Howze served most recently as Detroit’s Director of Governmental Affairs
Howze helped to lead legislative efforts to reduce home foreclosures and Earned Income Tax Credit program that helped many Detroiters receive larger tax returns
Lisa Howze, a former state lawmaker who served as chief of staff to Mayor Mike Duggan and more recently as the Duggan administration’s chief governmental affairs officer, will be leaving the City to take a top leadership position in higher education. Her last day is Feb. 2.
Howze leaves with a record of helping shepherd significant changes in state law through the Legislature to help the City’s post-bankruptcy recovery and a major increase in Detroiters filing for federal and state earned income tax credits. These credits refund more money to low-income Detroiters than they actually paid in taxes, allowing them to put more money toward living expenses.
In 2017, 92,403 Detroiters filed for the EITC in 2017, 18,150 more than the year before, a 24.4% increase. The amount of tax refunds received by Detroiters rose by $74 million from the previous year.
“The ability to improve someone’s financial well-being in a positive way certainly made my heart smile and my work fulfilling,” Howze said. “The EITC is just the first step in getting Detroiters onto a path of financial stability and the on-ramp of opportunity.”
After serving as co-chair of Duggan’s transition team in 2013, Howze was the mayor’s first chief of staff before being appointed chief governmental affairs officer in May 2014.
Howze helped form coalitions of stakeholders and lawmakers supportive of initiatives important to Detroit’s recovery, including legislation that helped thousands of Detroit homeowners stay in their homes despite being behind on property taxes by establishing payment plans with reduced interest rates and some debt forgiveness.
She also helped grow support in the Legislature for a law that made it harder for illegal scrappers to thrive in Detroit by quickly selling materials ripped out of homes and businesses. A bill approved in 2014 outlawed instant cash payments when common stolen items are sold for $25 or more to scrap yards, and created a sales paper trail for law enforcement investigating thefts.
Other bills she helped win passage included requiring insurance companies to double the amount they pay into a fire escrow fund to cover demolition of burned buildings, and another that established a tax-free zone on 150 acres of vacant land on the City’s east side near the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport for industrial redevelopment.
“Lisa has been a valuable member of my administration who helped us make tangible improvements to the lives of Detroiters,” Mayor Duggan said. “We wish her well, and we know that her commitment to improving Detroit will continue at every step of her career.”
A certified public accountant, Howze’s career included working as a senior auditor for Arthur Andersen, senior business financial analyst for DTE Energy and as a personal and professional development speaker and trainer. She served in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2011-2012, representing the 2nd District in Detroit.
Howze, a Detroit native who grew up on the city’s west side, received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in 1995 and a master’s in finance from Walsh College in 2004.
“I am proud of what we, as an administration and assembly of talented individuals, accomplished in the last four years,” Howze said. “Without a shadow of a doubt, when asked by Mike in 2013 if I wanted to ‘change the world,’ I knew that I was making the right decision, not for my own benefit, but for the citizens of Detroit.”
About Post Author
