Featured Items

10 Ways to Help Maintain a Safe Community
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

We each need to get more involved in our community. Here are 10 simple ways to help maintain a safe community: 

Turn your porch light on.

Shine a light in your community to keep criminals at bay.  

Introduce yourself to your neighbors.

You can’t tell if someone is intruding if you don’t even know who lives there. Exchange phone numbers or email addresses to stay in contact with one another.  

Join or create a block club, community group, or neighborhood association.

An involved community is a safe community.  

Adopt a child.

Choose a child in your neighborhood to mentor.   

Speak to those you see in your neighborhood.

Criminals hate being recognized, so you can disarm them just by speaking.  

Know your community liaison officer.

Your community liaison officer will be able to follow up on complaints regularly.  

Attend Safety Training Workshops.

DPD offers classes that teach citizens about public safety. (Contact your local precinct for details)   

If you see trash, pick it up.

A clean community is a safe community.  

Report any suspicious activity you observe.

Be sure to dial the correct number for your issue. For example, for a loose animal one would call animal control. 

Have safe and clean FUN in your neighborhood.

Organize a community basketball game or have a cookout to bring everyone together.  






Pugh Rides DDOT
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

As part of City Council President Charles Pugh’s commitment to bringing government directly to the people of Detroit, he and the Street Team regularly ride the DDOT bus on Friday afternoons.

“It’s important that our residents know that we are all in this together.” said Pugh. “They should not have to come to city hall to get their problems solved, we should go to them. Detroiters will regularly see me and members of my staff in their neighborhoods working with them to improve our city.”

Pugh’s bus ride is part of a larger effort to increase community involvement and strengthen the partnership between city council and our citizens.






Second Chance Task Force
Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Second Chance Task Force, chaired by Council President Pugh and co-chaired by Councilman Spivey, recently held their second meeting. The Second Task Force aims to help individuals with felonies and men and women returning home from prison. For more information or to get involved contact QuanTez Pressley at 313.224.2087 or pressleyq@detroitmi.gov






ARISE Detroit's 4th Annual Neighborhoods Day
Wednesday, July 28, 2010

City Council President Charles Pugh was proud to join the many community leaders and groups for the announcement of ARISE Detroit's 4th Annual Neighborhoods Day.

Neighborhoods Day will be held Saturday, August 7, 2010, with more than 100 events spread across the city. Events will begin at dawn and conclude at the ARISE Detroit! Renewing the Village Celebration in Hart Plaza with the release of the new song, “The Great New Detroit Renaissance.”

Some events include:
-The Detroit Tiger Hometown Baseball Championships, featuring more than 600 boys and girls playing games at Jayne Field in Detroit
-Cultural Institute Tours of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum of African-American History, Detroit Public Libraries and Detroit Science Center
-Construction of a new home by volunteers Habitat for Humanity
-Demolition of vacant homes by the Motor City Blight Busters with help from volunteers from the Detroit Media Partnership.
-Construction of a new playground for city children by the YMCA
-Identification and removal of invasive plants from the forest on Detroit’s historic
-Belle Isle Park by the friends of Belle Isle
-Exciting parades
-Library and education events
-Youth activities
-Beautification projects
-Senior citizen events

To participate or for more information on Neighborhoods Day click here.






Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund
Wednesday, July 14, 2010

If you are at risk of losing your home to foreclosure there is MONEY available to help you stay in your home.

Michigan is one of five states selected to receive $154.5 million in federal funds. The Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund is designed to help 17,000 homeowners in Michigan avoid foreclosure.

To be eligible for the fund, homeowners must be receiving unemployment compensation, have fallen behind on mortgage payments due to a temporary layoff or medical emergency or can no longer afford mortgage payments due to low household income.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) will begin accepting applications from mortgage service providers Monday, July 12.

Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. So, it's important to contact your mortgage service provider immediately to determine if you qualify for the program!!!

