Alum will help write Detroit's new charter
Brandon Clark
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Features
|
Cara Blount, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Detroit in 1974, was one of nine residents elected to the Detroit Charter Commission last year. The commission is now working on changing the document that dictates how city government runs.
A self-descried "life-long Detroiter with a passion for the city of Detroit," Blount served with the Detroit Police Department for over 30 years, retiring as a deputy chief.
She graduated from Northern High School on the west side and after attending U of D went on to earn a master's degree in criminal justice at Wayne State University.
She sat down recently with The Varsity News for an interview at the Northwest Activity Center.
When you were campaigning for charter commission, one of your main issues was improving ethics. Why did this strike you as an area of concern?
It interests me because I came up in law enforcement. I was a law enforcement officer for more than thirty years. I don't think people should lie, cheat or steal and I particularly feel that government officials shouldn't lie, cheat or steal. With the incidents in the last two years, a lot of people were lying, cheating and stealing. We didn't have a mechanism to take those people out of office. Those were some of the reasons I decided to run. I use to sit up at night and throw things at the television because I was so angry. And having worked for the city you know how it's supposed to go. You know the right way to do things and I didn't see that happening.
With your skill set with working with the police department, what do you think that experience brings to the charter commission?
I spent my entire time in the police department standing only on my reputation, honesty and integrity. People who know will you tell you that I was hard but I was fair. I may not say the things that people want to hear but I won't lie to them. If you come to me and you say "I want you to fix this," I tell you I don't know if I can fix this but I'll look at it and see what I can do.
Do you feel that your involvement with the law enforcement community helped you get elected?
Actually, it's the community who elected me. I'm not a known politician; some people were known. No one knew me other than the people I met through the police department and through my community contacts, and I believe those are the people who elected me. They know that I'll come to the (commission) meetings and listen to what it is they want. I still talk to some of them (citizens of Detroit). They call me on my own personal phone.
Be the first to comment on this story