Business leaders pen open letter: ‘We are proud of Detroit’

Eleven major Detroit business leaders signed an open letter that was set to run as a paid newspaper advertisement this weekend discussing the city’s “new narrative,” and reviewing the successful comeback that’s occurred since it emerged from bankruptcy a decade ago.

The letter, titled “We Are Proud of Detroit” and slated to run in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press, comes just over a week before the election, and not long after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s recent Detroit Economic Club comments to Detroit business leaders criticizing the city. Those comments included stating that “our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president,” referring to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. The letter does not mention Trump, however.

“It’s been 10 years since Detroit emerged from the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history — an event from which many thought we would never recover,” the letter states. “Instead of letting adversity divide us, our community is more united than ever before. Our tenacity and what we’ve accomplished together is more than admirable — it’s a model for America.”

It touts rising home values, more employment opportunities, a growing population, and crime reduction, and notes that the recent flourishing has been a collective effort. But it also acknowledges that “there is still much to be done to ensure that opportunities are accessible to everyone in every corner of our city.” The letter concludes that, “Detroit is on the move.”

It is signed by Sandy K. Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber; Dave Blaszkiewicz, president and CEO of Invest Detroit; Charity Dean, president and CEO of Michigan Black Business Alliance; Jeff Donofrio, president and CEO of Business Leaders For Michigan; Steve Grigorian, president and CEO of Detroit Economic Club, and Kevin D. Johnson, president and CEO of Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.

Additional signers are Maureen Donohue Krauss, president and CEO of Detroit Regional Partnership; Eric B. Larson, CEO of Downtown Detroit Partnership; Dave Meador, executive director of Detroit Regional CEO Group; Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit, and Glenn Stevens, Jr., executive director of MichAuto.