WHY I AM RUNNING

I'm running for Detroit City Council because I believe that the concerns of our residents are not adequately represented in our city government. As a councilmember, I would work with residents to develop a clear vision of where our city is headed and make sure my actions are consistent with that vision. We need leaders who will focus on the long-range health of our city and not on short-term schemes designed to gain political clout. Despite the tendency of many of our elected officials to use high profile and emotionally charged public policy issues such as "city vs. suburbs" to sway votes, most of our resident's concerns are centered around protecting and improving the city's public services. Simply put, Detroiters want a better quality of life.

The reason why I am seeking office is because I care about our community and I care about the future of this city.

As a councilmember, I will have an opportunity to raise my voice on behalf of the people I represent in an effort to bring us together to solve our collective problems, ensure that the community's issues and concerns are heard loud and clear by those who can make changes in policy, and restore faith in our local political system. I will also work to make sure that those of us who have long been neglected by the system will instead truly have an opportunity to shape the system.

Many of the city's most troubling issues can be stabilized and improved upon if we all work together for the common goal of reclaiming our community. Improving the quality of life should be a concern of all Detroiters. We need elected officials who not only have the vision to make it happen, but most importantly the ability to make it happen. We need a city council that recognizes that the answer to our problems does not lie within a single interest, but in all of our combined wisdom. Ultimately, we need a city council that understands that the answer to our problems is in our coming together.

I am concerned about how our children's perception of success has been negatively affected by the harmful images they are consistently exposed to. I want our young people to understand that they can be "cool" and responsible at the same time. As parents and adults, it is our responsibility to provide youth with the necessary guidance that will help them make sound choices in their lives. Our young people look to us for the instruction and encouragement needed to avoid the many temptations that they will certainly confront in this difficult and complex world that we live in. To reclaim our community, we must be prepared to protect, mentor, and inspire our children. Too many of our most talented and motivated young people leave the city because they feel their options here are limited. I am running for City Council because I want to help the city of Detroit flourish into a place where young people want to stay here and grow their families in the future.

I humbly ask the voters of Detroit for an opportunity to usher in new city leadership that focuses on identifying ways to inspire, empower and motivate the city residents. There has been much talk recently about "change" and "hope", but how effective are these philosophies if "action" is not included. None of the issues in our city that we want changed will change… unless we make a real commitment to change them.

More than ever, we need leaders who can bring our community together. Detroit has tremendous potential, but to fully realize the promise that Detroit holds will require massive amounts of hard work from incredibly dedicated people with widely diversified skills. Those kinds of people are here in Detroit and they are working hard every day to make Detroit a better place.

On November 3rd, vote to elect James Tate for Detroit City Council for a professional, hardworking, and passionate representative of the people.