OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Detroit City Council Confirmation Hearings for Mayoral Appointments - February 5, 2026

City Council — Thursday, February 5, 2026
BodyDetroit, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, February 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:38:50

Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

Madam Clerk, will you please call the role?

0:12

Councilmember Scott Benson.

0:13

Scott Benson.

0:15

Councilmember Letitia Johnson.

0:20

Councilman McGindsil McCampbell.

0:22

Present.

0:25

Councilman Renetta Miller.

0:31

Councilman Gabriela Santiago Mero.

0:34

Present.

0:37

Councilmember Mary Walters, President.

0:41

Councilmember Angela Woodfield Callaway.

0:47

Council President Coleman.

0:51

Here.

0:53

And Council President James Tate.

0:57

You have a quorum, President President.

0:59

Thank you so much.

1:00

We have a quorum, which means we're now in session, colleagues.

1:03

Uh today and to the public.

1:05

These are the confirmation hearings that we have for the seven individuals who are being appointed by Mayor Sheffield that require uh city council approval.

1:16

Uh we're going to uh have a number of discussions uh with these individuals, interviews if you want to call them that.

1:24

Um but before we do that, we're gonna start off with public comment.

1:28

If there's anyone from the public who would like to speak, please raise your hand now.

1:32

If you're either in the committee of the whole or at home, please raise your hand now.

1:37

If you want to provide public comment, raise your hand now.

1:39

Going once, going twice, going three times.

1:45

The collection of public comments have now concluded.

1:48

Uh, we're also going to have a brief discussion about the EOP that has been presented to us as well.

1:54

Noting again, when I say brief, it is going to be brief because the major discussion is going to take place in uh IOS in the committee.

2:03

Okay.

2:04

All right.

2:06

We'll now go into public comment.

2:08

How many callers do we have online?

2:11

Five.

2:12

Okay, we got five, and we have how many in public?

2:14

Just in person?

2:15

One.

2:16

All right, so the text is a six.

2:17

So we're gonna give uh everyone two minutes for general public comment.

2:22

We'll start off with Mr.

2:23

Barrett.

2:24

The floor is yours, sir.

2:27

Yeah, Adam Barrett, Southwest Detroit.

2:29

Um I oppose the reappointment of Duganera artifact con Conrad Mallet.

2:35

Um we have a record high amount of settlements costing taxpayers.

2:39

Uh we've spent millions on solar farm lawsuits, countless indemnifications for cops, and other wasted lawsuits.

2:48

Um it was instrument, he's instrumental in the nuisance abatement program, which has been a weapon for land theft from black detroiters.

2:57

Meanwhile, he's dropped city uh lawsuits against slumlord speculators.

3:02

Uh he stood in the way of important grassroots reforms and served as the legal hitman who dug and called out to kill anything that threatened the corporate gravy train in the in Detroit.

3:13

Um he refused to hand over documents to the investigator general in the Antoine Bryan ethics investigation.

3:20

Uh he recently said that he would not investigate uh DPD cooperation with ICE.

3:25

Um still not sure how he's able to serve as legal counselor for both the BOPC and the city simultaneously.

3:31

That's absolutely a conflict of interest.

3:35

Um let's not forget that he resigned in scandal from the police commission in 2018 when the towing investigation got a little too close.

3:44

Um he blocked police disciplinary rec disciplinary records FOIA by the press, uh has frequently ignored or failed to respond to other FOIA requests to the city and the unlouded time.

3:55

Um he was the director of the DMC when the bodies were piled up in the lounges and bathrooms and closets and stuff there in 2020, if you remember that.

4:03

Um that scandal hit the news, the media went real easy on him, and Dogan hired him to be deputy mayor, even though we already had deputy mayor at that time.

4:11

That was weird.

4:13

Um finally he caused uh quite a bit of personnel drama inside the law department, according to some uh that was kind of spilling into the news a few months back when he was first appointed to this post.

