Gabriela Santiago-Romero
First-term Detroit Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who is running for re-election in District 6, has rejected thousands of dollars in donations from a political action committee funded by Dan Gilbert and his employees, BridgeDetroit reports.
State records show she voided $5,000 in donations that the Rocket State Political Action Committee (PAC) attempted to give in February and March.
Santiago-Romero didn’t elaborate on why, but at a District 6 candidate forum hosted by BridgeDetroit in June, she said:
“I have been offered PAC money I will not accept. I can continue to work with Rocket Mortgage without taking their money. I meet with DTE consistently without taking their money. You don’t need to take money to have a working relationship with people.”
She was among four council members who voted against a $60 million tax break for Gilbert’s downtown Hudson’s Detroit project, Malachi Barrett of BridgeDetroit reports.
Over the years, mayoral and council candidates have accepted PAC money, including from Gilbert.
