Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
Kevin “Coach Kellogg” Jones was preparing to lead a bible study group when I met with him at an unassuming eastside church annex building.
Jones is running for a seat on the City Council representing District 5, pledging to focus on the needs of underserved residents. Whitney Clarke also filed to run in the district as a “tax justice candidate” and others are expected to jump in the race as Council President Mary Sheffield leaves to run for mayor.
I spent more than an hour getting to know Jones and his plans to improve Detroit. If you’re a candidate for the 2025 elections and want to do the same, reach out to me at (313) 690-5343.
Jones, who grew up in what was called Poletown South, said most folks know him as Kellogg. He picked up the nickname as a student at Campbell Elementary, which has since closed. One day, Jones stayed late to help a school custodian he befriended and was given a big bag of cereal. Jones’ brother gave him the name and it stuck.
Years later, Jones became “Coach Kellogg” by mentoring young boys in his old neighborhood. Jones was a basketball fanatic growing up and played four years at the former Shaw College at Detroit. Jones was the first in his family to graduate college.
Jones spent nine years teaching in Detroit schools then left to live in Georgia. He returned to the city in 2017, three years after his wife died. Jones said he was shocked to see the state of his old neighborhood, now known as McDougall-Hunt.
“When I came back, I thought ‘what the hell happened? What bomb dropped?’” Jones said. “Tears rolled down my face.”
Jones formed the nonprofit Jonesin’ for Change, started connecting with old friends and community organizers and became a core member of Freedom Dreams. It’s a combined effort of Sweet Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church, ComeUnity OneStop, The James and Grace Lee Boggs Center and other groups to revitalize vacant land.
Jones paused for a moment to reflect while explaining how the pieces came together.
“I became an activist about community building and bringing unity. I just began to meet people, share ideas with people and I just began to want to see a change,” Jones said. “I don’t think small.”
Nonprofit partners coordinated to buy property from the Detroit Land Bank Authority and build up community resources. Jones called it an “eco-village.”
He’s proud of their work to build a community garden, gathering spaces and a performance stage, reading nooks and carpenters’ shop where youth can learn woodworking skills out of a restored carriage house behind the James and Rose Robinson Center.
But Jones said the experience exposed him to challenges residents often encounter when trying to rebuild their neighborhoods. Notorious land speculator Matthew Tatarian also owns land on the same street and refused to sell parcels in between land owned by the collaborative.
“If you develop something you’ve got to go through him,” Jones said.
Jones also criticized the land bank for putting property in the hands of investors who neglect their property and then cash in when the value rises.
“The land bank has been a disservice to us,” Jones said. “I see all over the city they want to hold land for developers, but many developers are from outside of the state. Why do we want people from outside our state to own what should belong to the people of Detroit?”
Jones’ policy platform spells out COACH: Crime reduction, opportunities for economic growth, afterschool activities, committing to seniors and youth plus honest governance. He also talked about engaging “forgotten” Detroiters who don’t vote because they don’t feel served or seen by the government.
“There are pockets of the city that people who are running for office overlook, as if there’s not enough people there,” Jones said. “There’s people living there and their lives matter. We want to reach out to those who have not been reached out to.”
District 5 contains many of these pockets, Jones said, alongside part of downtown, the riverfront and other areas that have seen transformative investment. The district boundaries are changing after being redrawn last year by the City Council, moving westward.
Jones said his political influences include longtime Council Member Maryann Mahaffey and former US. Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins. He wants to bring more unity to the council and improve community participation.
“The people of Detroit need to be represented, because (city leaders) make decisions for the people, but without the people,” Jones said. “When you hear me speak, it’s my voice, but it is the words of the people of Detroit.”
Jones said he wants to reclaim assets that were sold or given away during the era of bankruptcy and emergency management, starting with the Great Lakes Water Authority. The regional authority was formed under a bankruptcy court order in 2014, taking control of the city’s water and sewage system for 40 years.
He wants to expand the city’s community violence intervention program, which has shown success in reducing shootings in select neighborhoods by pairing youth with mentors from the community. Jones said reopening recreation centers is another important piece of giving youth alternatives to gang involvement.
Jones also said affordable housing is a key issue. He said there’s a shortage of rental units that working-class residents can afford, and rehabilitated homes are often out of reach for first-time homebuyers. He’s said he’s exploring partnerships to build single-family homes priced at $60,000.
“Affordable housing isn’t affordable – let’s just be realistic,” Jones said. “We are voting for things that we can’t live in.”
Jones is collecting signatures needed to make the ballot for Detroit’s August 2025 primary. He said District 5 residents should expect to get a knock on their doors from him soon.