Fred Durhal - Candidate for Mayor

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: Many Detroiters get health care through Medicaid and food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This includes working individuals and families, older Detroiters and children. At the same time, over 82,000 Detroiters spend more than one-third of their income on housing, which exceeds the recommended income-to-rent ratio so families and individuals can meet other basic needs. One analysis notes Detroit needs at least 10,000 new affordable housing units. Medicaid, SNAP and affordable housing programs are vital to Detroiters, and cuts to these programs would be disastrous. Medicaid cuts would leave countless Detroiters with no health care coverage and threaten to shut down Detroit’s three federally-qualified health centers. Cuts to SNAP would worsen hunger in Detroit, where food insecurity affects 7 in 10 households.

With experience leading in the state Legislature and Detroit City Council, I will be laser-focused on robust housing, nutrition and health care funding by working closely with state and federal leaders to ensure Detroit gets the resources that help our residents be safe and healthy, thrive and succeed. I will build on private-public partnerships to support Detroiters in their neighborhoods, especially efforts to provide fresh and nutritious food, including fruits and vegetables. I intend to call on every available resource at the state and federal level to deliver the three basics – health care, food and housing – for the people 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: I will be laser-focused on economic development to expand opportunities for every Detroiter, in every neighborhood, so they can build a good life for themselves and their families. My economic platform includes cutting property taxes for homeowners and small businesses, and making owners of blighted properties pay their fair share. This will reward homeownership and help create generational wealth in the City of Detroit, while reducing blight in our neighborhoods. I will increase access to capital and encourage entrepreneurship and job creation, while building commercial corridors in neighborhoods across Detroit. I will cut red tape and make the City government easy to work with. As a champion for affordable housing, I will expand my PILOT Fast Track ordinance to build more affordable housing faster to meet resident demands, while putting people to work in good-paying skilled trades and construction jobs.

As mayor, I also plan to strengthen education by creating a Detroit Education Commission that will work with stakeholders, including the DPSCD, its superintendent, charter schools, the business and nonprofit communities and others to recommend ways to implement programs that can elevate education for all children, including implementing individualized learning plans at younger grades and increasing safe transportation options to and from school such as the HopSkip Drive initiative to allow parents to send children to school using certified ride-share options.

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: Detroit recently came out of the largest municipal bankruptcy in the country. President Trump and Republicans appear dead-set on eliminating wide swaths of the federal safety net and their tariffs threaten to destabilize our local & regional economies. As the next Mayor of Detroit, I will quickly assemble a world-class team of policy and government experts to set a stable course and secure fiscal foundation that can protect Detroit from federal budget cuts and a recession. We will work to identify areas most vulnerable to federal cuts and potential budget shortfalls and, should the circumstances present themselves, backfill with our rainy day fund and construct resilient budgets built to withstand recession and federal cuts. This means coordinating closely with state and local leaders and agencies – something I have extensive experience with through my experiences as a leader in the state Legislature. At the same time, I have strong relationships with Michigan’s congressional delegation and intend to work closely with them to ensure Detroit continues to serve our residents.