb dogs for police
The city approved contracts to provide police with night vision goggles and explosive detecting dogs.
California-based Night Vision, Inc. received a $60,750 contract for six pairs of goggles. Pennsylvania-based Shallow Creek Kennels, Inc. was awarded $52,500 to provide three trained canines.
The dogs will be trained to track and apprehend suspects, detect explosives, search buildings and work public demonstrations.
Dogs must be one of three select breeds: German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherd.
Feds fund street safety
Detroit received an influx of cash to improve safety for bus riders.
The city will spend $6.2 million on top of a $24.8 million federal grant to improve 50 intersections and provide safe driver training for city bus operators.
Each intersection selected had a higher rate of serious crashes and crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists.
Greenfield at Seven Mile was the most dangerous intersection for pedestrians. Ten pedestrians were hit by cars there from 2017-2021.
Street infrastructure upgrades include curb bump outs, sidewalk improvements, transit islands, signal and lighting upgrades, pavement markings, sidewalk widening and other accessibility improvements.
Construction is expected to start at the end of June and end in 2028.
Lead paint cleanup
The city accepted $7.75 million to protect children and families from lead hazards stemming from paint in older homes.
City documents show the funding will help address lead in 171 housing units, providing safer conditions plus social and medical services.
The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Flint received $3 million and was the only other Michigan city to receive lead hazard funding.
Eliza Howell Park upgrades
Detroit’s third-largest park is being reimagined.
The council authorized a master plan for Eliza Howell Park, which includes 250 acres of natural areas along the Rouge River in the Brightmoor neighborhood. Wade Trim Associates was awarded a $176,380 contract to create the plan and coordinate public engagement.
Nonprofit Sidewalk Detroit has been working to improve the park and commissioned an art installation that repurposed materials fished out of the Rouge River.
The city also restored a wildflower meadow in the park, installed a 1.3 mile paved loop and made stormwater improvements in recent years.
