Come November, Detroit residents will decide who will lead the city into its next chapter. Nine candidates and a write-in say they have a path forward.

Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is among them. Serving as chief from 2013 to 2021, he helped speed up police response times and implemented “Project Green Light” for businesses to get police attention more quickly, among other accomplishments. Craig also served as police chief in both Cincinnati and Portland, Maine.

After retiring from law enforcement, Craig ran for governor in 2022 on the Republican ticket, but was removed from the ballot due to alleged fraudulent signatures on his nominating petitions. He also ran for a Michigan U.S. Senate seat last year, but suspended his campaign after it failed to gain momentum.

Now, Craig is the only Republican candidate running for mayor of Detroit, and he says he’d use his experience rooting out waste in government to increase efficiency and utilize city resources better. 

He joined The Metro on Tuesday to talk about his mayoral bid and what sets him apart. Only two candidates will move forward to November’s general election following the Aug. 5 primary.

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There are a few candidates running as outsiders in Detroit’s mayoral election. They say they aren’t typical politicians and that they plan to prioritize the needs of residents in neighborhoods first. Joel Haashiim is one of those outsiders.

He’s a businessman who first opened a store on Seven Mile and Hartwell Street at the age of 20. Now, the 73-year-old is running on a platform to stop billionaires like Dan Gilbert and the Ilitch family from controlling local politics. Haashim says he wants to put power into people’s hands. To do this, he says he wants to bring back “Citizens’ District Councils,” and start a public bank. 

Haashiim joined The Metro to share more about his platform and priorities for the city if elected Detroit’s next mayor.

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As Detroit’s mayoral race begins to take shape, residents will have to decide which candidates will address the issues most important to them. The candidates have outlined the issues they believe will improve the lives of Detroit residents, but what do residents and community leaders believe needs to be addressed by the next mayor?

Cindy Gamboa is the Executive director of MI Poder– a non profit civic engagement organization that services Michigan’s Latino population- and she’s joined  The Metro today to shed light on the subject.

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For many faithful folks in Detroit, Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. is a familiar name and face. As the senior pastor at Triumph Church, he’s known for his powerful sermons and community outreach. The church has over 35,000 members, according to its website. 

But now he’s on the political stage running for mayor of Detroit, and this is an arena where he’s not as well known.

Kinloch is the only candidate in the mayoral race who has not held an elected position. But he views that as one of his strengths, and believes residents are tired of career politicians leading the city.

He says his campaign’s message is rooted in service, leadership and intentional change, which he hopes will set him apart from other candidates.

Metro producer Cary Junior II spoke with Kinloch at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference about how his experience leading Triumph Church will inform his priorities as mayor.

The conference is aimed to bring together business leaders, policymakers and community stakeholders to discuss key issues affecting Michigan’s economy, politics, and future.

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Detroit residents will be voting for a new Mayor this year, and one Michigan State University Professor has some ideas on how the winner can improve support for neighborhoods during their term.

Deyanira Nevárez Martínez is an associate professor of urban and regional planning at MSU. She recently wrote an article for The Conversation outlining where Detroit needs the most work. 

She says there needs to be a focus on ensuring new growth in the city does not displace legacy residents.

“Maybe you look into programs where you can suspend their property taxes for a few years, or you look into programs that will help them invest into their own property and be able to make sure that they can stay in their property.”

Martinez suggested investing in more social infrastructure such as after school programs and community health clinics.

“There is a growing number of folks who need assistance with their housing. They’re not unhoused.” Martinez said. “They are struggling to pay rent, or they’re struggling with other issues. They need assistance with their health care. They need assistance with their schooling, and so those things are incredibly important as well for a thriving community.”

Martinez says the next mayor should prioritize developing more housing on vacant land in the city.

“We insist on having single family residential housing, and potentially, if you have a neighborhood that has several of these lots that are vacant, you can build duplexes on them or triplexes,” Martinez said. “Bring more density into a neighborhood, and then also bring housing types that could be accessible to different kinds of folks in the area as well.”

She also suggested investment in other vacant land opportunities that benefit neighborhood communities, highlighting the city’s solar neighborhood initiative as a great use of vacant land if done responsibly.

Detroit mayoral candidates debated housing, public safety, education and more during a forum Thursday, May 29, at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference.

Five candidates participated in the debate, hosted by The Detroit Regional Chamber, including Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit Councilman Fred Durhal III, Detroit pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr., and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig. Detroit News Editorial Page Editor Nolan Finley and BridgeDetroit founder and journalist Stephen Henderson will serve as moderators.

Countless media organizations and journalists attend the Mackinac Policy Conference to gain a better understanding of what business, nonprofit and political leaders are doing to try to improve the state.

Annalise Frank, a reporter covering Detroit for Axios, is among them. She joined The Metro to talk about the Detroit mayoral debate planned for Thursday night and what else she is covering at this year’s conference.

There will be five candidates participating in tomorrow’s debate, including Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, Former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit Councilman Fred Durhal III, Detroit pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr., and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig.

She says she is hoping to get a sense of what business and philanthropic and political leaders want to see from Detroit’s next leader.

“Mayor Mike Duggan is not running for reelection, so it’s kind of a new time for Detroit next year,” she said. “So what are the policy priorities; how do we grow population in Detroit; how do we improve neighborhood corridors — there’s just so much to talk about and limited funding to do it.”

WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

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The next mayor of Detroit is not just tasked with managing the city, they also manage relationships with business and policy leaders from across the state.

Detroit’s mayor regularly attends the Mackinac Policy Conference to help build those relationships. But this election season, the candidates vying for that seat are here making their case for why they should be elected the next leader of Michigan’s largest city.

Saunteel Jenkins is one of those candidates. The former Detroit City Council president most recently served as the CEO of The Heat and Warmth Fund – otherwise known as THAW. She joined The Metro to talk about how her past experience has prepared her for the role, and what her priorities would be as the city’s next mayor. 

“I had to build coalitions with legislators in Lansing and in D.C., and work on both sides of the aisle to bring resources home for our families,” she said. “There are a lot of things that I did as the CEO over the last decade that correlates with the job of the mayor.”

WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

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For the first time in over a decade, Mayor Mike Duggan will not be on the ballot for Detroit mayor.

The longtime Democrat announced in December that he’ll instead be campaigning (as an independent) for Michigan governor — opening up a competitive field of candidates vying to fill his shoes.

That includes former Detroit police Chief James Craig, Detroit Councilmember Fred Durhal, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, former nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins and attorney Todd Perkins. 

As mayor, Duggan prioritized ridding the city of blight, revitalizing parks and recreation centers, and decreasing crime with the help of initiatives like community violence intervention programs.

Today on The Metro, BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett breaks down the Detroit mayoral race and the candidates’ priorities for the city. We also revisit a recent conversation with Detroit Future City CEO Anika Goss about what she believes the city’s new leadership should be prioritize.

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Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.