FeedsDecision 2006
Candidate promises outspoken advocacy
David Malhalab, an outspoken former Detroit police officer, said he will make crime prevention, development and schools a priority if he is elected to represent the voters of the fifth district in the Michigan State Senate race.
Malhalab, a Detroit resident whose law enforcement career goes back 28 years, said he’s seeking election because some elected officials were not looking out for residents.
“We had too many people in office that are only in it for themselves,” he said. “As a police officer, I saw some of the effects that sort of attitude had on residents, and I’m not going to do that.”
Malhalab points to his short tenure as a member of a school board that disappeared when it was folded in with the Dearborn 7 School District. “I voted to end my job when a merger occurred because it was the right thing to do,” he said.
Malhalab’s career in the public sector began more than 30 years ago, when he was a member of the Romulus Police Department. He eventually moved onto Detroit, where he retired as a sergeant last year.
Not surprisingly, improving the nature of law enforcement in the district – along with public schools and job retention – comprise a big part of his candidacy.
“Many of the things that happened in Detroit are also happening in Inkster,” he said. “There’s a huge problem with drugs, and it’s been difficult to get a handle on those. I know the resources in the city are limited, but I would see to it that more federal and state resources are expended in the area.”
Also at issue are schools – where Malhalab said he sees a breakdown that leads some students into poverty, or worse, a life of crime.
“Many schools are failing kids right now, especially in poor communities,” he said. “I’ve seen kids that can barely read or write, and we have to do better.”
Solving the schools dilemma is a mixture of toughening standards for students and educators and funding, said Malhalab. He is an advocate of limiting the number of charter schools to better fund the traditional public system and said he is in favor of new graduation requirements.
“I came out of the public schools,” he said. “Having strong public schools that every one of us can go to matter where we live benefits us all.”
Malhalab said he would like to see some consolidation among smaller governmental units to save money.
Job creation and retention is at the root of most of the fiscal problems in the state, Malhalab said. He would be in favor of continuing tax abatements to companies who come into Michigan, but only those that can show they will hire a significant number of people. He would also free up more funding to the state economic development department so they could lure more employers.
Malhalab has made headlines for speaking out about alleged incompetence and corruption within the Detroit Police Department, and once co-hosted a radio show where he shared his views.
