Candidate Profile: M.L. Elrick For Detroit City Council

M.L. Elrick

Age (as of Election Day)

53

Position Sought

Detroit City Council District 4

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Wife Tresa, daughters Emily and Sophie

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Michigan State University, BA in Journalism

Occupation

Journalist. 29 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

www.ml4detroit.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

After 30 years as an investigative reporter focusing on government and 20 years as a union activist, I'm looking for a different way to make a difference. I have also been active in my community and want to help improve the neighborhoods and business corridors in the 4th District, where I have worked or lived for nearly 40 years. While we have some nice parks and neighborhoods and improving business districts, most of the district has not enjoyed the renaissance of other parts of Detroit like downtown and Midtown. I want my neighbors and local business owners to have access to the same benefits and opportunities as downtown and to make sure that the people who have lived here and kept the city viable are not subject to second-class treatment while billionaires are lavished with tax breaks and special deals. I also want to see a return to the days when Detroiters could walk to work and support their families with jobs in their neighborhood that provide good wages and benefits.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Infrastructure. We need to stop the flooding, eliminate the blight in our neighborhoods and help seniors and low-income homeowners repair their homes. For the flooding while as if 7/12/2021 we still do not have a reliable explanation for what happened to cause the flooding, I support using federal American Rescue Plan money to help homeowners install back flow preventers and sump pumps to keep the water out of our homes and converting our vacant land to bioswales and rain gardens to help absorb storm water to avoid overburdening the system. For the blight, we need to demolish homes that cannot be saved while rehabilitating homes that are structurally sound while using code enforcement officers to hold landlords accountable for maintaining their property while making grants and low-interest loans available for home repairs.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am the only person who stood up in Detroit City Hall and exposed the criminality of City Councilman Gabe Leland and called for his resignation. And he is not the first corrupt public official I exposed and helped remove from public office. I am creative problem solver who builds strategic partnerships to get things done. I am a watchdog who knows how government works and who demands excellence from everyone who draws a public paycheck. And I am a fearless truth teller. My priorities are: Opportunity and equity; safety; and accountability. I will work to make sure the neighborhoods receive the same opportunity to take advantage of the benefits and incentives provided to downtown and the stadium district while holding developers responsible for living up to their end of the deals they make with the city. I will work to increase the number of speed humps installed to slow speeding on residential streets as well as work for reform of the police department to emphasize training officers as guardians rather than warriors, improve officer pay and retention, diversify the job classifications in the police department to include social workers, therapists and specialists trained in de-escalation and building relationships of mutual trust with residents. And I will never stop holding public officials accountable for their actions.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

This is an open seat

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I thought Detroit provided a model for the nation in how best to handle a pandemic in terms of testing and vaccinating citizens.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I support creating a non-profit similar to The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) to bring government, business, non-profits, churches and charities together to create a fund that can assist residents who, due to circumstances beyond their control, cannot pay their water bills.
I do not support de-funding the police. The police budget should increase so we can hire more officers, increase pay and benefits to attract and retain officers with more qualifications and experience, and increase training programs and tuition reimbursement. A larger budget will allow DPD to hire therapists and social workers and other specialists to work alongside certified police officers to de-escalate and peacefully resolve situations. In 2000, there were 3,500 police officers on the job. Today, there are about 2,000 police officers, many of whom are working grueling mandatory overtime shifts. I believe the inadequate number of police officers available to patrol neighborhoods and work cases is one of the reasons for the rampant speeding in our neighborhoods and horrific increase in gun violence and homicides which continue to plague our city. More and better officers should allow the city to save money on overtime, lawsuits filed against officers who are unfit to serve and costly stop-gap measures like speed humps.
By increasing the number of police officers in our neighborhoods and by working to improve the recreational options for children and social services available to everyone. I also will help whenever possible with improving the quality of public education, because I believe that the key to preventing criminal behavior is a good education and school system that provides opportunities and assistance for children and adults who want to learn.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My wife and I have lived on East Outer Drive for more than 22 years, and we raised our two daughters here in East English Village. I am a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award winning investigative reporter who has covered politics at the local, state and national level for nearly 30 years. I am a union organizer and neighborhood activist, a youth sports coach, school commission member and street representative for my neighborhood association. I am also a volunteer fundraiser and a charity sporting event I created has raised more than $125,000 for Detroit children. I am a creative problem solver dedicated to helping residents and businesses as well as community, religious and labor organizations. My goal is to make sure that the same attention and opportunities available downtown and in Midtown are available to the neighborhoods while improving safety for residents, workers and visitors and holding developers and public officials accountable for their actions.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

If you can't find anything else to work on, pick up a broom.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I gave up my job, and possibly my career in journalism, to run for this office because the opportunity to serve my neighbors means that much to me. I am good listener who HEARS what people have to say, and who wants to help solve their problems. I will be a powerful and persuasive advocate for my fellow Eastsiders and the people of Detroit. For more on my campaign, visit www.ml4detroit.com