About Josh Powell
Josh Powell is a long-time Westland and Michigan resident whose love for his adopted hometown has shaped every chapter of his life. Raised in a tight-knit family, Josh learned early the importance of hard work, family, and looking out for your neighbors. After graduating from high school, he served proudly as a Military Police officer in the U.S. Army, gaining firsthand experience in discipline, responsibility, and service to others. When he returned home, Josh didn’t just settle back into civilian life — he rolled up his sleeves and built a successful small business from the ground up, creating jobs and offering mentorship opportunities to people right here in the local community. Josh is a member of the American Legion, competes in weightlifting, and often trains with his dog, Axle Rose.
My name is Josh Powell and I am running for city council because I think our city needs fresh ideas to reinvigorate the local economy, better create a sense of community in our city and get people excited to live in Westland again.
It’s Time to Revitalize Westland.
First, we need to address the elephant in the room (or in the center of town in our city). The Westland Mall. At the time of it’s opening Westland Mall was part of a group of malls that opened in Detroit's heyday and ushered in a new way to shop indoors, all year long comfortably. For the west side of Detroit the nicest place to shop was Westland Mall but it's no secret that the mall has fallen on hard times. So we need to work WITH the malls management company to incentivize them to reinvest in the mall, work with them to use one of the large empty anchor stores to build a community center right in the middle of the heart of the city and bring life back to an area others just want to see bulldozed. The days of buying all your clothes and electronics at the mall are gone but that doesn’t mean that we can’t evolve and adapt our spaces to attract new investment while honoring the history and legacy of the city.
Second, we have got to make Westland more competitive with our property tax millages, city ordinances, and regulations. While cities on all sides of us attract new businesses, new investment and even new manufacturing facilities, our high property tax rates and burdensome regulatory environment keep developers and investors from even contemplating Westland as an option. I have personally worked with investors in the area that will consider building all over western metro Detroit and most of Michigan, but refuse to invest in Westland, and that has to change.
Third, we need to take steps to reduce the cost of energy and all utilities for both residents and businesses. I have long been an advocate for building a water tower and water storage in the city so we have more control over water rates charged to businesses and residents, have the ability to have an emergency reserve in the event of a wider water system failure and better monitor our water quality and safety. I also believe we should begin discussions with surrounding communities with the goal of creating a new power co-op that can better serve the local community, lower the cost of energy and by extension attract new investors to our city and community.
This is just the beginning of what I hope to accomplish, but I need your help to do it. Please sign up below to stay in the loop or call or text me at 734 234 8135
