Detroit Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero looks ahead to 2024, highlights 2023 wins

Officials in Detroit’s city government are preparing for a busy year that will include both a presidential and U.S. Senate election, in addition to new council districts being drawn in the city based on results from the latest Census data.

First-term Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero says she’s a bit concerned about where the boundaries will be for her new district, which currently includes portions of southwest Detroit, Corktown and Midtown.

“We are trying very hard to not make drastic changes to the districts,” Santiago-Romero said. “I completely understand the need to have to make the districts fit the census data. This is just something that happens. But I’m just trying to make sure that we keep the districts as intact as possible.”

The city’s Law Department recommended that council members review and adopt the new district boundaries — which must be compact, connected and relatively equal in size — by January 2024. The districts should also respect political subdivisions like voting precincts.

Listen: Full interview with Detroit Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero on her goals for 2024, highlights of 2023

Santiago-Romero says other key issues facing City Council in 2024 will be related to affordable housing, environmental justice, environmental protections and building the city’s resilience to climate change.

“We have a new bridge coming along here in District 6,” she said, referring to the Gordie Howe International Bridge being constructed between Detroit and Windsor. “We have more industry and more trucks across the city, so we’re pushing for a truck route ordinance, something that me and Council Member Latisha Johnson are very interested in passing.”

Looking back at the council’s accomplishments in 2023, Santiago-Romero said she was especially proud of the work they did around responsible contracting to support organized labor groups.

“For me last year was very labor focused, making sure that we’re supporting workers with policies and also supporting them in person,” she said. “I was at the picket line with our workers, talking with our union leaders, making sure that they got the support that they needed to strike and also to be at the decision-making table,”

As part of that effort, Detroit City Council passed an Industry Standards Board for arena workers at Little Caesars Arena, Ford Field and Comerica Park, which sets benchmarks for employment, health and safety that allow for better working standards across the board for stadium employees, she said.

Santiago-Romero also pushed last year for a Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages by Hamas.

“This was something that residents in the city, across the country and across the world were asking for. And as a community organizer, when I see people on the ground asking for something, I listen,” she said. “I’m really proud that we did that work, it was much more difficult than I expected.”

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Detroit Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero.