Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield’s appointees for top roles in housing, public safety, legal and finance told the City Council last week the new administration is launching new initiatives to create middle-class housing, clean up city parks and explore uses for artificial intelligence.

Seven of Sheffield’s appointees were brought before the Internal Operations Committee on Jan. 15 to outline their goals and answer questions. Council members said they had individually interviewed some of the appointees at length before the meeting, and a special session is being planned for additional interviews before the full council.

The City Council can veto appointments but can’t make their own suggestions. A vote to authorize the appointments hasn’t been scheduled yet. All seven proposed appointees served the same roles under the prior administration of former Mayor Mike Duggan.

Here’s a summary of what was discussed during the interviews.

Police Chief Todd Bettison 

Bettison said he had two main goals in his first year as police chief: Bring down crime and improve community engagement.

Bettison became interim chief in 2024 and was confirmed by the council last year. He noted Detroit experienced a crime reduction in every category last year, including a 20% drop in homicides(165 total), a 38% drop in non-fatal shootings (440 total) and 87% decrease in carjackings (76 total).

Council members praised Bettison for being visible in the community.

However, Bettison said there’s no room for celebration. He advocated for increased focus on crime prevention through the Community Violence Intervention program, which expanded to District 3 last year, and a new Office of Neighborhood Safety that Sheffield’s administration aims to create.

District 3 Council Member Scott Benson said “quality of life issues are paramount” and asked Bettison for a commitment to policing “anti-social and illegal behavior in our parks.” Benson said children at parks and recreation centers are exposed to adults using drugs and alcohol.

“We’re not seeing a level of enforcement to make parents feel comfortable,” Benson said.

Bettison said the police department has a parks detail and will work with council members to address the unwanted behavior with an enforcement blitz and educational campaigns. Bettison said there’s too much litter in parks.

District 5 Council Member Renata Miller said she appreciates the creation of a neighborhood response team in 2024 to address block parties that get out of control. Miller said she plans to refer addresses to DPD where residents have witnessed illegal activity.

“I saw it when I was campaigning, there’s a lot of illegal activity going on in our city,” Miller said. 

Housing and Revitalization Director Julie Schneider

Schneider said housing is fundamental to each person’s life and framed the housing department’s role as ensuring homes are safe, accessible and affordable. 

She outlined responsibilities of the department, including home repair services and developing affordable housing projects. Schneider said 3,000 affordable housing units have been completed in the last decade and another 2,000 are under construction.

Benson said it’s important to provide low-income housing but middle-class and workforce housing is also vital. Benson said long-term growth relies on providing more options for a broader range of incomes.

“We’re not going to be able to continue our upward trajectory by only building housing for low-income families,” Benson said.

Schneider said the city’s Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program created in 2024 has provided financial incentives to create middle-income housing. She said it’s created significant interest in new workforce housing development.

Meanwhile, Schneider said the department is focusing on restarting the “engine” of infill housing development in neighborhoods.

“It’s truly been decades since that work has happened in mass numbers,” she said.

Fire Commissioner Charles Simms

It could cost $250 million to replace aging fire stations across Detroit. Simms said 15 to 20 stations need to be replaced, many of which are approaching 100 years old.

Simms said the department is working to recruit more Detroit residents and Black firefighters. Roughly 20% of the staff are Detroit residents and 34% are Black. Simms said 1,900 people applied to firefighter and EMS positions in the latest hiring round, and only 70 will be asked to join the training academy.

Detroit residents are prioritized, he said. A high school mentorship program is being reinvented after ending during the COVID-19 pandemic, Simms said.

The department cross trains members to respond to fires and medical emergencies. The city’s first paramedic class graduated this month.

Simms joined the Detroit Fire Department at the age of 19 and has seen much improvement since. He said response times are at its lowest in history,saying it takes 7 minutes and 30 seconds to respond to a Code 1 medical call.

Simms said the department has benefitted from new air tank and harness systems and a $10.7 million investment in new ambulances and fire trucks. A community risk reduction program will be launched in each council district to determine the biggest cause of fires across Detroit.

Other new initiatives include an alert system for Stellantis and Volkswagen vehicles to warn drivers when emergency vehicles are approaching and a nurse navigation program to help arrange hospital transportation to prevent ambulances from being used for less serious issues.

Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett

Mallett said his office is the chief enforcer of city ordinances, like a local attorney general. He’s preparing to take on the prosecution of misdemeanor crimes in June and outlined efforts to expand blight enforcement and deed fraud.

Mallett said the department has added a more aggressive, people-centered orientation to its other responsibilities in providing legal support to the city.

A new criminal division is being created to handle misdemeanors, freeing up Wayne County prosecutors to focus on violent crimes. Mallett said the 36th District Court offers alternative sentencing options, allowing people to avoid a permanent criminal record while still facing consequences. The change will create more consistent enforcement of blight ordinances and other minor crimes, Mallett said.

“There is no such thing as a free pass,” Mallett said. “Enforcement of the law is necessary to incentivize behavior we expect.”

Mallett said the Law Department is considering using artificial intelligence tools to process the high number of FOIA cases Detroit receives. He said automation could increase the response time as “the number of FOIA requests continues to go up, not down.” 

Chief Financial Officer Tanya Stoudemire

Stoudemire said the city has a $105 million surplus that will be allocated in upcoming budget discussions. A Feb. 14 revenue estimating conference will go over the city’s financial state. 

Stoudemire said the city is facing a revenue challenge for the first time since exiting bankruptcy. She said the city is collecting less corporate taxes because manufacturers are seeing profit declines due to tariffs. Detroit is projected to have flat revenue, but there wasn’t a decrease because wagering and casino taxes continue to rise.

Sheffield’s first budget address to the council is likely to happen during the second week of March, and the council must vote to authorize her budget proposal by April 7.

Benson said the city is in good hands with Stoudemire, noting her experience dates back to the Coleman Young administration.

Planning Department Director Alexa Bush 

Bush remains focused on completing the city’s latest Master Plan, which outlines Detroit’s long-term vision for land use and zoning.

She said 18 neighborhood framework plans have already been completed and are now being integrated into the broader master plan.

Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway raised concerns about the viability of businesses that receive Motor City Match funding, saying she’s seen the closure of several businesses that she attended ribbon cuttings for. 

Bush said she shares the concern, and is working with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. The Planning Department supports businesses by shaping the environment around them, she said, creating walkable destinations with safe streets, complimentary businesses and residential density.

Human Resources Director Denise Starr  

Starr highlighted the city’s transition to a new payroll system over the last decade, automating processes for onboarding and providing employee benefits like a six-week paid parent leave program.

Four labor contracts are up for renewal, including the Detroit Fire Fighters Association and three police union contracts.

Whitfield-Calloway said she’s opposed to Detroit allowing remote work for city employees, and said it’s “problematic” to have employees who live outside the city. She said there’s 11 city employees who are H-1B visa holders working for Detroit, and at least two live in Illinois and Florida. 

“I cannot believe we cannot find workers who live in Detroit or Michigan to do the work these H-1B visa holders do,” Whitfield-Calloway said. “Ten of them are from India, one from Nigeria, and none of them chose to live in our city.”

Starr said Detroit stopped issuing H-1B visas and “will not restart them without coming back” to the council. Whitfield-Calloway said the city shouldn’t renew any work visas that are set to expire and noted the Trump administration created a $100,000 fee for a noncitizen to enter the United States with an H-1B visa after Sept. 21, 2025.