Meet Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist

Eight years ago, Garlin Gilchrist and his wife returned to live in Detroit. They surveyed the entire city and decided to buy a loft in the Corktown area. Neither had grown up in Southwest Detroit, but they wanted the best neighborhood in Detroit for their immediate family. (The Gilchrists now have three young children.) They wanted to live in a diverse community and one close to Detroit’s cultural destinations like W. Vernor Hwy., the Detroit Institute of Arts and downtown Detroit. 

Now that Garlin works many days in Lansing, they still maintain their residence in Corktown. He tries to come home every night to be with his family and he is the one who drives the children to a local public school every morning on his way to Lansing. Garlin says that the Honey Bee Market is their “primary grocery” and they love all the great perks in Southwest Detroit. 

As Lieutenant Governor, Garlin has been given four major areas of responsibility. He headed a taskforce on health disparities due to COVID, which he says clearly included Latinos. He worked on criminal justice reforms, particularly expungements which included “many Latino males”. He worked on connecting more Michiganders to the Internet where Latinos, in particular, have a low participation rate. And, he worked on promoting small businesses. 

If re-elected, in his second term, he will continue to work on these issues plus he would like to develop specific programs for second language learners. 

Garlin has a history working with computers and technology although he says he has no plans beyond his current job. He has dedicated his career to solving problems. An engineer by training, he uses thoughtful innovation, progressive reform, and efficient modernization of policies and programs to make the work better for hardworking families. From spearheading campaigns for equality and justice to harnessing technology to solve real problems, his focus has consistently remained on serving the public and getting things done.