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Michigan Chronicle
Vol. 82 – No. 41 | June 19-25, 2019
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Pontiac Mayor’s State of the City Address Highlights
Triumphs, Challenges and Opportunities By Trevor W. Coleman Pontiac is part of a growing list of metro Detroit communities on the rebound after years of dysfunction and peril. Growing economic opportunities, new business developments, the revitalization of blighted neighborhoods and partnerships with civic-minded institutions are now paying off. That was the message recently delivered by Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman during her third State of the City address last week. Speaking before an audience of hundreds of residents, including city and county employees, and civic, business and political leaders, the mayor said there were many accomplishments that took place during her tenure in office. Among the most impactful, however, is the relocation of companies to the city after years of them moving out. More companies mean more Pontiac jobs. To stress the point, she gave her speech at the headquarters of United Shore, which recently relocated to Pontiac from Troy. United Shore is committed to hiring more than 2,500 new employees and there is a growing roster of other businesses that are now moving their operations to the city, she said. “Overall, we are proud of the suc-
cesses of the city of Pontiac through the partnerships and the inclusive spirit that we are cultivating here,” Waterman said. During the speech, she noted that a hallmark of her tenure has been the aggressive agenda to revitalize neighborhoods, restore youth services, create pipelines of job and career opportunities for residents, attract new business sectors as well as economic growth. New business activity in Pontiac has also included Williams International, a turbine engine manufacturer; AUCH Construction; Erae AMS USA Manufacturing LLC, a Tier 1 automotive supplier; and a new Karmanos Cancer Center opening in the McLaren Oakland Hospital.xw In addition, Waterman noted that The Village at Bloomfield, which is at the entrance to Pontiac, is now slated for shopping, a medical facility, housing and much more. The Village at Bloomfield is a mixed-use development that has laid dormant for almost 10 years. Entrepreneurial start-ups and new tech companies have also established their headquarters in downtown Pontiac, which brings a millennial spirit into the city. In addition, the Pontiac Youth Recreational and Enrichment Center
Mayor Deirdre Waterman PHOTOS: Andrea Stinson Oliver
See WATERMAN page A4
Rosa Randolph Pontiac Meals On Wheels Receives Partner In Delta Pontiac Alumnae Chapter Receive Partner In Progress Award from Mayor Waterman Progress Award
WHAT’S INSIDE
Pancakes & Politics – Forum IV
The Value Proposition That Exists In The City of Detroit By Trevor W. Coleman
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HOMEFRONT Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest to Award Record $100,000 Prize
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With a theme of “Creating a Path to Increasing the Number of Minority Real Estate Developers in Detroit,” the Michigan Chronicle wrapped up its 2019 Pancakes and Politics season, with its fourth and final forum inviting local real estate developers to share their perspectives on urban development. During the recent meeting at the Detroit Athletic Club the panelists offered insight into their projects and how their efforts will help the city move forward into the future. Panelist Sonya S. Mays, President and CEO of Develop Detroit, said her firm is really interested in how it could use real estate to stabilize and grow the city’s neighborhoods “So, the majority of my work takes place outside the central business district,” she said. “For the last year, my company has been redeveloping a micro neighborhood in the North End. And so, we started with the question of what would it look like if we took a few blocks and threw all the development tools we have at our disposal at that microneighborhood.”
doing affordable housing preservation over the past year and plans to build new rental apartment buildings. “And the thing I am absolutely most proud of in last 12 months is we have built or rehabbed nearly 25 homes on this three-block radius.”
Mays said she committed her company to
The Michigan Chronicle’s Pancakes & Pol-
Pancakes and Politics Forum IV panelist: Clifford A. Brown, Richard Hosey, Kevin D. Johnson, Dietrich A. Knoer and Sonya S. Mays. itics highlights pressing business, civic, and economic topics, bringing together a diverse group of policy and decision-makers, influencers, and business and community leaders. Created in 2006, Pancakes & Politics consistently generates dialogue that drives
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& POLITICS page A4