WARREN, Mich. – Local 4 News is getting out of the studio and hitting the road to be In Your Neighborhood! We’re showcasing what makes our communities great!
After years of political dysfunction, mudslinging, lawsuits and infighting, there are new faces in the Warren Mayor’s Office and the City Council.
They’re optimistic they will help give the city a fresh start.
---> In Your Neighborhood: Getting to know Warren
Some neighbors are calling it a new dawn in the city of Warren. After roughly 15 years under the administration of former Mayor Jim Fouts, residents are welcoming the city’s newly elected mayor, Lori Stone, and a new City Council.
Some residents, like activist Jocelyn Howard, say the city’s new leadership will be vital in re-shaping Warren’s future and moving on from the years of political infighting and dysfunction.
“I think what’s really going to be important, is how we change the narrative of the city,” Howard said. “We’ve had a lot of negative publicity. We’ve had a lot of negative things that have happened. We have to be able to retell our story.”
And for many who call Warren Home, the city’s future is paved with possibilities.
“We have a top-notch administration in the city now that is going to be even more outgoing in providing outreach and information and public transparency,” said new District 2 councilman Jonathan Lafferty.
He said he wants to focus on park improvements and recreation options for the youth, but that’s not all.
“Also, we need to focus on our infrastructure,” Lafferty said. “We have many aesthetics and infrastructure that have been neglected for years that really truly need to be addressed.”
District 1 councilwoman Melody Magee said she believes housing, job training, expanding small businesses and the efforts to develop a city center should be part of Warren’s focus for the future.
“We do want to build a bigger and a better downtown in order to attract the people to the city,” Magee said. “That is definitely an issue that we need to work on.”
Magee won the November election for City Council District 1. She is the first Black woman to be elected to the City Council. She said representation matters in a community that is becoming more and more diverse.
Magee wants equity and advocacy to be a priority at City Hall, knowing there’s never been someone who looks like her on the Council.
“I want to able to be here to represent everyone and they were looking,” Magee said. “And everybody was ready this time. Those men and those women went to those polls with the expectation of change for the better, someone who understands who they are, what they’re about.”
Lafferty said it’s a “brand new day” for Warren.
“The old politics are gone and we have brand new leaders that are really, really, excited. They finally get a chance to exercise their voice for the future. For my children, for your children and for the next generation,” Lafferty said. “We are going to be accomplishing some great things here that are going to serve our city for generations to come.”
---> More In Your Neighborhood feature stories
---> In Your Neighborhood: Which Metro Detroit community should we visit next?
