Renata Miller - Candidate for City Council - District 5

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: I believe the program that most affect Detroiters would be section 8, Snap/food stamps and Medicaid. As a City Council person, I would work with our State of Michigan legislature and our Federal legislature to find resources to bring the money home to fund the programs essential to Detroit’ers.

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: As a City Council member, I have prioritize building relationships with people that is honest about advancing Detroit’s progress. There must be partnerships in place for this to happen. My top priority will be economic development that only bring benefits homes to Detroiters. As a union person, it is imperative that we have good paying jobs and that support small businesses in our community that will provide jobs and job training for Detroiters. I am an advocate for quality affordable housing especially single-family homes.

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 would advocate for monitoring the general fund. We must identify what causes the drop in income tax, collections or state shared revenue. There may have to be a hiring freeze and some things may have to be prioritized. It’s almost impossible to cut essential services. I would also engage with state of federal partners to advocate for Detroit share funding. We would have to stop anything that we negatively impact our city and allow time to create some type of action plan.