Council Selects Five Honorees for Street Signs
Detroit City Council chose five people from 20 applicants for blue secondary street signs, with installation expected later this month.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Civic Engagement
Detroit City Council selected five honorees from 20 applications for secondary street signs, which serve as honorary recognition and are placed above or below a street's official sign. Martha Jean Steinberg received all nine council votes, and Ernest Harden Jr. was chosen after a tiebreaker.
Why it matters
The selections give Detroit residents a formal way to recognize individuals through public street signage. Council is also exploring a one-year moratorium on new applications in 2027 to potentially streamline the process.
Of 20 applications for honorary street signs, City Council selected five, with Steinberg receiving all nine council votes and Harden chosen after a tiebreaker. Council has not yet determined how the proposed one-year moratorium on new applications in 2027 would change the selection process.
The players
Detroit City Council
The city's legislative body, which reviewed the 20 applications and made the five selections through a vote.
Martha Jean Steinberg
A Detroit honoree who received all nine council votes and whose sign will be placed at Monica Street and Grand River Avenue.
The details
Applicants had 30 seconds each to make their case before council members voted. The selected honorees and their sign locations are Steinberg at Monica Street and Grand River Avenue, Starks at Patrick and Gunston Avenues, Keith at Livernois Avenue and Eight Mile Road, Winfrey at Pickford and Indiana Avenues, and Harden at St. Aubin and Cody Streets.
Timeline
Blue secondary street signs will be installed later this month (November 2026).
A one-year moratorium on new sign applications is being explored for 2027.
Civic Recognition
The selections follow Detroit's established secondary street sign process, in which council votes on individual honorees. A proposed one-year moratorium in 2027 would pause new applications while the city considers a more streamlined approach to the process.
Detroit residents can now see these honorees recognized on new blue signs at five intersections across the city once installation is complete. The proposed 2027 moratorium would pause new nominations while council considers changes to how applications are handled.
The takeaway
Public recognition through street signs depends on a council vote, so residents who want to see changes to the process can follow the proposed 2027 review. The current cycle shows how a limited application window and short presentation time shape which honorees are chosen.
What happens next
Blue secondary street signs are scheduled for installation later this month, and council is considering a one-year moratorium on new applications in 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Civic Engagement in Detroit local government.
