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Wayne County approves payment for phase one of Coleman A. Young statue project
Summary
The Wayne County Ways and Means committee voted to approve a reimbursable county contract to cover phase one costs — the Statuary Hall statue, transportation and marketing — for the Coleman A. Young initiative; presenters said phase one costs are expected to run just north of $1 million and that fundraising commitments are in place from multiple foundations.
Wayne County’s Ways and Means committee voted to approve county participation in phase one of a statewide campaign to place a statue of former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. The action authorizes a reimbursable contract to cover statue transportation, marketing and related implementation costs.
The county’s chief operating officer, Janelle Allen, said the county executive’s office supports the initiative and emphasized the educational benefits for Wayne County students. "It is such an honor and how important it is a priority for us to be a part of this really iconic event," Allen said. "There will be millions of students and individuals including our own Wayne County students and residents will have access to learning about the iconic Coleman Young."
Kyrie Turner, executive director of the Coleman A. Young Foundation, said placing the statue in Statuary Hall is intended as the start of a broader fundraising and education campaign to support workforce development and college-persistence programs: "We start by placing a statue in Statuary Hall, but we end by doing our part to increase the population of college educated and well-prepared students in Wayne County," Turner said.
Commissioners raised questions about marketing, the artist selection and which entities would ultimately shoulder project costs. Presenters named Austin Brantley as the commissioned sculptor and said early philanthropic commitments have been made by several foundations. Committee members were told the county’s funds would be managed as a reimbursable contract rather than a direct donation to the foundation and that the operating account to be used is a general-fund replacement account.
A county staff presentation estimated the phase-one campaign cost at "just north of $1 million." Commissioner Scott moved to authorize the county’s participation in phase one; the motion was supported and the committee voted in favor. County staff said the city of Detroit and state partners are engaged in parallel conversations but had not fully committed funding at the time of the vote.
The committee’s action directs staff to finalize a reimbursable contract and continue coordination with philanthropic partners and city and state officials. The county’s contract approval allows staff to begin invoicing and reimbursement arrangements for phase-one expenses.
