Detroit callers accuse city of mishandling 498 Peterborough sale, press council on retiree clawbacks and bond oversight

Detroit — Public commenters at a Detroit City Council session on the morning the body lacked a quorum accused city officials of mishandling a property sale, urged relief for retirees and questioned the process for issuing revenue bonds.

A caller identified in the record as Miss Warwick alleged the city removed 498 Peterborough from a tax auction and transferred the parcel to Midtown Inc. for under $3,000 despite what she said was a $25,000 offer from a neighboring owner, Cindy Dara. "They took it out of the tax auction to give to Midtown Inc for less than $3,000 even though Cindy offered 25,000," the caller said. She added that the parcel was later flipped for a substantially higher price and alleged the Office of Inspector General delayed a review for more than two years.

Council staff acknowledged the complaint and said, "We are working with Cindy Dara on this issue." The record does not show a formal motion, vote, or timeline for any city action on the matter.

Other callers raised separate concerns. Betty A. Barna, president of the DeSoto Ellsworth Black Association, highlighted a local charity that supplies refurbished medical equipment and low-cost prescriptions and provided a contact number for residents: (313) 866-5333. "A lot of times, our insurances might not pay for certain equipment that we need," Barna said, describing the program's services and a planned community garden fundraiser.

Malik Shelton identified himself and urged the council to follow legal requirements for revenue and refunding bonds. He asserted that revenue bonds "require public notice of intent to issue as well as a referendum" and said refunding bonds require a council authorization resolution before refunding can proceed. Shelton also stated that the city's Housing and Redevelopment Department (HRD) previously received a reprimand from HUD for oversight issues; he said those claims "can be backed up with laws" but did not cite specific statutes during his two minutes.

Retiree concerns were raised by Willie Bem Davis, who urged the city to consider waiving a retirement annuity clawback interest he said is 6.75 percent. "That makes it virtually impossible for us to pay off the clawback," Davis said, adding that some younger retirees are not yet eligible for Medicare and that the city should explore options as bankruptcy oversight winds down.

Several callers criticized council operations and attendance. Karen Winston pressed council members to arrive on time so they can hear public comment and suggested creation of a public oversight committee. Separately, Reuben Crowley used his allotted time to make broad accusations of corruption against named officials and to pledge political opposition; those statements were delivered as allegations without accompanying documents in the record.

The public comment period closed after the scheduled callers spoke. Because the council did not have a quorum at the start of the meeting, the clerk reported the session would recess with the chair’s call; no formal votes or council actions are recorded in the transcript portion provided.