🗳️ Detroit in Black and White: John Barlow’s Case for Being Detroit’s Next Mayor

📌 Summary

• 🧬 Legacy of Activism and Leadership
  John Barlow introduces his candidacy by linking it to a deep-rooted family legacy in Detroit’s civil rights movement. His grandfather co-founded the MOSES organization, advocating for faith-based and community empowerment. Barlow’s background bridges ministry, activism, and policy work.

• 🛠️ Action Plan Rooted in Experience
  His “Let’s Talk Round Table” brought over 300 Detroit leaders into collaborative planning over 18 months—funded personally. It laid the groundwork for his 11-page “Reach Every Family” plan focused on inclusion, collaboration, and transparency.

• 🏠 Bold Housing and Homelessness Strategy
  Barlow commits to removing 500 families from homelessness in his first 30 days. He argues that Detroit has the land, shelters, and data to achieve this through clinical family engagement and community-based collaboration, especially via schools.

• 📊 Citizen Dashboard as a Game-Changer
  The Citizen Dashboard is a flagship initiative that will centralize city services—tracking public aid, housing resources, job listings, and community alerts. It’s a key tool for participatory governance and ensuring no Detroiter falls through the cracks.

• 🏫 Education Reform from the Inside Out
  With family ties to Detroit Public Schools governance, Barlow critiques leadership complacency. He aims to reform school boards, enforce residency for leadership, and use education as a base for social uplift, particularly for homeless and transient students.

• 🌆 Grassroots Credibility vs. Establishment Endorsements
  He differentiates himself from better-funded candidates backed by elites. While competitors lean on names like Dan Gilbert and Mayor Duggan, Barlow leans on tech, church networks, and barbershop-style trust-building.

• 🌍 From Local Roots to Global Vision
  Barlow emphasizes his global connections—partnering with Invest Detroit, consulting on tech startups, and proposing an international innovation hub in Detroit. His approach reframes the city as a global ecosystem, not just a struggling post-industrial town.

• 🧠 Young Yet Seasoned: Countering the Kilpatrick Comparison
  Barlow addresses skepticism about his age by spotlighting his early political achievements, emotional intelligence, and coalition-building. He references a rich network of judges, educators, and civic leaders who’ve mentored or worked with him.

• 🤝 Management Style That Mirrors Corporate Agility
  As a business and industry consultant, Barlow sees Detroit not as a company but as a complex, interdependent ecosystem. His management approach emphasizes inclusive, performance-based governance and partnerships across sectors.

• ❤️ Unapologetic Love for Detroit
  “I’m the only one who really loves Detroit,” Barlow states passionately, citing his choice to stay in the city when others left. His goal is to reach “every family” with money, jobs, and housing—leaving no one behind.

🔢 Insights Based on Numbers

• 🏘️ 500 families: Barlow’s immediate homelessness relief target using land bank and nonprofit support.

• 👨🏾‍🤝‍👨🏽 300 leaders: Involved in “Let’s Talk Round Table” dialogues before launching his platform.

• 🎓 ~10% of students: Detroit students are homeless—Barlow wants to wrap schools in holistic care.