There is set to be considerable turnover on Detroit City Council after November’s election. City Council President Mary Sheffield is running for mayor leaving a vacancy in District 5. Fred Durhal III also ran for mayor, but failed to advance in the primary, so District 7 is now open.

Michigan State Representative Karen Whitsett, by virtue of name recognition and corporate backing, seemed to be the front runner heading into the District 7 primary.

However, it was Democratic Socialist Denzel McCampbell that earned the most votes.

McCampbell has some deep liberal credentials, including time as Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s communications director and as the head of the Progress Michigan. McCampbell was also a Detroit Charter Revision Commissioner and lost a bid to replace Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey in 2021.

His opponent, Whitsett, hasn’t shied away from attacking McCampbell for his progressive roots. The Detroit Democrat has taken criticism from members of her own party for praising Donald Trump during the Covid-19 pandemic and caucusing with Republicans during last year’s lame duck session.

McCampbell isn’t fazed by Whitsett’s attacks.

“I’ve been a community organizer my entire adult life and been working around voting rights, election protection, equitable development, making sure that we have what we need in our neighborhoods around environmental justice issues – the right to breathe clear air,” McCampbell said.

So for me, it is actually making sure that our people have the power, but also that we have a city government that is responsive to their needs.

McCampbell says he’s knocked on 15,000 doors in his district.

“What folks are actually upset with…is the way that our government has given away so much money to, the billionaire class and corporations, while their needs go to the wayside,” McCampbell said. “So for me, it is actually making sure that our people have the power, but also that we have a city government that is responsive to their needs.”

Water affordability legislation was left behind in the state legislature when 2024’s lame duck session ended early. McCampbell says it needs to be brought back.

“I have been advocating for solutions that address affordable housing. I’ve been advocating for solutions to address water affordability, because water is a human right,” McCampbell said. “I’ve been pushing to make sure that corporations and their interests are out of our government, that would get money out of politics.”

McCampbell says Whitsett isn’t “showing up” for people in her House district by working with Republicans to kill Democratic priorities. Whitsett was the lone Democrat who voted for the GOP-led House budget.

If elected, McCampbell wouldn’t be the only Democratic Socialist on council. Gabriela Santiago-Romero is running for re-election in District 6.

As for Detroit’s race for mayor between Sheffield and Rev. Solomon Kinloch, McCampbell is still making up his mind.

“I’m focused on the District 7 race, but, I think what I’ll be looking for is a mayor that works closely and collaboratively with Detroit City Council.”

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has released the Get Housing Ready Guide.

It’s a checklist for local governments to attract more housing development and investment. The state still faces a shortage of 119,000 housing units.

MSHDA Director Amy Hovey spoke with WDET about what is causing the shortage, and how the guide can help communities address it.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Amy Hovey: In the state of Michigan, we’re still about 119,000 units short of where we need to be for our current population in the state. That shortage comes from a few different things. One, the amount of people that live in each housing unit has shrunk. Quite often there’s one or only two people in the home. So, even if your population is somewhat stagnant, like it is in the state of Michigan — if you have less people in each home, you’re going to need more homes. We’ve also had a big increase in second homes and short term rentals. It’s great that we have those. That has also led to a shortage of housing for people who live here permanently. So we need to create all kinds of tools to help with the development of housing. And this guide really just kind of highlights all the different things — whether it’s zoning changes, whether it’s financial tools, whether it’s planning, whether it’s knowing where you want the housing developed, and having land control and working with land banks. There’s lots of things that a local municipality can do to really be housing ready.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET News: What is the biggest obstacle that local governments are facing right now concerning attracting these investments?

AH: The cost of developing housing is really the biggest obstacle. Often in our state right now, the cost to develop housing far outweighs what Michigan families can afford. So we need everyone to come to the table to reduce those costs. Some of the suggestions we have look at their land use policy. How can they allow for a more dense housing structure? Meaning, like row houses or multifamily even for sale homes that make it more affordable to develop. Also allowing for smaller housing to be developed, which matches really what new families are looking for and also what they can afford.

I also think if local communities prioritize the development of housing, making sure that they’re reviewing plans quickly, that they have pattern books of plans they’ve already approved in the past, that they’re coming to the table and trying to make the process as easy as possible and as short as possible to get housing developed. You know, the longer it takes, the more expensive it is.

BT: I notice that particularly in Detroit, that urgency to build more housing, especially more affordable housing, we tend to lean more towards multifamily units — not necessarily single-family homes. I’m curious if the policy changes that you’re suggesting will help allow more single-family homes to be built.

AH: I do think so. I think the reason why you see a lot of multifamily being developed, particularly in Detroit, is that’s where a lot of the subsidy is geared towards. At MSHDA, we get a lot of money from the federal government that is just for multifamily. We don’t get as much assistance for homeowner for sale development.

And so really, there’s a couple things. One, we need the state government to step up and put more funding towards for-sale. We need local governments to rethink their neighborhoods, to make it more affordable for developers to come and develop for-sale housing. For example, in this guide, we talk about the housing TIFs (Tax Increment Financing) under one of the financial tools and incentives. We have seen developers across the state use that housing TIF tool to develop single family for sale housing. And so if you’re a community that’s willing to approve these housing TIFs, you’re more likely to attract these single-family kind of neighborhood developers into your community.

Affordable housing has been a major issue for many voters in Detroit.

In fact, according to recent University of Michigan surveys, housing affordability is a top priority for residents. In the majority renter city that is Detroit, 60% of those renters are cost-burdened — meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing costs.

A lack of affordable housing is considered one of the root causes of homelessness. In 2024, a one-night count conducted by the city of Detroit and two local nonprofits showed a 16% increase in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park’s homeless population compared to the year before.

Ted Phillips, executive director for the United Community Housing Coalition, and Nushrat Rahman, economic mobility reporter for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit, joined the show to discuss the drivers of and possible solutions to this growing problem.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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