Council confirms Conrad Mallett as corporation counsel after heated public objections

Detroit City Council on Feb. 5 confirmed the reappointment of Conrad Mallett as corporation counsel amid forceful public opposition and questions from several council members about the law department’s role in nuisance‑abatement enforcement and indemnifications.

Public speakers and callers used the allotted public‑comment period to urge council to reject Mallett. Adam Barrett of Southwest Detroit told the council Mallett had used nuisance‑abatement tools “as a weapon for land theft from Black Detroiters,” and other callers alleged that the law department under Mallett had delayed FOIA responses, declined to investigate police cooperation with ICE, and prioritized the city’s defense in ways that undermined independent oversight.

Mallett, who introduced himself as corporation counsel, defended his tenure. “I approach each one of these decisions really carefully and use an ethical construct to reach all of the conclusions associated with the questions presented,” he told the council, noting his office has expanded enforcement capacity and taken on “large organized slumlords” and work related to quit‑claim deed fraud. Mallett said his office has pursued hundreds of properties in court and that about 50 properties previously sued have since received certificates of compliance after escrow and repair interventions.

Members pressed Mallett on the thresholds for bringing lawsuits, the law department’s coordination with enforcement entities such as the city’s building‑code unit, and whether the Board of Police Commissioners should have access to independent counsel. Mallett said many cases originate with enforcement agencies and are referred to the law department when owners fail to comply; he also said he was open to a pathway that would allow the police oversight board independent legal access while preserving his office’s work with the department.

When the council moved the reappointment, three members recorded objections on the floor (Members Gabriela Santiago Romero, Denzel McCampbell and Reneta Miller). The clerk recorded three objections and the council president declared the motion approved; the transcript does not show a roll‑call tally beyond the named objections.

Next steps: the reappointment takes effect under the city’s confirmation procedures unless overturned by the mayor or the council later pursues removal under charter provisions.