Daivon Reeder
Q: Where can people go to learn more about your biography? If not readily available online, please describe in 150 words or less, your relevant experience, public offices held (if any), involvement in environmental causes, and membership in any environmental organizations. If you currently hold office, describe any votes or actions demonstrating concern for the environment.
A: My biography can be found on my website at https://www.daivonreeder.com/meet-daivon.
Community
Q: If elected, how will you work with Detroit residents to ensure that they benefit from and partake in the decision-making surrounding local development projects and that potential adverse impacts of those projects are identified, measured, monitored and mitigated? Moreover, how would you work to put more power into the hands of residents to maintain and revitalize their own communities and to access vacant land through the DLBA?
A: I will make sure that the residents of Detroit are a part of the decision making process by hosting more accessible town halls in order to share the information and get input. I also would work to create more partnerships with grassroots organizations and Neighborhood Block Clubs. By creating weekly or bi-weekly meetings with these leaders we will consistently have input on the decisions being made. I also plan on making the information more accessible for residents and even creating street teams to go around and inform residents of things that are happening and help get them involved.
Q: If elected, what budget appropriations would you propose to increase investment in needed social and environmental services to help improve the quality of life and health of Detroit residents?
A: Investment in social and environmental services are at the top of my priorities if elected. Reallocating some of the public safety funds to mental health services across the city of Detroit is one of the first things I would work on doing when it comes to the budget. When looking at environmental services I would work to provide funding to incentivize clean energy use and targeting illegal dumping.
Public Health
Q: What long term solutions do you see for addressing vehicle speeds and making our streets safer?
A: I plan on introducing more speed humps and traffic cameras to address and reduce the number of speeding vehicles. I also plan on ensuring that our street lights are operating properly and effectively so that the streets are lit up at night and residents feel safer.
Q: How will you work to reduce the negative health impacts of air quality on the residents of Detroit?
A: By prioritizing cleaner energy across the city and working with the largest producers of air pollution to reduce the emissions and clean up the air. By first targeting the current emissions of air pollution, we can work to create a greener and more sustainable Detroit.
Q: If elected, what actions will you take to work toward safer, healthier, and more affordable housing for all Detroiters?
A: Oftentimes we see there are numerous barriers that native Detroiters have to overcome in order to purchase homes and keep their homes. I will fight to ensure that not only the accessibility aspect is put in place, but that we also ensure home buyers are equipped with the proper knowledge to be homeowners. The issue of housing doesn’t only impact home buyers, it also affects the renters throughout Detroit. I will take the necessary actions to ensure that development that is taking place across the city of Detroit does not drive up the price of rent to a point where we are displacing renters and creating a larger problem of homelessness in Detroit. I will also work to ensure that there is no more lead paint or lead pipes in the homes of Detroiters. Having the safety of a shelter is something that everyone deserves to have and I will work to ensure that happens for all Detroiters.
Energy
Q: What are your priorities to reduce emissions and lessen the impacts of climate change in Detroit during your term in office?
A: I plan on introducing cleaner energy sources across the city and moving away from the use of CO2, natural gas, and coal. I also plan on providing more information about green energy so residents are aware of the small changes that they can make to have large impacts. I will also share more information about our recycling program in the city with the hopes of increasing participation. Also, looking at providing monetary incentives for residents who participate in green initiatives and reduce their carbon footprint.
Q: What are your plans for helping the city transition to renewable energy and how will you ensure that the cost benefits and increased resilience that come from the use of renewables is made accessible to low-income and vulnerable communities across Detroit?
A: It is important to ensure that all residents who are interested in participating in the use of renewable energy are able to. By working with energy providers, we can work to create an income based scale to ensure that all communities across Detroit are included in the transition to renewable energy. There is no reason for any community to be left out, being green is not just for the wealthy, it is for everyone and I will ensure that everyone is included.
Recycling
Q: How can the city increase recycling, composting, and the use of post-consumer recycled materials, while addressing the city’s litter and illegal dumping problem?
A: There are small steps that can be made to increase recycling around the city. By making the knowledge of what materials are recyclable more accessible to residents and how to recycle we can increase the participation in recycling programs. We can create more spaces for recycling to take place in the community as well. Far too often we see dumpsters for trash, but no recycling containers. By putting more recycling containers in the community we can also increase participation when people are not in their homes.
Jobs
Q: What steps would you take to prepare the local workforce to take advantage of and be part of the movement toward a green economy, through qualifying for good paying infrastructure and clean energy jobs, amongst others?
A: I would prepare the local workforce by hosting job fairs to share what jobs are available in a green economy and connecting them with programs to get the necessary training to be prepared to work in those fields. We can host job training days and bring in different companies and organizations that are equipped to train and prepare residents for these jobs and host interviews on the spot to increase employment opportunities as well.
Water
Q: How will you ensure that clean water is accessible and affordable to all Detroiters?
A: Being in the Great Lake state there is no reason that we should ever face not having clean or affordable water. I will work to ensure that we implement an income based scale for payment on water. To address water quality issues, I would ensure regular maintenance and testing to ensure that we don’t drop below certain standards. By implementing an effective filtration system, we can make sure our residents are able to access the basic human necessity of water.
Q: How will you help municipal agencies and property owners integrate Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) across the city to manage stormwater and reduce drainage charge fees for property owners?
A: I will allocate more funding to get the infrastructure implemented equitably across the city. I will also make sure that there is more education provided on the topic for property owners to integrate the infrastructure in small ways.
Optional
Q: Please identify the top environmental concerns to you personally, identify the environmental issue in your community that is the most pressing, and what you would like to do as an elected official to address this most pressing concern.
A: Illegal dumping and factory pollution are the top environmental concerns for me when I look at my community. To target illegal dumping, I would implement fines for people who are illegally dumping and put more monitoring in place of abandoned lots and hot spots for dumping. In addition, I will work to put more recycling containers and waste containers around the city. To target the factory pollution, I would work with the various factories to implement greener energy and also work to create limits on the amount of emissions they are able to make to reduce the air pollution and chemical waste that is released.
