DETROIT – Detroit city residents will soon pick seven school board members to lead the financially fragile school district forward after the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, and many of the characters signing up for the task leave a lot to be desired.

A joint reporting project with the Detroit Free Press, Fox Detroit, Bridge Magazine, and WDET revealed more than half of the 63 candidates who have filed to run for a position on the newly formed Detroit Public Schools Community District school board have faced bankruptcy, foreclosure, eviction, or lost a lawsuit over unpaid bills.

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The election follows a $617 million bailout that dissolved Detroit Public Schools and formed the new school district. The new restructuring plan also brought back an elected school board after years of state control, though the board is limited in its decision-making ability with required approvals from a Detroit Financial Review Commission, the Detroit Free Press reports

According to the site:

  • 12 candidates filed for bankruptcy.
  • 13 candidates lost properties for failing to pay taxes or mortgages, or are facing liens for unpaid income taxes.
  • 28 candidates were sued for unpaid bills and defaulted or agreed to make payments. …

In all, 36 of the 63 candidates vying for seven at-large seats on the board have had either a bankruptcy, a foreclosure or lien for unpaid taxes, or been sued for unpaid debts. More than a dozen of them have experienced more than one type of financial setback.

Those with questionable financial histories include city employee Valerie Elaine Massey, who lost seven properties for failing to pay taxes. Valencia Grier, a retired elementary teacher, also lost seven properties for not paying taxes.

Another candidate, elementary school administrator Renae Micou, faced 30 lawsuits since 2002 for failing to pay rent, some of which were settled and some dismissed.

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“It doesn’t look the best, but the love and the dedication I have” would serve her well as a board member, Micou told the Free Press. She said the lawsuits stemmed from an overzealous landlord who sued when rent was late and she struggled as a single mother to balance her bills.

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Wanda Redomond, a former school board member and spouse of activist Malik Shabazz, is also running for the school board despite two previous lawsuits over unpaid taxes, including an IRS liens on her property for $86,000 in unpaid federal taxes, according to the news site.

Former school board president Herman Davis, who is also running for the new school board, has filed for bankruptcy twice, foreclosed on four properties for failing to pay the mortgage, and lost a fifth property for not paying his taxes, all problems Davis blamed on the economy.

“There was nothing you could do but swallow it and keep on stepping,” Davis said.

The news investigation revealed only one candidate running for the board with a criminal history – Trix Performance Academy teachers aide Ryan Townsend.

“In 2005 and 2011, Townsend received tickets for a charge called ‘offer to engage the services of another for an act of prostitution.’  The 2005 case was dismissed when the officer failed to show up for court. Townsend pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct to resolve the 2011 case,” according to the Free Press.

Townsend attempted to explain the cases in an email to the news site.

“While some of the legal issues in question are valid, there are some that have no basis in reality. Some of the legal issues were a result of youth financial instability. Other legal issues were the result of profiling and harassment and therefore, I cannot address them nor give them credence,” he wrote.

“Ultimately, any issue that is now being called into question is in no way a reflection of my maturation, nor do these issues negate my dedication and commitment to the children and families of the city of Detroit, and my mission to ensure that every child in my city has access to an excellent education.”