Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Secondary Street Names topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Detroit City Council selects five honorary secondary street names, orders signs
Summary
The council voted to award five honorary secondary street names — Viola Liuzzo, Joanne Watson, Gregory Mudge, Kim Owens and Imam Abdullah El‑Amin — after hearing extensive public comment and receiving a Historic Designation Advisory Board report. The Department of Public Works will manufacture the signs once sponsors pay the $400 ordering fee.
Detroit City Council approved honorary secondary street signs for five nominees after a large public-comment period that featured dozens of supporters and community advocates.
The council announced the winners after ballots were cast: Viola Liuzzo and Joanne Watson each received seven votes, Gregory (Greg) Mudge and Kim Owens received six apiece, and Imam Abdullah El‑Amin won a final runoff to take the fifth spot. Pro Tem James Tate and Historic Designation Advisory Board staff supervised the tallying and announced results to the chamber.
Janice Chapman, director of the Historic Designation Advisory Board, told the council the board received 23 applications this year — 15 new and eight rollovers — and described a process that will now transition to the Department of Public Works (DPW) for sign production. "There are two signs per intersection," Chapman said, and sponsors must coordinate with DPW to place the order and remit the $400 fee. Chapman also recommended revising the ordinance to manage future applicant volumes.
The selections concluded a public-comment record that stretched for more than two hours and included supporters for many nominees. Speakers consistently framed the street names as a way to recognize local civic leaders, artists and community builders: advocates cited volunteer service, neighborhood impact, nonprofit work and decades of local contributions as reasons to honor each nominee.
Council President Mary Sheffield moved approval of the resolutions after the results were announced. "Hearing no objections, the resolution will be approved," she said after staff reported the tallies and explained the next administrative steps.
What this means: DPW will publish ordering guidance and a schedule; sponsors for the five approved names were instructed to wait one week after notification before contacting DPW for production timing. Names not selected this year will roll over per the ordinance rules and remain eligible in subsequent years.
The council heard repeated requests from community groups asking the city to use the secondary-sign process to preserve local history and to streamline the application rules; board staff signaled they will propose small ordinance changes to limit rollovers and clarify sponsorship rules to prevent future backlogs. The council approved the related resolution and directed staff to notify applicants and DPW about production and payment arrangements.
A list of winners: Viola Liuzzo; Reverend Dr. Joanne Watson; Gregory (Greg) Mudge; Kim Owens; Imam Abdullah El‑Amin. For those winners, the DPW will issue instructions to each sponsor for ordering the $400 signs and coordinating installation.
