Elena just received an endorsement from the Detroit Free Press.  Click here for the full article and to see the other candidates that were endorsed.

As a candidate for charter commission, I have reviewed the charter and discussed it with many people from many different perspectives.  -from the vantage point of people who have worked in the city for many years and lived by the charter rules, others who have been involved in previous charter revisions.  We  all live with what is in it, what is left out of it, and what is ambiguous and left to interpretation. We have become weary and disillusioned by the onslaught of elections and the media’s sensationalism of the sad events of the past year in our city’s government. We did nothing to deserve what happened here, although we feel shame when we hear people outside Detroit, or people inside Detroit with no historical context talk about our beloved city and our once beloved leaders. Some of this could have been avoided if we had a charter that:

Changes the way we elect city council members from at large to district and at large seats, allowing for people with a long history of real service and not big money to run for office in their communities.

Directs clearly how to remove public officials so that we have a mechanism besides the newspapers to hold people accountable.

Closes loopholes in the way we pay out settlements, law suits and other expenditures. We need to take hold of our own resources, learn what we have, how and why we spend, and how we want to be as a city in this new era of hope and change.

Authorizes prosecution of those who violate the public trust with regard to campaign contributions or other gifts in exchange for access to power.

I hope to be elected in this city wide race to encourage other regular people to run for office with genuine ideas of how to make things better for all Detroiters.

-Elena Herrada

Watch Elena’s interview with MiVote.