Ecorse's Darcel Brown Says Challenges and Successes are Part of the Job

This past November, Ecorse resident Darcel Brown was sworn in as the Mayor Pro Tempore for the Ecorse City Council. The swearing-in was done via Zoom due to the pandemic, but it did not diminish the honor and dignity Brown felt as he assumed his fourth term on the city council serving as Mayor Pro Tem. Brown initially ran for city council in 2007 because he wanted to see a change in the negative image the city had endured. "I thought to myself, I want to see some change, some positive transformation take place in our community," he recalls. "A lot of times I think people complain about things taking place within the city that they live in, but it takes that extra initiative to be able to step out and say, 'Hey, I'll be the change.'"

Having also served as Ecorse Mayor from 2011 to 2013, Brown brings with him a great deal of knowledge about how municipal government operates. He played a role in city government when financial difficulty led to the appointment of an emergency financial manager to oversee city business in 2009. In 2011, he was transitioning from city council member to the role of mayor and Brown recalls that period as being one of the biggest obstacles the city has had to overcome. "That was a hard time," he says. "We didn't have as much control to operate our city; the day-to-day business of our city was in the hands of the emergency manager." The city was eventually released from state receivership transition in 2017, having eliminated its deficit and proven itself financially viable once again.

Brown says his city is in a rebuilding process and things can only get better. He adds that the city's best asset is the people. He says they are engaged, involved in community, and they want to be heard. "I love that the residents are active and I like working with them to get things done," he says. "I believe that the greatest years for Ecorse are ahead of us and I'm excited about that."

Brown says recent efforts by the city have been focused on eliminating blight through rehabilitation and demolition of properties, particularly along Jefferson Avenue. "Jefferson is key because we want to promote future economic development on our main corridor," he says, adding that once the new Gordie Howe International Bridge is operating, many downriver communities can expect more visitors. Brown wants Ecorse to be ready for more traffic in the city, welcoming visitors with shops, restaurants, and recreation.

The recent reopening of O'Brien's Supermarket in Ecorse is another positive thing to celebrate, says Brown. He says city leaders worked with the store owner to eliminate red tape that hampered a smooth, speedy opening. "Ecorse now has its first grocery store once again," he says.

Brown says grant money has been helping the city to improve its parks, upgrading basketball courts, and adding tennis courts and walking trails. "We just want to have a city where people can come and say, Hey, I want to go have some fun out in the parks at Ecorse,'" he says. "So, we've been able to develop our parks as well."

Brown says the introduction last year of the Citizen's Public Safety Advisory Task Force, which he helped to assemble, is a highlight of his work on city council. The Public Advisory Task Force gathers residents, business owners, and public safety officials to collaborate on ideas for improving services offered by the public safety department. He says, "We want to make sure there's a safe environment for the children as well as the adults." Brown is open to hear residents' ideas and says public safety, including drugs, violence, and street racing are resident's top concerns.

Brown plans to use this term to address the needs of the city and the residents. It is a job he enjoys and says residents are always welcome to contact him. "They want answers to problems and solutions to the issues that they face and it's an honor just to be able to be a servant to those people, to the residents, and be able to bring solutions to the people's problems"

Ecorse City Council meeting are held virtually bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm. To find out more go to the city website at http://www.ecorsemi.gov or see the city's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/cityofecorse. Darcel Brown can be contacted at [email protected]