Open Letter to Council Member Mary Waters

Preface to an Open Letter to Mary Waters

Michigan’s highly contested Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate concluded on August 4, 2026, with progressive candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed winning by a margin of less than one percentage point. His platform centered on Medicare for All, getting money out of politics, and putting money back into working people’s pockets.

Beginning August 6, Detroit City Council Member At-Large Mary Waters – a longtime Democrat – appeared in multiple interviews, including on Fox 2 Detroit, Detroit Today with Charlie Langton, and The Pulse with Roop Raj. An article published by the Michigan Chronicle on August 11, 2026, also addressed why she believed it was necessary to meet with Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan.

Her actions alarmed many Detroit residents and activists. We fight for Detroiters on every front and have stood with Council Member Waters on numerous issues. Because of that history, we believe it is important to address our concerns with her directly. It is in that spirit that we offer this open letter.

 

Open Letter to Council Member Mary Waters

August 26, 2026

Dear Council Member Mary Waters,

We are writing out of grave concern regarding your decision to meet with Mike Rogers during this election season and amid the highly contested race for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat. As you know, this is a consequential race, and its outcome could affect the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. You have stated that one of the reasons for wanting to meet with Rogers was your responsibility to advocate for Detroiters, particularly some of the city’s most marginalized communities.

During Mike Rogers’s time as a U.S. Representative from Michigan, he established a strongly right-wing conservative voting record. His congressional career included positions and votes opposing policies that directly affect working families and vulnerable communities, including:

• Raising the federal minimum wage.
• Restricting employer interference with union organizing.
• The Affordable Care Act, including votes supporting efforts to repeal it, as well as positions concerning prescription drug costs.
• Policies that would strengthen Medicare’s traditional federal role. Rogers supported free-market health care alternatives, including high-risk insurance pools, and proposals that would limit the federal government’s responsibility while creating more predictable federal financial obligations and shifting greater financial risk onto seniors.
• Expanding abortion access. Rogers frequently co-sponsored and supported legislation aimed at restricting abortion access.
• Maintaining robust public education funding. He proposed education savings accounts that critics argued could divert funding away from traditional public schools.

Council Member Waters, you have stated that your decision to meet with Rogers was based on your responsibility to Detroit and your willingness to speak with anyone who may influence the city’s future. However, Detroiters deserve to carefully consider whether Rogers’s record and policy positions align with the needs and priorities of the people you represent.

Rogers established his conservative record long before the current political climate. Given his past positions, it is reasonable for Detroiters to ask what they should expect from him if he were to serve in a political environment shaped by MAGA politics and the policies associated with Project 2025. His record provides voters with substantial information about where he has stood on issues that directly affect working families and Detroit communities, including health care, education, labor rights, voting rights, DEI, and economic opportunity. On these issues his record  shows that his agenda does not align with the interests of Detroit residents.

We all recognize that the Democratic Party is not without its shortcomings. There is a legitimate need for accountability and meaningful change within the party. Detroiters should expect Democratic leaders to listen to their concerns and fight for economic opportunities, affordable housing, quality education, accessible health care, and greater equity. At the same time, many Detroiters view the current Republican agenda as presenting a more immediate threat to policies and programs on which vulnerable communities depend.

Mike Rogers has positioned himself within the broader MAGA movement. This is reflected not only in his political record but also in the support his campaign has received from Donald Trump and other prominent figures associated with that movement.

You have stated that you represent all of Detroit—nearly 700,000 people—and many Detroiters listen to your voice. If representing the interests of Detroiters is your primary responsibility, then it is important to engage with leaders and candidates whose policy agendas reflect the needs and aspirations of the communities you serve. In our view, Mike Rogers’s policy agenda does not align with the interests and priorities of Detroiters.

The President and his administration are leading the country in an increasingly authoritarian direction, and we believe it is critical to elect representatives who will stand up to policies that threaten democratic institutions and the rights of vulnerable communities. The next elected Senate may also have the responsibility of considering nominations to the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court. The balance of political power will therefore have significant consequences for the direction of the country.

We therefore urge you to publicly endorse Abdul El-Sayed and give Detroiters an opportunity to be represented by a candidate whose stated agenda includes Medicare for All, greater income equity, improved public schools, and affordable housing. Engaging with leaders who advocate these priorities would provide Detroiters with another perspective and demonstrate a willingness to consider new approaches within the Democratic Party.

Detroit deserves leaders who will listen to its residents, challenge the status quo when necessary, and work toward policies that improve the lives of all Detroiters. Your position gives you an important platform, and we hope, as you have done in the past, you will use that platform to ensure that Detroiters’ voices, needs, and interests remain at the center of these conversations.

Sincerely,

Moratorium NOW! Coalition

Abayomi Azikiwe
Adam Barrett
Alexis Escoto
Kim Greene
Derrick M. Grigsby
Elena Herrada
Terry Jeffery
Yvonne Jones
Walter Gary Knall
Janis McKinney
Ismail Noor
Wanda Olugbala
Sharon O’Hara Bruce
Renla Sessions
David Sole
Mike Shane
Kenneth Stechuk
P.S. We commend you

• For supporting the Detroit City Council Resolution, passed on November 21, 2023, that called for an immediate, durable, and sustained ceasefire to protect and save human lives, which would allow for humanitarian aid and the unhindered provision of goods to civilians throughout Gaza which are indispensable to their survival as required by international humanitarian law, and for the unconditional release of all civilians who are being illegally held hostage, demanding their safety, well-being, and humane treatment in compliance with international law. The resolution further stated that the Detroit City Council agrees that no human should be deprived of water, food, healthcare and medical supplies, energy (e.g. fuel and electricity), and other basic needs; and
• For sponsoring the Detroit City Council Resolution, passed on February 8, 2024, calling on Congress and the President to move significant funds away from the military budget in order to fund social services, and to hold in-depth public hearings on the basic human needs of City residents that are unmet because of government appropriations for the Pentagon. The resolution stated that Detroit would benefit if the federal government spent less on the military and more on transportation, education, housing, healthcare, environmental protection, and public goods and services. The resolution also pointed out that in June 2017, the United States Conference of Mayors, including Mayor Mike Duggan, unanimously passed a resolution calling upon all cities to hold public hearings on the ways that the federal defense budget hampers local spending on essential social services.