Detroit mayor's race sit-down: Todd Perkins

• Perkins is among candidates who haven't held elected office before hoping to bring outside energy to government and serve residents who may feel jaded about traditional politicians.
• The nonpartisan race has its primary in August and general election in November.

Flashback: Perkins, who grew up in the North End, has led a three-decade career in law. He owns downtown-based Perkins Law Group, a firm that covers civil and criminal litigation, real estate, corporate governance and more — though he wouldn't practice while mayor.

• Prominent clients have included former City Council member George Cushingberry, middleweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., Judge Kenneth King and Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido.
• Perkins, a "self-made CEO," started his firm in 1996. It grew at one point to around 14 lawyers, and currently has six.
• Perkins helped advocate for a successful 2021 Detroit reparations ballot initiative and created The People's Voice, an organization that attempted to allow residents to allocate city funds through votes.

Driving the news: Perkins spoke with Axios Detroit about his campaign's focus on public safety, neighborhoods, housing and taxes.

• He loves the city, which he says has been through a lot and is beautiful. "I love the people," he said. "I love the fact that we're determined to get the best out of each other."

Case in point: Perkins said he wants to see more investment in neighborhoods outside downtown.

• On housing, he aims to renovate 2,000 properties and build 8,000 residential units using public-private partnerships.
• While he mourned widespread demolitions costing the city many of its diverse older buildings, he also pointed to the benefit of vacant land for new homes and multifamily housing.
• That land can become a "blank tapestry" for developers in partnership with local community groups, funders, small businesses and other partners, he said.

Zoom in: Perkins wants to target neighborhood development — like the Strategic Neighborhood Fund, which selected 10 areas — but with more "intentionality."

• "It's like being a catalyst in a chemical reaction. I want to be a catalyst that speeds the reaction up and the intermixing of those necessary players."
• He also wants to reduce taxes for businesses and residents.
• One of his first calls on Day 1 would be to superintendent Nikolai Vitti to collaborate more with the public school system, including increasing summer jobs.

For public safety, Perkins said, he's been speaking with local officials and studying data, including about how petty crimes can turn into larger ones.

• He sees too many resources used downtown and wants to invest more in community policing, making it more accessible and working against its negative reputation.

State of play: One theme of the mayor's race is going to be big business and community — balancing the varied interests and needs of those affecting and affected by how Detroit's landscape is evolving.

• He said the city needs business investment to help get people who left to move back.
• But in disputes between residents and developers, he'd ask parties to present their cases. He said he values compromise and fairness.
• "It starts with engagement. When these businesses want to come in and, in their mind, bless the community with their dollars, some people would rather live without than be forced to live a certain way," he said. "But also, residents have to be practical … I think it's a push and pull."

The bottom line: We asked Perkins about a quality he would bring as mayor that is different from other candidates. He said:

• "When you have a headache or you're sick, you see a doctor. When you need prayer, you talk to a priest or a pastor. But when you need someone to fight for you, when you need someone who's going to fight the government, when you need someone who understands what is perplexing you … you need a lawyer. A lawyer who's been committed to the community, who is willing to stand on the front line."

Go deeper: Read our sit-downs with candidates Fred Durhal III, Mary Sheffield, Saunteel Jenkins and Solomon Kinloch Jr.