Detroit Council President Mary Sheffield: I believe that we are all seeing the growth in prosperity of Detroit, in our city. For me, it’s important that the next five to 10 years we have someone who is not only bold, but compassionate about some of the social issues and ensuring that the growth that we all are seeing in Detroit benefits everyone. That it reaches deeper, that it goes into our neighborhoods, our communities, that our small businesses feel that growth as well too. And so I am excited about the opportunity to really create a Detroit that works for everyone, to ensure that the marginalized, those who oftentimes are left out of the conversation, feel empowered and that we’re addressing those social issues like poverty, making sure that Detroiters are getting a living wage and investing in those that have been here in Detroit.

Russ McNamara, WDET News: Where specifically isn’t it working? What are you hearing from your constituents that they want?

MS: People want more of the growth and development spread into our communities. We are all seeing a tremendous amount of development happening in Detroit. But I think if you talk to everyday Detroiters, a lot of them say, ‘What about us? What about our neighborhoods, our communities?’ And then also generational Detroiters, those who have been here through the good and the bad, also want to know what resources and support is there for me?

I would like to see us invest and pour back into our middle class families, creating more programs, more incentives and support to make sure that we’re stabilizing and growing our middle class. I also think we have to continue to address affordable housing. Oftentimes people say we’re not in a housing crisis, it’s a state of emergency. And we just recently saw what happened with a family of five, Miss Williams, who lost two of her children because she was sleeping in a car for three months. And so while we’re having the influx of development and economic activity that is happening, we still have to be compassionate about these very, very important social issues, like quality housing in Detroit and making sure that the most vulnerable in our community is protected, uplifted and supported.

RM: What’s the best way to do that? Mike Duggan got rid of a lot of blight in the city, but there hasn’t been this huge influx of affordable housing to fill in those gaps. So how does the city take the mantle there and start building houses?

MS: A couple of things. One, you have to be very intentional about it. You have to have a leader that is constantly advocating for housing in every conversation in every room. It has to be a priority. The second thing is, we do have to do better at cultivating an environment that makes it more easier for development to happen in Detroit. There’s so many barriers to entry. There’s so many issues around zoning and permitting. It’s just not an easy business-friendly environment for a lot of people to do business in Detroit. So I think we tackle it from both perspectives. And I also think you incentivize it. You have to incentivize development to come to Detroit that prioritizes the needs of Detroiters, and that is affordable housing in Detroit. I’ve seen it happen in our city. I created the ordinance called the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, which is now a mandate throughout the entire city of Detroit. If you are coming to build housing in Detroit and you’re acquiring some type of assistance, 20% of your units have to be affordable, and we’ve done it now for 11 years, and have done a great job in making sure that we’re incentivizing the need for affordable housing in Detroit.

RM: You mentioned the two little kids that froze to death in the city. Where did the city go wrong in addressing the needs of the people who need it the most?

MS: I know that the incident is under investigation, and it has been documented that this family reached out three times to the housing services hotline, and there was no follow through. So I think the system itself failed her. I think we have to all look at what our outreach is from the housing services department. I think there also needs to be a 24-hour hotline that people can call all throughout the day and night. Right now, we do not have that system in place. And then also, we invest a lot in a call center, but people can call all day — if there’s no housing available, we’re going to keep having this system that is failed. And so I have been very vocal about it, and not just now, that we can’t just keep investing in the Coordinated Assessment Model (CAM) system, which is our No. 1 intake for homelessness in Detroit, but we also have to equally invest in more housing in Detroit.

RM: Some communities have invested in their own public housing, where the city takes on the ownership and some of the construction. Can that model be successful in Detroit?

MS: I think it’s a possibility that we should explore, especially in light of the amount of vacant buildings — commercial and schools — that we have throughout Detroit. We had tons of land bank homes that are in a state of disrepair that could be used to put people in as well. So I think we have to be innovative in our approach, but to have as much vacant land and vacant structural commercial properties in Detroit, I think we have to be innovative in our approach to how we address housing in Detroit.

RM: Mike Duggan has been around a long time. You’ve been on city council a very long time. Where do you diverge from him, either in policy or philosophically?

MS: We have been partners, we have worked well to grow and redevelop our city, but I will probably say my attention and compassion for the social issues is there a little bit more. Not saying that he didn’t care, I think that he was very operational. Let’s get the street lights going, trash picked up, and that that was needed at a point in Detroit. But now that we are 12 years post-bankruptcy and we are now investing and growing Detroit, we cannot turn an eye on the fact that we still have one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Forty-nine percent of Detroiters who are working full time are still working and living, getting paid below living wages. We still have a high childhood poverty rate in Detroit, and we just experienced this situation with the issue of people who are unhoused. So those are the issues, to me that when you’re building a world class city, you cannot ignore, you must address. And so I would just say the compassion for those social issues, but not just the compassion, but someone who’s pragmatic in addressing those issues, I think also is important.

RM: Are you endorsing Mike Duggan for governor?

MS: I cannot get into that race, but I’ll tell you I am eager and I cannot wait to work with our next governor. We know whoever sits in that seat plays such an important role to the quality of life for Detroit, we cannot do it alone with our budget. We need the support of the state, and we need the support of Washington, our federal government as well. So I’m going to work with whomever is in office.

RM: Can you get that funding? Because the Biden administration put a lot of money into the city of Detroit, and it’s unclear how much money will be available during the Trump administration.

MS: It’s unclear. And we’ve lived through a Trump presidency before in Detroit, and we made it through. And I know we will again. It’s all about finding common ground. There has to be something that Detroit can benefit from, and I am going to work with whomever to make sure that Detroit benefits.