4:27

Uh, if I remember right, council had trouble confirming him back then, too.

4:31

Um, I think we can find a fresh person for this role.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████17%
Personnel Matters██████████████14%
Procedural████████8%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Housing███████7%
Public Comment█████5%
Immigrant Support████4%
Economic Development████4%
Fire Prevention████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Detroit City Council Confirmation Hearings for Mayoral Appointments - February 5, 2026

The Detroit City Council held confirmation hearings on February 5, 2026, for seven mayoral appointments requiring council approval: Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallet, Chief Financial Officer Tanya Stodemyer, Planning Director Alexa Bush, Housing and Revitalization Director Julie Schneider, Police Chief Todd Bettison, Fire Commissioner Charles Sims, and Human Resources Director Denise Starr. The council also briefly discussed the proposed Executive Organization Plan (EOP). The meeting began with public comment and included individual interviews with each appointee, followed by votes.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Adam Barrett (Southwest Detroit) opposed the reappointment of Conrad Mallet, citing high settlement costs, solar farm lawsuits, nuisance abatement program issues, blocking grassroots reforms, and conflicts of interest.
  • Dr. Smith (caller) opposed Mallet and Julie Snyder, alleging Mallet's conflicts of interest and Snyder's failure to address homelessness. He threatened to pursue Mallet's law license if reappointed.
  • William M. Davis opposed Mallet, stating he is not effective and has made the Board of Police Commissioners less effective. He advocated for the board to have its own attorney.
  • Molly Menning (ABA Legal Education Police Practices Fellow at Wayne Law) urged council to ensure the Board of Police Commissioners can have independent legal counsel.
  • Tyson Gersh opposed Mallet, citing law department dysfunction, FOIA denials, and the need for a fresh start under the new mayor.
  • Anonymous caller alleged election fraud and criticized the handling of voter allegations.

Discussion Items

  • Executive Organization Plan (EOP): Chief of Staff David Bowser presented proposed amendments to the EOP, including the creation of a Department of Human, Homeless and Family Services (HHFS) to consolidate quality-of-life services, transferring the Office of Immigrant Affairs from HRD to the mayor's office, establishing Neighborhood Affairs in the mayor's office, and moving homeland security under DPD. No net budget impact was noted; the EOP becomes effective April 7, 2026.
  • Conrad Mallet (Corporation Counsel): Mallet defended his record, highlighting increased blight enforcement (from one to eight lawyers), work on quit claim deed fraud, and ethical conduct. He addressed questions on reducing lawsuits (citing improved DPD and DDOT practices), independent counsel for the Board of Police Commissioners (expressed openness), and legal opinion turnaround times (promised to provide benchmarks).
  • Tanya Stodemyer (CFO): Stated her goal to maintain fiscal discipline and strategic investments. She noted discussions on revenue growth and confirmed overtime costs at DPD are decreasing due to filled vacancies.
  • Alexa Bush (Planning Director): Discussed efforts to attract national retailers (e.g., Target, Walmart) to Detroit, noting challenges with corporate metrics and vacant homes. Emphasized neighborhood retail studies, streetscape investments, and the Master Plan update (halfway complete, last comprehensive update in 2009).
  • Julie Schneider (HRD Director): Described HRD's expanded role (from 120 to 330 staff) and focus on affordable housing. Addressed support for residents with eviction histories, CDOs (noting 25% of $200M investments went to CDOs), single-family rental improvement programs (250 landlords trained), and Palmer Park redevelopment.
  • Todd Bettison (Police Chief): Reported 2025 crime reductions: homicides down 18.7% (from 203 to 165), carjackings down 46% (from 142 to 77), non-fatal shootings down 25%, motor vehicle thefts down 2,000. Announced expansion of mental health co-response to 24/7 within 60 days. Reaffirmed policies: DPD does not assist evictions or enforce immigration law.
  • Charles Sims (Fire Commissioner): Highlighted accomplishments: lowest response times to medical calls (~7 minutes 30 seconds), largest HeartSafe City in the U.S., 450+ firefighters cross-trained as EMTs, first paramedic class graduated 23, nurse navigation implementation by July 2026, and plans for new fire stations. Acknowledged need to increase African American representation (currently 33%) and revive apprenticeship programs.
  • Denise Starr (HR Director): Noted accomplishments: transition to UKG payroll system, bi-annual engagement surveys, paid parental leave (300+ employees used), and over 100 hiring events. Discussed H1B visa policy: no active removals, but new hires paused due to high federal fees. Addressed out-of-state employees (five individuals retained for specialized skills) and vacancies (~400). Promised to work on return-to-work policy.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes on Appointments:
    • Conrad Mallet: Approved with objections from Councilmembers Santiago Romero, McCampbell, and Miller. (Motion passed)
    • Tanya Stodemyer: Approved unanimously.
    • Alexa Bush: Approved unanimously.
    • Julie Schneider: Approved with objections from Councilmembers Whitfield Callaway and Johnson. (Passed 6-2)
    • Todd Bettison: Approved unanimously, with a waiver motion approved.
    • Charles Sims: Approved unanimously.
    • Denise Starr: Approved unanimously, with waiver approved.
  • Waivers: Waivers for immediate effect were requested for all approved appointments. Objections noted for Mallet (3.2) and Schneider (3.4) on waivers; those waivers were rejected. Other waivers approved.
  • Next Steps: Full EOP discussion to continue in the Internal Operations Committee. Budget amendments related to EOP will be presented to council prior to the April 7 budget vote.

