At-Large Council Member Mary Waters believes the council is vital in responding to issues that are often misunderstood by state lawmakers and federal policymakers.
Waters said she saw this first-hand when U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner visited Detroit last December. Turner, she said, argued that a federal funding shift from permanent housing programs to transitional housing will make Americans more self-reliant. Waters told Turner he should tour Detroit’s shelters to understand where the dollars would go.
“If that’s the route they’re going, then transitional housing needs to be decent,” Waters said. “You don’t want to throw people in a dump, especially where children are concerned. Sometimes people in Lansing and DC are so far removed from the basic needs at the local level.”
BridgeDetroit is scheduling one-on-one interviews with all members of the City Council at the start of their new term to better understand their priorities and governing philosophies. Waters outlined a few key priorities for the upcoming year:
- Strengthen tenant protections and increase enforcement against noncompliant and absentee landlords
- Redirect budget funds to grassroots neighborhood organizations working on blight and safety issues
- Restructure Detroit Land Bank Authority board and block city funding
Waters said a tenants rights commission authorized in 2024 and officially formed last spring is “suffering some hiccups” as the group waits to see how it fits into the new mayoral administration. Mayor Mary Sheffield launched an effort to address deplorable conditions in senior housing. Waters said the commission, which met sporadically last year, was meant to mediate landlord-tenant disputes, review lease terms and prevent eviction.
“Sometimes people are so desperate to find a place to live, they signed a lease without reading it or understanding it,” Waters said.
She wants to work with Sheffield to improve housing conditions, arguing negligent landlords are collecting rent while failing to make repairs. Waters is also concerned about the city’s inability to identify landlords who aren’t based in Detroit or use several limited liability companies to shield their identity.
Waters said the City Council’s budget authority is its most powerful tool. She said past councils have been reluctant to override the mayor’s budget for fear of destabilizing city finances but the absence of pandemic relief funding will force some “uncomfortable conversations” about budget priorities.
She opposes giving the Detroit Land Bank Authority any further subsidies. The council zeroed out its annual allocation in the prior budget. Waters said the council should explore ways to revoke the land bank’s ability to file nuisance abatement lawsuits and wants to change the board structure to add more council appointees.
Waters is enthusiastic about efforts to revive a Land Value Tax proposal that fell flat in the Michigan Legislature. Waters said it provided “false hope” of property tax relief to residents and lobbied against Mayor Mike Duggan as he backed the plan.
“I knew it was important to stop it in Lansing,” Waters said. “My staff and I had to explain to state legislators on both sides of the aisle on a regular basis, why we thought this was bad for the city.”
Waters is similarly poised to push against a zoning ordinance aimed at making it easier to build more housing in residential areas. Waters said representatives of historic districts convinced her the changes are unnecessary.
“If you’re talking about going in to build a duplex next to a single-family home, or a small apartment building next to a single-family home, people don’t want that necessarily.”
Waters served in the Michigan Legislature from 2001 to 2006 and was the first Black woman to serve as Democratic floor leader in the state House. She’s been floated as a possible 2026 congressional candidate, but declined to say whether she’s considering challenging U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar.
BARRETT’S BOOKMARKS
Here’s some other notable news I came across this week:
Detroit schools are under federal investigation for “sexual orientation and gender ideology content.” The U.S. Department of Justice opened a “compliance review investigation” to determine if Detroit Public Schools Community District gave parents a chance to opt children out of classes that include gender ideology.
State education standards updated last year require Michigan schools to define distinctions between gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation in sex education classes. The DOJ argues parents have a religious right to shield children from studies that could interfere with their children’s religious development.
DPSCD is under investigation for possible violation of Title IX, a landmark civil rights law banning sex-based discrimination in schools. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti was asked to provide extensive documentation of all mentions of various terms and concepts by April 6.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it’s “absurd” that Detroit police would face punishment for contacting Border Patrol in apparent violation of local policy. In a statement posted to X last week, DHS called the officers “American heroes who chose public safety first.”
Police Chief Todd Bettison intends to fire two officers who called Border Patrol agents in separate incidents.
Detroit police are prohibited from contacting a federal agency to assist with language translation or enforce immigration law. One of the officers filed a federal lawsuit claiming she didn’t violate department policy because she sought help identifying someone who provided a fake ID.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall said firing the officers “would really damage” the relationship he’s trying to build with Sheffield and the city.
Sheffield was invited to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address by U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin. The speech will be delivered Feb. 24 to a joint session of Congress.
State Rep. Helena Scott, D-Detroit, used thousands of dollars from political donations to make rent and car payments according to a Detroit News investigation. Scott was just one example of many lawmakers using campaign cash to cover expenses.
Residents whose homes were flooded when a water transmission line broke a year ago say they haven’t been fully compensated for damaged property and suffer lingering health effects. Planet Detroit checked in with residents and government officials who are taking lessons from the disaster.
Community groups can request complimentary Detroit Tigers tickets for the upcoming season. The Tigers are required to donate 50,000 tickets to children annually under a 1998 agreement. Groups can request free tickets online or by contacting Community@Tigers.com.
Data from the Downtown Development Authority shows more tickets were redeemed in 2025 after an intentional effort to ensure the tickets were being used. A January report shows 56% of tickets were used in 2024 while 62% were used in 2025.
Groups that were surveyed said weather and recipients failing to show up were the most common reasons tickets went unused. Most survey respondents said the application process was easy and expressed a high level of satisfaction with the program.
Most of the trips (455 out of 141) were by organizations based in Detroit. The DDA set a goal of distributing 80% of tickets to Detroit groups.
Keep Growing Detroit opened applications for its annual Garden Resource Program, which offers hobby farmers and urban farms access to crop transplants, educational classes, soil testing and other valuable resources. Members can take advantage of a fruit tree and garden bed sale starting Feb. 25.