As Detroit City Clerk, Candidate Denzel McCampbell Says He Would Be Dedicated to Providing Transparency
McCampbell says it’s important for the city clerk’s office to post council meeting minutes and agenda voting records online for public access, which is especially critical now in light of recent FBI raids involving multiple council members.
The November election is less than a month away. Detroit voters will decide a number of ballot proposals and races, including the city clerk’s office. It’s a race that will influence future city elections.
“I know election law. I know the policies and the processes in Michigan when it comes to elections and election administration … While the current clerk may have years in the office … it’s time for change.” –Denzel McCampbell, Detroit city clerk candidate
Candidate Denzel McCampbell says, if elected, he plans to engage with every registered voter in the city in the four-year term.
Listen: Detroit city clerk candidate Denzel McCampbell ahead of Nov. 2 election.
Guest
Denzel McCampbell is a candidate for Detroit city clerk. He’s a voting rights activist and has worked as communications director for Rep. Rashida Tlaib and as a member of the Detroit City Charter Revision Commission.
McCampbell says he’s committed to election transparency and efficiency, bringing the city clerk office into the 21st century. “We continue to see similar problems pop up [in each election in Detroit]. One, we still have folks not getting their absentee ballots, or getting them late … We’ve had wrong times posted at some [polling] locations.”
He says he’ll meet Detroit voters where they are. “I plan to touch every registered voter in the four-year term.”
As the clerk of the Detroit City Council, McCampbell says it’s important for the city clerk’s office to post council meeting minutes and members’ agenda voting records online for public access, something that has not been happening. He says that’s especially critical right now, with recent FBI raids involving multiple council members.
His opponent, incumbent City Clerk Janice Winfrey, has refused interview requests from numerous media outlets ahead of the Nov. 2 election including WDET, and will not debate McCampbell or participate in voter forums.
McCampbell says his policies and practices would be in stark contrast to Winfrey’s time in office. He says, although Winfrey has more direct experience in that job, he has enough experience to be ready “on day one.”
“I know election law,” he says. “I know the policies and the processes in Michigan when it comes to elections and election administration … While the current clerk may have years in the office … it’s time for change.”
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