For more information on the Helping Hardest-Hit Homeowners Fund call 866-946-7432 or click here.






Celebrating the Grand Opening of Fountain Bistro
Friday, July 02, 2010


City Council President Charles Pugh was among the many community leaders, Campus Martius Park regulars, and employees from nearby businesses who celebrated the grand opening of Fountain Bistro at Campus Martius Park.






A Visit to the Detroit Service Learning Academy
Thursday, July 01, 2010

8th graders at Detroit Service Learning Academy invited City Council President Charles Pugh to their school to tell him about their service learning project. They developed a plan to upgrade a park in their neighborhood.






Council Meets on Mass Transit
Friday, February 12, 2010

The City of Detroit and its surrounding neighbors have been discussing the prospect of mass transit in our region for many years. Today, the Detroit City Council convened a Committee of the Whole to determine where the city stands in constructing this long awaited system of transportation.

 
This project has included many participants and stakeholders, each playing an integral role in the development of mass transit. Representatives from the local, regional, state, and federal level came before the council to provide information on some necessary steps that will make mass transit a reality in Detroit.

 
Congresswoman Kilpatrick began the series of testimonies by notifying the council of the resources she has been able to provide as a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Kilpatrick also reiterated her promise of ensuring that Detroit joins every other major metropolitan area that provides mass transit. She also informed members of President Obama’s commitment to light rail and she stated that she plans on working with the President, Secretary LaHood, and staff to make sure Detroit is included.

 
Group Executive Charlie Beckham and CFO Norm White spoke to the council on behalf of the administration. The administration claims to be carefully reviewing the details of a regional authority, in hopes of protecting the interest of the citizens of Detroit. White stated that they have reached a sound agreement with all other parties and will be supplying the council with this information as it is solidified.

 
The leader of the Detroit Delegation in Lansing, Rep. Bert Johnson, also appeared at the meeting to give an update on the transit legislation in Lansing. Johnson stated that although this issue has been taken up 24 times, he believes that this attempt at mass transit will be successful. Right now, Lansing legislators are participating in work groups around this very issue.

 
Lastly, Mr. Swatosh, representing the Detroit Mass Transit Authority, spoke briefly on the region’s plans and commitment to providing citizens with this necessary service. His prospective encourages the regional transit authority to be economically and socially beneficial for the metropolitan region as a whole.

 
In the coming weeks, there will be several conversations on this issue. The administration mentioned a meeting on Feb. 16th, Rep. Johnson spoke of a meeting he’s hosting on the 23rd, and the Congresswoman spoke about a session on the 26th. It appears that mass transit is picking up speed.






A Seamless Transition
Monday, January 18, 2010

After months of campaigning and preparation, The Detroit News Headline read, "Council Debut Goes Without Hitch," as the new Detroit City Council completed its first formal session.

Followed by a prayer from the Reverend Dr. Charles G. Adams, Pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, President Pugh called his first formal session to order. Pugh states "I have an amazing team, who has worked diligently to ensure that I was ready to lead Day one," and it showed. There were no major gaffes in Pugh's first meeting as Council President. Pugh even felt comfortable enough to add his own personal flair to the meeting with a rare comical moment, suggesting that the council pay cuts not take effect until 2013.

Nevertheless, the council's first formal session did not go without disagreement. In a 5-4 vote, Council President Pro Tem Brown lost his bid to serve on the Police and Fire Pension Board. However, soon thereafter, the council unanimously voted to appoint Council member Brenda Jones to that seat. This signified the council ability to reach a consensus, even after an initial difference of opinion. This is a real change from the past. Brown says of his failed candidacy, "I don't see this as any split among the members. This is how the process works."

Additionally, the council passed a resolution to name the council auditorium after President Emerita Erma Henderson, who passed a short time ago. They also voted to place Council member Jenkins on the General Pension Board.



May the professionalism and efficiency of this first formal session be a hopeful sign of things to come.