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M.L. Elrick and Council President Sheffield
Detroit Free Press investigative columnist M.L. Elrick is a strong advocate for transparency in government. So, it bothered him 15 years ago when Mayor Dave Bing’s administration removed reporters from a room on the 11th floor of City Hall — just around the corner from the mayor’s office.
A Bing spokesperson at the time said she had a better use for the space that journalists had occupied for 60 years. The press room was moved to the basement, far from the comings and goings of the mayor’s office. Elrick writes about the importance of reporters having close access to government, noting that since 2004, six Detroit City Council members and one mayor have been charged with corruption or other felonies.
Elrick polled six mayoral candidates and reports that five are firmly committed to returning the press room to the 11th floor to allow better access to the mayor and to observe who’s visiting. The five are: Saunteel Jenkins, Todd Perkins, Fred Durhal III, James Craig, and Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.
Elrick writes that the sixth candidate, City Council President Mary Sheffield — who has been leading in the polls — “offered the same dodge for declining to endorse a press room near the mayor or city council that she gave me two years ago.”
He goes on to write:
When I asked last week whether Sheffield would support bringing reporters back to the mayor's floor, she said: "I support it as long as there’s spacing. So I'm not gonna pre-say that, 'Yes, I will, you know, you can come back on the floor,' without being here and knowing what all the issues are with spacing overall.
"But I support having the space within city hall where you all can operate with better accessibility to government in general."
Nevertheless, Sheffield isn't ready to commit.
"It is something I would love to explore and see how we can make work," she told me.
