City Council President Mary Sheffield is running for Mayor, leaving District 5 open for new representation for the first time in more than a decade.
District 5 police Commissioner Willie Burton and UAW retiree Renata Miller are facing each other for the seat.
Burton’s campaign
Willie Burton was the youngest police commissioner in the U.S. when he took his seat in 2014. Before his election, he served for two years on the Detroit Public Schools Police and Public Safety Oversight Committee and then as Director of Community Relations for Wayne County Commissioner Martha Scott.
Burton’s campaign website calls for improving public transit, lowering water rates, and pushing for more affordable housing.
But Burton says his biggest concern is improving mental health support and services in the city. He says if he wins, he plans to hold a mental health symposium within his first 100 days in office.
“Our community has to be educated as well when it comes to crisis intervention training, which is Mental Health First Aid, as well as training our officers,” Burton said. “So we have our officers as trained, which is one thing, but our community has zero training. The business partnerships in the city has zero training.”
Burton says he wants to see Detroit receive a state-of-the-art triage center and social workers with more boots on the ground to help with issues from domestic violence to homelessness.
Miller’s campaign
Renata Miller is a UAW retiree. She is a founder of the Detroit Historic District Alliance and a community ambassador to the Detroit Opera House. Miller has served as president, vice president, and membership chair of the Historic Indian Village Association. She is also the program director of the Lawn Academy, an organization that teaches environmental stewardship and provides job training to youth in Detroit.
Miller’s campaign page says she is committed to protecting Detroit’s historic neighborhoods—advocating for community-led development, and ensuring government transparency.
Miller also advocates for more jobs in the city, quality affordable housing, and improved safety in the neighborhoods.
At a candidate meet and greet event hosted by the community group and podcast Detroit is Different, Miller said the best way to serve the public is to meet with the public.
“You have to get out to your residence,” Miller said. “You’re not, you shouldn’t even act or move without coming to the community. They know what they want, and they know what they desire for their neighborhood. Some of them have plans that you will never think about, but if you don’t engage with them or talk with them, you’ll never know what the desire is.”
Controversial candidates
Both Miller and Burton have faced criticism in the media. The Detroit Free Press described the race for District 5 as an “unenviable choice” for its residents, as both candidates have had their fair share of legal issues in the past.
Burton was arrested during a Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting in 2019, where the Detroit police department’s controversial use of facial recognition was being discussed. The board chair had Burton removed after warning multiple times that he was out of order. Burton was handcuffed, but not charged.
Renata Miller’s record includes a 2001 bankruptcy filing, multiple lawsuits with Southfield and Bloomfield Hills landlords, and a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction in 2003.
Political analyst Mario Morrow says it’s in both candidates’ interests to speak up about their faults.
“Before they take the seat, they need to go out here and campaign hard and admit their flaws. Then, when they get into the seat, say, ‘We won’t make those mistakes again, and we’re going to do better by our constituents, ’” Morrow said.
Morrow says the issues that most affect residents in District 5 are the same for the rest of the city, so the next council member in the seat needs to be able be dependable.
“It doesn’t matter who the mayor is, the city council has a big role to play, even though it’s a strong merit mayoral endorsed government. People are really concerned about the future of the city, and… people are fearful of change, and this change over is causing a lot of confusion, especially in District 5,” Morrow said.
*After multiple attempts by WDET, Renata Miller declined to be interviewed.
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