Expectations will be Upheld for Our Elected Officials

The Spirit of Detroit. Image courtesy of Jason Hutchinson

With the election season finally behind us in the city of Detroit, the real work of uplifting our neighborhoods and improving the morale of our citizens begins now.

Voters once again place their faith in incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan by electing him to his third term as the city's top elected official. Janice M. Winfrey will also be returning to the office of City Clerk for her fifth term.

The most turnover took place on Detroit's City Council, as we will see six new members (District 2 - Angela Whitfield Calloway, District 4 - Latisha Johnson, District 6 - Gabriela Santiago Romero, District 7- Fred Durhal, and Members At-Large - Coleman A. Young II and Mary Waters) take office for their first term in January.

I would like to take a moment to address our governmental body that will oversee how our city will function over the next four years.

As Mayor Mike Duggan enters uncharted territory only the late Mayor Coleman A. Young reached, he has to know there is much work to do and truthfully acknowledge that there are indeed "two Detroits."

Our Central Business District is beautiful, there's no denying that. On any given day, there are hundreds of people enjoying the atmosphere of the hustle and bustle of downtown. However, on the other side of that, there are far too many neighborhoods throughout the city that are suffering daily as they battle crime, abandonment, and a lack of adequate services.

The question now becomes how do we navigate away from the tale of two Detroits? That's a question that Mayor Duggan has often avoided during his tenure and as he enters a third term as mayor, I don't believe he will be able to just skip over that notion anymore.

Mayor Duggan really has to make it his mission to assure all Detroiters, legacy residents and newcomers, that they will have the same opportunities. Residents who live in MorningSide or Ravendale should feel that their quality of life is valued just the same as someone who is living in Corktown or Midtown.

For our City Clerk Janice Winfrey, there is a ton of work that needs to be done. For whatever reason, voting numbers in Detroit are a complete disgrace, let's just call it for what it is. On election day when I cast my ballot (which was after 3 p.m.), I was number 73. That's pitiful, there's no other way to explain it.

The clerk's office has to get aggressive, and better yet progressive, in encouraging Detroiters to vote. Even though many vote by absentee ballot, I believe putting a spin on the format such as introducing a "roadshow" would increase the numbers tremendously. This would be more than just a trailer setting up shop at a designated location and telling people to come out and vote, the format would more so bring the trailer into the streets of an actual neighborhood and members of a street team would essentially go door to door bringing everything a prospective voter would need to cast their vote.

For city council, I'm excited to see the new energy our new council members will bring to the table. I'm looking forward to the fresh initiatives they all will bring to their respective districts.

If I could leave them with one piece of advice as they embark on their new endeavors, please do not forgot the journey it took for you to reach this new height.

One of the things that has always disappointed me over the years is the fact that many elected officials feel they are now above everything and everyone once they reach that pinnacle.

As former candidates, you should always try to keep in the back of your mind the days of meeting residents at their homes on the campaign trail, the conversations that were had, and the promises if elected to office that you would bring in order to impact change into the community.

For all of our elected officials in the city of Detroit, whether you have been re-elected, or you're just stepping into the fold for the first time, I would like to leave you with this reminder, you have an obligation to ALWAYS do right by the people. As cliché as it sounds, it's a practice that has often fallen to the wayside time and time again as we have seen those we have placed our faith in involved in corruption or indicted on charges of wrongdoing.

As the public, we're tired of seeing those negative headlines and as we have all seen, there's no guarantees to a elected seat.

The opportunity is always there to learn from your predecessors as it can either produce a prosperous future, or one that will face much uncertainty and potentially land you in a place none of us wants to be in.