Mary Waters - Candidate for City Council At-Large

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: While the City of Detroit receives a number of federal grants (both block grants and competitively-won grants), the biggest risk to our city is cuts to federal programs that help individual Detroiters. Currently, the federal government is considering a proposal that would gut Medicaid, which would have a disproportionate impact on Detroiters. With over 36% of Detroiters on Medicaid, and even more dual-eligible, it’s essential that the federal government maintain support for Medicaid or it is our residents who will pay the price. Jobs are also on the line, as cuts are considered for AmeriCorps, and proposed cuts to federal housing support both take away jobs from Detroiters but also secure housing. This is to say nothing of the ongoing immigration and trade wars that this administration is pursuing that have gutted our tourism industry and pose a huge risk to manufacturing and service jobs.

While I fervently wish that the City of Detroit had the resources to replace all of these programs, we simply do not. At the local level, I will continue to fight to be fiscally-responsible so that we can endure any municipal interruptions in grant funding, and I will continue to forge partnerships in the private sector and with members of government at various levels to minimize the impact that the chaos in Washington, DC may bring to Detroiters’ lives.

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: Building strong partnerships at all levels of government has been a core tenant of the success I've had for Detroiters in my first term. With the new federal administration, I will continue to leverage those partnerships to keep our federal funds going. Being responsible with our local funds is also critical to ensuring Detroiters continue to receive the quality services they deserve. I will fight against tax hikes like the proposed Land Value Tax that will take funds away from critical services and provide no tax relief to Detroiters. I will also work to ensure that we continue to pass fiscally-responsible budgets that are in-balance and seriously evaluate all efforts to issue new bonding, controlling our debt levels and debt service levels so that we never again have to face the scourge of Emergency Managers and bankruptcy. Finally, by strategically investing in job training and safe, affordable housing, we can maintain the great progress we have made and keep Detroit rising.

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:

A. I am very proud of the progress we have been making as a city, and have voted for three consecutive balanced budgets while seeing the city’s credit rating continue to increase due to strong financial management. I am pleased that the financial review board will be sunset and that we have made well-reasoned plans to avert the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ of pension contributions. It is my belief that, if we continue to be effective stewards of the people’s tax dollars, we will not need to return to the dark days of service cuts and layoffs. With that being said, I will not approve budgets that rely on unsustainable debt levels to cover falling revenues; we know all-too-well what a bankruptcy can do to a city, and we know that the burden is always borne not by the creditors, but the seniors and retirees.

B. In these uncertain times, we all must band together to ensure that Detroiters, Wayne County residents, and Michiganders are all able to weather any economic doldrums that may come. I will continue to leverage the relationships I have built across the aisle at all levels of government to ensure Detroiters’ needs are heard and that we can all collaborate on needed solutions. One example is Community Violence Intervention funding, which I supported with ARPA dollars on council and have worked with legislators in Lansing to reintroduce the Public Safety Trust Fund program so that this initiative can continue.