Denzel Anton McCampbell - Candidate for City Council - District 7

1) Federal policies often shift in ways that impact cities’ ability to provide essential services and maintain stability, especially in today’s political climate. What are the key federal programs you believe most directly affect Detroiters, and how would you advocate to preserve or replace these supports?

Response: First, we must make sure that we aren’t just giving into an Administration that wants to punish cities like Detroit. I will make sure that I am engaging and vocal as a Detroit City Councilmember with our federal representatives on the impacts of cuts and what they'd mean for our city and residents. Democrat or Republican, our federal representatives must be engaged on stepping up for the state's largest city – and hold them accountable if they fail to do so. I’ve worked in a congressional office in a leadership role, and understand the appropriation process and will use those skills to work with our Congressional Delegation to ensure that they are being advocates for Detroit as well.

We also need to explore alternative measures for funding and be innovative and collaborative with other cities, communities, and stakeholders like the philanthropic community.

I also believe we have to invest in and lift the solutions we have in our neighborhoods and make sure the community work that has continued to exist to address the needs of our neighbors have the backing they need from the City of Detroit.

2) With the challenges posed by economic uncertainty, rising inflation, and evolving federal policies, what will be your approach to collaborating with local, regional, and national leaders to protect Detroit’s progress? What specific area—such as housing, education, or economic development—will you prioritize?

Response: We cannot work in silos. I’d argue that doing so had led in large part to the situations we find ourselves in today. There are many areas such as public transportation that could be much further along if local, regional, and state leaders worked more together to address it.

I’m a community organizer at heart. I have a background in bringing folks together to come up with solutions and push them forward in a collective way – that’s how I will approach my service on the Detroit City Council. Our solutions are in the community and as goes Detroit, goes the rest of the State of Michigan. I believe firmly that we must prioritize the issues that are impacted our neighborhoods to find true progress for the city.

Housing will be a priority for me when it comes to increasing homeownership, broadening programs like downpayment assistance, home repair dollars, and programs that protect homeowners and tenants to keep a roof over their heads. I’d also prioritize opportunities for our children and resources for before and after school to ensure they are well-prepared for their future and have what they need for the present.

These things will only be achieved by working together and pooling resources from various places. That’s the focus I’ll have when bringing folks to the table. Being laser focused on the goal and plugging folks in at various points to achieve it.

3) A review of the City of Detroit’s Economic Outlook 2024-2029, dated February 2025, states that:

“Detroit’s economic recovery has encountered significant headwinds over the last eight months, but we expect it to regain its footing this year as the macroeconomic environment becomes more favorable. We note, however, that there is substantial uncertainty surrounding our forecast, particularly regarding policy changes with the new presidential administration, as well as with the pace of inflation and the Federal Reserve’s response.”

The report further states that the gains made in the number of jobs in the city and the number of Detroiters employed have declined since mid-2024. With this sobering background information and the instability caused by the tariff policies and the anticipated gutting of federal programs, what will your strategy be to:

A. Monitor the general fund for impacts, identify the trigger for a reduction in revenue that would necessitate scaling back services or triggering layoffs, and/or slow down the pace of service delivery?

B. Engage other levels of government to arrive at a plan of action?

Response: I believe as a city council and city government; we should be engaging the State of Michigan to ensure that revenue sharing and other state budget line items are adequate for municipalities and that we are making sure that tax dollars and our budgets are addressing the needs of our residents without negatively impacting workers and services.

We must prioritize the needs of our neighborhoods through the budgeting process. That’s how we are going to increase revenue and opportunities for folks. When it comes to skilled trades training, adequate housing and reliable public transportation, we know those necessities lead to higher employment and an increase in population.

Again, I believe we must engage our state lawmakers and federal representatives to be pushing as hard as possible for dollars to come into the city. I won’t be shy in the outreach to other levels of government to make that case clear and I’d engage my fellow councilmembers to do the same in a united front.