FEBRUARY 2009

ties, why do you want to be the person
in charge?
I am a lifelong, third-generation
Detroiter and have committed my
adult life to making our city safer and
more livable. I see becoming mayor
as the next logical step in my service
to my hometown. I want to take my
life’s experience to fundamentally
change how city government works,
just as I have changed the Sheriff’s
Office and juvenile justice in Wayne
County. I am ready to lead our city
out its current crisis.
2. What is your perception of
the Chaldean community, and how
do you feel they have contributed
to the city?
My perception of the Chaldean
community is that it is not unlike
many other ethnic groups in the City
of Detroit; it is hard working, a vital
part of the fabric of our community,
and, at times misunderstood. The
Chaldean community has become a
very critical presence in the business
community, but also has contributed
greatly to the city’s social dynamic.
3. Many Chaldeans had a tumultuous
relationship with former
mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, particularly
store owners. How will you
better this relationship?
Chaldean storeowners are a great
asset to our community. They have
invested in Detroit when many others
have not, particularly in areas
like the Seven Mile road strip east
of Woodward, which continues to
flourish. We need more such districts
in our city if we are to have walkable
communities. As mayor I will make
it a point to support Chaldean businesses
and personally visit them as
often as my schedule will allow.
4. Is it important to you to have
Chaldeans appointed to your administration?
I believe that it is vital for any
healthy community to have a city
administration that reflects the community,
and the Chaldean population
is an important part of our city.
So, yes, I feel it is important to have
Chaldean Americans play a role in
my administration and to hold some
high-level appointed positions.
5. What are your specific plans
to improve police response times,
especially emergency calls from
storeowners?
Upon taking the oath of office,
there are two things I will do immediately
that should cause a significant
reduction in response times for
emergency calls. First, I would assign
a team of 100 officers to the full-time
task of rounding up the city’s most
violent offenders, including armed
robbers who prey on Chaldeanowned
businesses. Second, I would
make greater use of our reserve officers,
who can provide added police
presence in retail areas.
6. What are your top three priorities
for the City of Detroit?
My top priority is public safety.
I firmly believe all other key issues,
such as education and economic development,
don’t stand a chance if
people don’t first feel safe in our city.
My other two priorities are, in fact,
economic development/job creation
and education, again, both of which
hinge on public safety. This week I
have laid out my plans for each of
these areas, which are available in
their entirety at warrenevansformayor.com.
Freman Hendrix
Freman Hendrix, 58, is former deputy
mayor and an administrator at Eastern
Michigan University. He lost to Kwame
Kilpatrick in 2005.
1. Given Detroit’s many difficulties,
why do you want to be the
person in charge?
I care deeply about this city in
which I have resided and worked in
for the last 30 years – this city where
I have raised my family.
The crisis in leadership that has
brought us to where we are today
needs a mayor who has the right kind
of experience and who has a vision
and a specific set of plans that he can
carry out to begin the long march
back to prosperity. I …
2. What is your perception of
the Chaldean community, and how
do you feel they have contributed
to the city?
Thirty years ago, when the city
was experiencing some of its most
difficult economic times and major
franchise retailers were leaving the
city of Detroit, the independent
grocer, represented primarily by the
Chaldean community, stayed, invested
in Detroit and became an integral
part of the Detroit community.
It is a decades-long relationship that
I value and greatly appreciate.
3. Many Chaldeans had a tumultuous
relationship with former
mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, particularly
store owners. How will you
better this relationship?
By opening the lines of communications
between the Mayor’s Office
and the Chaldean business community
and having regular dialogues
and meetings to address issues before
they find their way into the media
and become too difficult to resolve.
4. Is it important to you to have
Chaldeans appointed to your administration?
Yes. To accomplish this, I would
consult with the leaders of the Chaldean
community to establish a pool of
talent, from which I could hire qualified
individuals not just for positions
on the mayor’s executive staff, but also
jobs throughout city government.
5. What are your specific plans
to improve police response times,
especially emergency calls from
store owners?
I believe that every Detroit
neighborhood deserves police protection
and regular police patrols,
and I know that some don’t get the
attention they deserve because the
Detroit police force has shrunk from
3,000 officers on the payroll a decade
ago to only 1,900 today.
And, although the city’s population
is smaller, our borders haven’t
changed. We must do everything
possible to put more officers on the
street and use them more effectively.
In short …
6. What are your top three priorities
for the City of Detroit?
My top three priorities as mayor
of the city of Detroit are:
1) Reducing crime through community
policing; 2) Stabilizing
neighborhoods by supporting community
development and fighting
blight; and 3) Establishing a business-friendly
environment by reducing
bureaucracy, fraud, corruption
and regulatory processes.
Nicholas Hood
Nicholas Hood III, 56, is minister of
Plymouth United Church of Christ and
a two-term council member. He ran for
mayor in 2001.
1. Given Detroit’s many difficulties,
why do you want to be the
person in charge?
I am running for mayor because I
am deeply concerned about the direction
of the city I was raised and educated
is headed. Our school system is
in shambles. The city lacks the basic
amenities that most progressive cities
take for granted such as a combination
of national franchise restaurants,
retail and independent commercial
establishments. The crime rate in
Detroit is still unacceptable. As a
two-term city councilman I have the
experience to lead the ...
2. What is your perception of
the Chaldean community, and how
do you feel they have contributed
to the city?
The Chaldean community plays
an important and vital role in the
City of Detroit – particularly with
regard to grocery stores and other retail
establishments and philanthropy.
The Chaldean community also adds
to the rich diversity of our community
and has helped Detroit to be
much more sensitive to racial and
ethnic minorities than most American
communities.
3. Many Chaldeans had a tumultuous
relationship with former
mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, particularly
store owners. How will you
better this relationship?
I will treat every person and business
fairly and equally. As mayor I
will lower the cost of doing business in
Detroit and direct city departments to
be fair with code enforcement. I will
direct the Economic Growth Corporation
to make its resources available
to the Chaldean community and other
minority communities in Detroit so
that business can grow.
4. Is it important to you to
have Chaldeans appointed to your
administration?
Yes, it is important to have the
Chaldean community and the widest
cross-section of our diverse community
represented in my administration.
My administration will be inclusive
of minorities and others who
have traditionally been excluded
from the government. My adminstration
will resemble a rainbow of
races and ethnic groups.
5. What are your specific plans
to improve police response times,
especially emergency calls from
store owners?
I support a redeployment of the
police to be more proactive against
neighborhood crime. I understand
how devastating crime can be on businesses
and individuals. I will direct the
police chief to make emergency calls
from citizens and businesses a priority.
I will reduce the mayor’s security by
at least one third. I will work to put
more officers on the streets through
grants and redeployment.
6. What are your top three priorities
for the City of Detroit?
1) Make the city safe, clean and
well lit; 2) Make the city well educated;
and 3) Balance the city budget.
FEBRUARY 2009 CHALDEAN NEWS 31