Mary Waters: The ‘quiet storm’

Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

BridgeDetroit is on Mackinac Island for the annual policy conference hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

We’ve been talking with local and state leaders about challenges facing Detroit and how they’re responding. 

Here’s a recap of news items pulled from interviews and panel discussions. Read our first dispatch from the island here.

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Duggan backs Waters for Congress

Mayor Mike Duggan endorsed City Council Member Mary Waters in her bid for the 13th Congressional District.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar is running for a second term representing Detroit and neighboring communities to the east and downriver. Duggan described Thanedar as non-responsive and unhelpful.

“We need someone in Congress who fights for us, and right now I feel like we don’t have any help,” Duggan said Thursday. “We can’t afford to carry a congressperson who isn’t responsive.”

Duggan announced his endorsement alongside City Council members Scott Benson, Fred Durhal III, Latisha Johnson and Angela Whitfield-Calloway, plus state Reps. Tyrone Carter, Kimberly Edwards and Alabas Farhat.

Waters said she was known as the “quiet storm” while serving in the Michigan Legislature. She described herself as deeply committed to struggling residents.

“I come from humble beginnings, I intend to conduct myself that way,” Waters said. “I will be strong and be forceful on behalf of the communities that I represent. Look out, Washington, D.C.”

Waters said she’s working to sway supporters of former state Sen. Adam Hollier, who was disqualified from the ballot after Thanedar challenged his nominating signatures. Attorney Shakira Hawkins also filed to run in the primary.

Former state Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo said influential surrogates are rallying behind Waters and beefing up her campaign organization.

“Everybody represented up here today represents a portion of the 13th District and we all have (political) machines,” Gay-Dagnogo said. “You haven’t seen anything until we lace up our gym shoes and get ready to rock and roll.”

Gay-Dagnogo said Waters has support from “part of the establishment” but is a grassroots candidate.

Thanedar, a millionaire businessman, has a significant financial advantage in the race.

Thanedar invested $3.35 million of his own money into his campaign and had $5.1 million in cash to spend as of March 31.

Waters raised $9,811, according to financial disclosures.

“The money is coming,” Waters said. “Let me tell you, that candidate has to spend what I’ve already earned – goodwill from the people.

Thanedar flexed his latest endorsements from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other prominent Democrats in Congress Thursday morning.

Thanedar said he has a strong relationship with Detroit voters, a majority of whom supported him in past campaigns.

“The first time I ran in the Democratic primary for governor, Detroit put me on top,” Thanedar said. “Then I ran for state representative and the people again put me on top. When I ran for Congress I won the city of Detroit. My focus has been on working with people, listening to them and meeting with them. People have responded well and made me victorious. I expect that they will send me back.”

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Restaurant sign proposal reheats debate

Detroit City Council Member Scott Benson’s latest attempt to enact a restaurant signage ordinance could be headed for a vote next week.

The proposal is strongly opposed by Michigan Black Business Alliance President and CEO Charity Dean, who organized resistance to the idea in 2022. Dean said the law won’t be approved without a fight.

A public hearing is scheduled for June 3 at the council’s Public Health and Safety Committee. 

Benson’s ordinance would require restaurants to post color-coded signs based on recent health inspections. Benson said more than 250 businesses voluntarily displayed signage through a partnership with the Detroit Health Department. 

“The narrative is ‘Black businesses can’t do this,’” Benson said. “The fact is, that Black businesses are more than happy to comply and can comply with a basic level of health requirements when it comes to food safety.”

Benson said issues raised in the past have been addressed.

Dean said businesses represented by her organization “do not support it.”

“This is not a Black issue. This is a small business issue,” Dean said. “We really think we want our city leadership to be advocates for small businesses. It’s already hard to do business in the city. It’s already hard if you have an inspection to schedule a reinspection. Now, imagine if I have a red (sign) on my door and I fix the problem. How long is it going to take for the city to come out and how much money am I losing every day?”

Dean said city promises for investments in hospitality training have been under discussion for years and haven’t materialized.

Benson said the city has 17 health inspectors, some of which are bilingual. He said a free restaurant training program is being developed via Detroit at Work.

Benson said people who still have issues with his “Dining with Confidence” program “don’t want transparency” because they don’t think Black restaurants can comply with health standards. 

“Now, are we going asking permission to provide public safety for the residents of Detroit? No, we aren’t asking for permission,” he said. 

Benson noted a former proposal for green, yellow and red placards was pared down.

Benson introduced a tweaked version of the ordinance that limits signs to two colors: Green to show compliance and red to show businesses were closed by the Health Department.

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QLINE transfer moving down the track 

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) is moving forward with plans to take over management of the QLINE.

The streetcar line is managed by M-1 RAIL, a nonprofit organization formed in 2007. The RTA Board of Directors gave Executive Director Ben Stupka the green light to start drafting a transfer agreement.

Stupka said the agreement could be finalized by the end of August and the RTA may assume control by October. M-1 RAIL would be dissolved after the transfer.

Stupka said the M-1 RAIL has done an impressive job of upgrading the streetcar and improving service. The RTA aims to continue service improvements.

“No promises, but we’ll have to look at expansions and extensions,” Stupka said. “Does it make sense to integrate this into another service? Does an extension make sense? How do we pay for it? All of those things are going to be on the docket.”

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Michigan could get funding if we had a transit plan

The state could be missing a major opportunity to receive federal funding for public transportation projects.

Michigan’s Chief Infrastructure Officer Zachary Kolodin has been working to direct federal funding from the Biden administration to communities around the state. He said Michigan – a state where leaders have acknowledged the  lack of regional transit networks is closely tied to population struggles – could take a “bigger swing.”

“If we want people to invest, whether it’s the state or federal government, we need a compelling vision and plan to get that done,” Kolodin said. “Planning and vision is rewarded with support from our federal partners. MDOT has issued the mobility 2045 plan, but Michiganders don’t want to wait until 2045 to have access to high quality transit and rail infrastructure.”

Kolodin said bipartisan lawmakers participating in a newly-formed Public Transit Caucus are raising important questions about who is responsible for coming up with a strategy.

“The feds are looking for projects that deliver a high level of service, meaning that the transit operator can show they’re going to move a lot of people, and a sustainable revenue plan,” Kolodin said. 

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, introduced legislation that would shift economic development funding toward public transit projects.

McMorrow proposed redirecting funds from the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR), which is used to prepare sites to recruit large business investments. 

Dwight Ferrell, manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), said he’s trying to change the narrative on transportation by highlighting its importance in talent attraction and job creation. 

Michigan is losing opportunities to secure companies that want their workers to have access to public transit, Ferrell said.

“We can have conversations with people to see public transit differently than just bus service, and about its impact overall,” Ferrell said. “Start to change the paradigm about how people look at public transportation.”