Candidates battle for two at-large council seats
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Two City Council members are running for reelection against a wide field of challengers that includes a former council member, Republican educator and former detective.
The big picture: It's notoriously tough to beat incumbents like council members Mary Waters and Coleman Young II, but a total of eight candidates are battling for City Council's two at-large seats that represent the whole city.
- The four who get the most votes in the Aug. 5 primary will face off in the November general election.
Here's a quick look at their backgrounds and some priorities:
Levan Adams spent 25 years as a Detroit police officer and detective.
- He wants to bring transparency and trust back to politics and focus on public safety, including mental health and youth programs. He also wants residents more involved in the budget process.
Janeé Ayers, a former City Council member, has a history in union leadership and the city's parks and rec department.
- Her planned focuses include fiscal responsibility, making affordable housing truly affordable, and improving the rights of citizens returning from incarceration.
James Harris, the Detroit Fire Department's community relations chief, has worked to modernize fire services and improve emergency response efforts, per his website.
- Harris' site says his priorities include funding for entrepreneurs and improving public safety through community policing and better resources for first responders.
Shakira Lynn Hawkins is an attorney whose experience includes the city's law department and time as a former domestic violence shelter director.
- Her priorities include addressing housing instability, as well as economic empowerment that creates jobs and lifts small businesses.
Gary Hunter has been a preacher and community services provider, as well as owning a publication called Shot News and working as a photojournalist.
- As a City Council member, he says he would work to establish a parent-and-child mentoring program and make affordable housing more accessible to families.
Valerie Parker is an educator and youth activist, as well as a Republican in the majority Democrat city.
- Her priorities for City Council include intervening in the regulation of charter schools and adapting vacant, historic school buildings for new use.
Waters, seeking a second term, is a former state representative, previous candidate for Congress and former union activist.
- Her plans include supporting home repair grants and working to reform the Detroit Land Bank Authority.
Young, also running for a second term, is a former state legislator, as well as a former mayoral candidate and the son of former Mayor Coleman Young.
- Young's work has included directing funding to food access initiatives and getting residents better access to jobs.
Go deeper: Citizen Detroit published helpful candidate videos and questionnaires.