Detroit City Council Candidates

With so many candidates to choose from, 167 to be exact, how do we know who to choose? Below are bios from a few of our respected candidates:

RAPHAEL B. JOHNSON
http://www.raphaelbjohnson4citycouncil.com/

Raphael Bernard Johnson was born January 1, 1975 and raised in the City of Detroit. He attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School for 3 1/2 years and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1993. Raphael is a 2007 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy earning his B.A. degree in Legal Administration. He also holds a Master’s of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from his alma mater. Raphael completed an internship at the 3rd Circuit Court as a Law Clerk for the Hon. Daphne Means Curtis.
Raphael is the owner and CEO of Total Package Lifestyle, LLC which operates nationally as a provider of professional speaking, enrichment courses/workshops, publishing and fitness training.

He is currently into his second season as a Day-Time TV Personality for The Maury Show. Raphael is the national winner of Steve Harvey's Best Community Leader Hoodie Award where he received a brand new 2009 Ford Flex truck for his services in the communities. He is a member of Legacy Associates Foundation where he serves as Chairman of Community Involvement www.legacyassociates.org He is also a member of the Detroit Parent Network. Raphael has authored three books. His autobiography, "To Pose A Threat: My Rite of Passage", is gaining high acclaims. He received the Detroit Special Celebration Mayoral Award. Raphael also received the Detroit City Council Testimonial Resolution Award for his published work. In addition, his book was inducted into the African American Literature Special Collection at Wayne State University in 2007.

Raphael is a health and fitness trainer (some modeling) and has been a consultant for Detroit Cable Communications Commission (Channel 10 Movement for Life). Raphael is also a CRE (Conflict Resolution Education) Facilitator where he services all students throughout several school districts in the area of anger management, peer mediation and cognitive restructuring.

Raphael has been interviewed by several radio and television stations. African American Family magazine profiled Raphael in its April 2006 edition. Raphael was presented with the Spirit of Detroit Award by the Detroit City Council for his services. He received the 2007 Entrepreneurial of the Year Award by the Detroit Workforce Development Department. He received the 2008 Asanti Sana Award from the Detroit Inner City Sub Center. Raphael is supported by several U.S. Congresspersons, State Representatives, lawyers nationwide, university and college Presidents, school Principals, Superintendents, clergymen and community leaders. A complete list of all references is readily available upon request.

JAMES TATE
http://www.jamestatefordetroit.com/

James Edward Tate, Jr. is a gifted leader who is sensitive to the needs of people. Born and raised in Detroit, and nurtured in the loving care of his parents, he knows and represents the fabric of Detroit and its citizens. Realizing education was his passage for shaping the kind of life he envisioned, he attended Wayne State University while serving as an intern with WXYZ’s Channel 7 Action News. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with concentrations in Radio and Television. This accomplishment served as the foundation for his extensive career in media, public and community relations, and communications.

Upon graduating from Wayne State, he earned a promotion and began his new role as a Production Assistant with Channel 7. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Tate was promptly promoted to Assignment Desk Editor where he simultaneously monitored local police, fire and emergency medical response scanners that covered Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties all while dispatching reporters to various assigned stories.

Since that time, Mr. Tate has held increasingly more responsible and visible positions that included, Traffic Reporter and Communications Coordinator for the City of Detroit. As Communications Coordinator for the city, he monitored local and high profile events involving Detroit. He has also coordinated numerous press conferences and served as a liaison between the media and various city service departments.

Most recently, Mr. Tate held the position of 2nd Deputy Chief within the Detroit Police Department (DPD). As Commanding Officer of the Office of Public Information, his main objective was to develop working and sustainable relationships between citizens, media outlets and the DPD. Known for going beyond the call of duty while working in the community, he made providing useful information to Detroit families and media sources a top priority. He is credited by DPD leadership as well as state and city officials with working extensively to create various avenues where citizens could communicate their concerns.

