VOTE411 Voter Guide

I am a Michigan-certified Community Health Worker and Michigan Supreme Court-certified mediator, trained to listen, resolve conflicts, and build consensus. As a business owner and Chief Executive Director of the Dungytreei Heritage Foundation a (501(c)(3), I manage staff and budgets, provide food, housing, and resources, create jobs for seniors, and transformed a church into a child care center. I founded Jackson’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration at the King Center, mentor women released the jail, co-founded Stop the Violence Jackson, and created We the People, a Facebook group with nearly 3,000 members. My persistence, integrity, and commitment to transparency make me well-prepared to serve Ward 1 effectively.

The top issues in Ward 1 are food access, streets, poverty, public safety, and transparency. I secured a community-owned grocery on MLK Drive after 30 years without a store, ensuring affordable, healthy food. I will prioritize repairing streets, fight to keep housing affordable, and support families struggling with poverty, having stopped a $1M assessment on MLK Drive that would have burdened homeowners. I co-founded Stop the Violence Jackson, started the Art of Recovery and Five Stages of Grief support groups, mentor women at the jail, and completed the Citizens Police Academy. I will ensure opioid and gun violence funds are used responsibly, open the King Center studio that has been unused for 30 years for youth to save lives, advocate for legal services for citizens, hold Ward meetings before major decisions are made, and propose that all municipal meetings be recorded to promote transparency in city governance.

For the past four years, I have maintained a FOIA project to hold city officials accountable. Former Treasurer Marty Griffin confirmed the $4.5 million allocated to the MLKCIA cannot be used for a for-profit grocery; a nonprofit or co-op is the best option, and funds must be spent by December 31, 2026, or returned. I have secured the C-Store Deli on MLK Drive, and with a $1M grant, I would expand it into a community-owned co-op grocery and establish a safe haven for youth and residents at risk from gun violence, strengthening food access, public safety, and saving lives. I will also work with residents and council to develop cooperative, affordable housing on city-owned vacant lots in Ward 1 to reduce generational poverty and homelessness.

We have more than 40 unsolved murders, and the cold cases listed on the Jackson Police Department’s website need updating—only three are currently shown. I will review the $1.5M Gun Violence Intervention Program and make recommendations for improvement, ensure fire hydrants are properly maintained, and examine policies affecting homeowners displaced by condemned properties. I will work to get more Ward 1 residents on boards and commissions, such as the Police Oversight Commission, to give our community a stronger voice. I also plan to offer programs that recruit youth into police and fire careers, provide free student driver education, and host firearm education at the King Center to teach residents their rights and responsibilities.

Candidate has not yet responded.

Candidate has not yet responded.

Candidate has not yet responded.

Candidate has not yet responded.