Meet the Candidate
Born and Raised in Saginaw
Father • Organizer • Advocate • Musician • Proud Union Member. Charles Allen is running for the Two-Year Term on the Saginaw City Council — because serving Saginaw is already what he does.
Where I Come From
I was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. My first lessons about work, family, and community came through my family's business, Wise Guys, where I started working at a young age. Today, music still brings me back there, performing live every other Thursday night.
In 2008, fresh out of high school, I went to work at Kroger and became a union member. I later spent years serving tables and working in the service industry.
Music has always been another part of my story. In 2012, I competed on American Idol, finishing in the Top 80 out of approximately 100,000 contestants during the season judged by Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Randy Jackson, and Keith Urban. Whenever I had the opportunity, I was proud to say I was from Saginaw, Michigan.
Around 2017, I entered the automobile business.
Becoming a Father
Then my life changed in the most important way: I became the father of my twins, Charles and Jewel.
Being their father changed how I thought about my city. The future was no longer an abstract idea. It became the streets they would walk, the schools they would attend, the opportunities they would have, and the Saginaw they would inherit.
Answering the Call
In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, I decided I could no longer remain neutral about systems that needed to change. I became more involved in advocacy and civic engagement and started Black News Tonight, where we hosted local City Council debates and helped bring local government conversations directly to people through social media.
Since 2022, I have worked as an organizer with Michigan United. I was also involved as employees organized our workplace and in the collective bargaining process that followed.
Service Beyond Election Season
My service has continued far beyond election season. For three years, we have taken approximately 100 students from Saginaw to Lansing each year to learn advocacy and civic engagement.
The Identifying Triggers Mental Health Awareness Rally is entering its third year and is evolving into a mental-health awareness concert. Last year, the effort raised more than $8,000 to support two mental-health scholarships.
I have continued volunteering, knocking doors, registering voters, serving on nonprofit boards, organizing, performing, and showing up throughout this community.
The Run and the Work
I ran for City Council in 2024. I did not win.
But I did not stop.
"The election ended. The work didn't."
I did not start serving Saginaw because I decided to run for City Council. I decided to run for City Council because serving Saginaw is already what I do.
Charles Allen
Candidate for the Two-Year Term · Saginaw City Council