Mr. Tate believes information is power and blends a full knowledge of public safety and law enforcement policy issues. Some of his key accomplishments include developing a mentoring program at the DPD where off-duty officers volunteered their time with at-risk youth, conducting several hundred live and recorded interviews with local, network cable and international media outlets on a number of law enforcement related matters. He also directed all local and federal law enforcement communications as the Lead Public Information Officer during the National Football League’s Super Bowl in 2006 as well as 2005’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Additionally, Mr. Tate organized and moderated numerous town hall meetings for the DPD and worked side by side with law enforcement officials and community leaders in developing creative initiatives that address public safety.

Understanding the importance of community development and interaction, his professional and civic affiliations include active memberships with the North Rosedale Park Civic and Wayne State University Alumni Associations. He also mentors youth within his neighborhood and in 2008 organized weekly scheduled meetings with neighborhood teens which focused on personal development, employment opportunities and educational attainment. Mr. Tate also served as a volunteer for several clean-up efforts and neighborhood patrols throughout the city.

Mr. Tate’s exemplary management, organizational and leadership skills will restore and re-spirit the City of Detroit. His commitment to personal and public ethics is displayed through his decision to unite the citizens and run for Detroit City Council. He has devoted his life and mission to serving, empowering and motivating others while working collectively to allocate resources and creating safe environments for all to enjoy.

With the citizen’s vote of confidence, he will work to restore integrity, professionalism and sensitivity on issues brought before the Detroit City Council. His years of experience working with families, promoting pubic safety and developing key business relationships will usher in balance and order to the city’s legislative body of government and work towards making Detroit a world class city once again.

Mr. Tate and his wife, Nutrena, reside within the city of Detroit.

KARINDA L. WASHINGTON
http://www.karindawashington.com/

Karinda L. Washington is a native of the city of Detroit and an Alumna of Eastern Michigan University (EMU), where she obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in 2001, and is currently a graduate student in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University. Washington serves a Commissioner of the newly established City of Detroit Charter Commission.
Upon accepting her call to ministry at the age of 21, she began Soul Searching Ministries, a campus and community outreach ministry. To date, she has traveled throughout the United States ministering to over 3000 men and women, holds a weekly bible study on Yahoo!, which reaches hundreds of families from various countries to include, Africa, India, Iraq, South America, and of course, the United States, and as the founder, of Revival on the Block, a rotating street ministry, was able to gain sponsorship from local secular businesses to assist in reaching families to Christ.

She is also the CEO of BOTS Entertainment, a company that produces talent showcases and community events throughout the city of Detroit, and other urban areas around the country. BOTS has gained support from various corporations, including the Detroit Pistons, Globe Trekker TV, Radio One, Rolling Out Magazine, Marshall Field’s-Fairlane, Pure Detroit, and many more. The company is also leading the effort to restore the Jerome H. Remick Music Shell, commonly called the Band Shell at Belle Isle.

After being endorsed by the Detroit Free Press, Michigan Teamsters Union, and a host of other community organizations and leaders, Ms. Washington’s bid for a city of Detroit City Council seat ended on August 2, 2005, with 5, 680 votes. Although it was her first time attempting a position in public office, she remains determined and motivated to continue the work of restoring the City to the great metropolis it once was and is destined to be. To this end, she is a 2009 candidate for Detroit city Council and also a member of the Young Adults Reclaiming Detroit Task Force, a city of Detroit effort lead by Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, one of Detroit’s more progressive political leaders.

In February of 2008, Washington, co-coordinated the first Pay It Forward Tour from the Detroit Metropolitan Area, uniting African and Arab American High School students on a four state community service road trip. She also serves as Vice-President and Chair of the Scholarship Committee for the Eastern Michigan University Black Alumni Chapter.

For her dedication to community service, she has been awarded various awards to include: EMU Young Distinguished Alumna of the Year, Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award, Gold Medallion Student Employee of the Year, Leader and Programmer of the Year, Black Faculty Alumni Association Footprints Award, V-98.7 Acts of Kindness Award and many more.