Meeting Transcript

Madam Clerk, will you please call the role? Councilmember Scott Benson. Scott Benson. Councilmember Letitia Johnson. Councilman McGindsil McCampbell. Present. Councilman Renetta Miller. Councilman Gabriela Santiago Mero. Present. Councilmember Mary Walters, President. Councilmember Angela Woodfield Callaway. Council President Coleman. Here. And Council President James Tate. You have a quorum, President President. Thank you so much. We have a quorum, which means we're now in session, colleagues. Uh today and to the public. These are the confirmation hearings that we have for the seven individuals who are being appointed by Mayor Sheffield that require uh city council approval. Uh we're going to uh have a number of discussions uh with these individuals, interviews if you want to call them that. Um but before we do that, we're gonna start off with public comment. If there's anyone from the public who would like to speak, please raise your hand now. If you're either in the committee of the whole or at home, please raise your hand now. If you want to provide public comment, raise your hand now. Going once, going twice, going three times. The collection of public comments have now concluded. Uh, we're also going to have a brief discussion about the EOP that has been presented to us as well. Noting again, when I say brief, it is going to be brief because the major discussion is going to take place in uh IOS in the committee. Okay. All right. We'll now go into public comment. How many callers do we have online? Five. Okay, we got five, and we have how many in public? Just in person? One. All right, so the text is a six. So we're gonna give uh everyone two minutes for general public comment. We'll start off with Mr. Barrett. The floor is yours, sir. Yeah, Adam Barrett, Southwest Detroit. Um I oppose the reappointment of Duganera artifact con Conrad Mallet. Um we have a record high amount of settlements costing taxpayers. Uh we've spent millions on solar farm lawsuits, countless indemnifications for cops, and other wasted lawsuits. Um it was instrument, he's instrumental in the nuisance abatement program, which has been a weapon for land theft from black detroiters. Meanwhile, he's dropped city uh lawsuits against slumlord speculators. Uh he stood in the way of important grassroots reforms and served as the legal hitman who dug and called out to kill anything that threatened the corporate gravy train in the in Detroit. Um he refused to hand over documents to the investigator general in the Antoine Bryan ethics investigation. Uh he recently said that he would not investigate uh DPD cooperation with ICE.

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