Renata Miller

Renata Miller

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Detroit City Council District 5

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

High school

Shrine High School

Personal

Religion

Non-Denominational

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Renata Miller is running for election to the Detroit City Council to represent District 5 in Michigan. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. She advanced from the primary on August 5, 2025.

Miller completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Renata Miller graduated from Shrine High School and attended Tuskegee University.

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in Detroit, Michigan (2025)

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for Detroit City Council District 5

Willie Burton and Renata Miller are running in the general election for Detroit City Council District 5 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Willie Burton (Nonpartisan)
		Renata Miller (Nonpartisan)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Detroit City Council District 5

The following candidates ran in the primary for Detroit City Council District 5 on August 5, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Renata Miller (Nonpartisan)	22.7	3,053
✔		Willie Burton (Nonpartisan)	19.0	2,558
		Esther Haugabook (Nonpartisan)	17.6	2,364
		Tatjana Jackson (Nonpartisan)	15.4	2,075
		George Adams Jr. (Nonpartisan)	13.6	1,829
		Michael Hartt (Nonpartisan)	5.0	671
		Michael Ri'chard (Nonpartisan)	4.6	624
	Submit photo	Kevin Jones (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	1.0	130
	Submit photo	Whitney Clarke (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.1	9
		DeQuincy Hyatt (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.0	3
	Submit photo	Jerome Shell (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.0	1
	Submit photo	Alexander Cheatom (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	115

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 13,432
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Bonzetta Ferrell (Nonpartisan)
• Theodore Jones (Nonpartisan)
• Bonnie Warmack Jr. (Nonpartisan)
• Chantel Watkins (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Renata Miller completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Miller's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Renata Miller, a lifelong Detroiter, a proud grandmother, a UAW retiree, and someone deeply committed to service, advocacy, and uplifting our communities. I am a former President of the Historic Indian Village Association, and I’m also the Program Director for The Lawn Academy, where I work with youth to build leadership, responsibility, and pride through hands-on community projects.

I’ve worn many hats throughout my life from owning small businesses to serving as a past community action coordinator with the UAW, but everything I do is grounded in love for people and the neighborhoods that raised me. I’m also a candidate for Detroit City Council District 5 because I believe in bold representation that listens, shows up, and delivers.

I’m someone who believes in showing up for others, q whether that’s helping a senior with yard care, mentoring a young person, or standing up for working families.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Jobs and Development, building Detroit with Detroiters.
• Safety for all neighborhoods. Better street lighting and blight removal.
• Tax relief for homeowners. Prevent legacy residents and seniors on a fixed income from being displaced.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

One public policy I’m deeply passionate about is zoning, especially when it comes to protecting our legacy neighborhoods and preserving our historic districts.

Neighborhoods like Indian Village, Boston-Edison, Arden Park, Russell Woods, and many others have rich histories that deserve to be respected not rewritten by careless development or zoning changes. I believe zoning should be enforced responsibly and transparently, and no developer or project should be allowed to override the boundaries that were set to protect our communities.

Zoning isn’t just about land use, it’s about preserving our culture, protecting our neighbors from displacement, and keeping our neighborhoods intact for the generations to come.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

1. Intergrity

2. Accessibility
3. Courage

4. Accountability

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe I bring a powerful combination of lived experience, leadership, and love for community that make me well-suited to serve as a City Council member. Commitment, resilience, experience, intergrity and transparency are the qualities I possess to successfully hold office.,

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

1. Write ordinances

2. Balance the budget
3. Approve contracts

4. Be the checks and balances for the mayor.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I’m proud to have earned the support of several respected organizations and community leaders who believe in my vision and track record of service. My campaign has been officially endorsed by:

• AFSCME Local 925
• United Auto Workers (UAW)
• Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights
• The Eastside Slate
• The Black Slate

These endorsements reflect broad trust across labor, grassroots leadership, and community-driven political networks. They recognize my commitment to working families, transparent governance, strong neighborhoods, and standing up for what’s right — especially when it’s not easy.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2025 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Detroit City Council District 5

Website

Facebook

Instagram