Mary Sheffield will become Detroit’s next mayor.  The City Council President defeated Pastor Solomon Kinloch, Jr. in Tuesday’s general election by a wide margin, winning more than 75 percent of the vote.  Sheffield went into the final campaign with overwhelming financial and voter support.  The new mayor-elect addressed hundreds of supporters at the MGM Grand just after 10 pm.   

“In this administration, everyone will have a seat at the table.  From our block clubs to our non-profits to our faith institutions, to our unions and the voices of our most vulnerable.  Because, guess what.  This city belongs to all of us.”  

About half an hour before Sheffield spoke, Pastor Kinloch delivered a fiery concession speech. 

“As the senior pastor of Triumph Church, I want you to know that fire just got re-ignited because, for the rest of my days, I’m going to keep on fighting for the citizens of the great city of Detroit. I love you and God bless you, my sweet Detroit.”  

Mary Sheffield will take the oath of office to become Detroit’s first woman mayor in January. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Detroit City Council Races 

In the at-large Detroit City Council race, Mary Waters and Coleman Young won the two available positions, defeating Janeé Ayers and James Harris.   

In District 2, Angela Whitfield Calloway defeated Roy McAlister, Jr. 

In District 3, incumbent Scott Benson beat challenger Cranstana Anderson.   

Renata Miller won the City Council election in District 5, beating Police Commissioner Willie Burton for the job.  This is the seat that will be vacated by Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield. 

Gabriela Santiago-Romero retains her council seat in District 6.  She beat challenger Tyrone Carter.  Santiago-Romero says she’ll continue working to protect residents in Southwest Detroit.  

“Making sure that we’re protecting immigrants…that was a huge task of mine to make sure that we leave the National Guard outside of the city, that we fight back against any kind of threats to our residents. And just making sure that we are prioritizing our neighborhoods.”  

Santiago-Romero will serve her second term in office, beginning in January. 

And Denzel McCampbell defeated Karen Whitsett in District 7.  That’s the seat that incumbent Fred Durhal left to run for mayor in the August primary. 

Dearborn Mayor 

Dearborn voters have elected Mayor Abdullah Hammoud for a second term.  He told a crowd supporters in Dearborn on Tuesday night that the city is a place for everyone to call home. 

Hammoud won with more than 70% of the votes in his bid against challenger Nagi Almudhegi. Hammoud became the city’s first Arab American and Muslim mayor in 2021, after mobilizing volunteers for clean-up efforts from catastrophic floods. 

Dearborn voters also overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to divide the city into wards for districted elections. 

Hamtramck Mayor 

The race to become the next mayor of Hamtramck was the closest of the night.  

Adam Alharbi won the race by just 11 votes.  He defeated Councilman Muhith Mahmood.  Those results are unofficial at this point.  A recount might be possibility.  

Incumbent mayor Amer Ghalib did not seek re-election because he was nominated to become the next U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More election coverage

Unofficial results say that Adam Alharbi beat Muhith Mahmood in Hamtramck’s mayoral race by 11 votes in Tuesday’s election—but officials say the race isn’t over. 

Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj says 150 absentee ballots were rejected for not having a signature on the ballot or for ballot signatures that didn’t match city records. 

“Letters are sent to the voters so that they know that they have until this Friday, 5 o’clock, to correct the ballot. Since the race was so close with just 11 votes difference, with 150 ballots pending to be corrected, it’s really anybody’s race at this point.”

Faraj said after voters correct their ballots at city hall, it could take up to a month for the ballots to be certified by Wayne County. 

Even after all ballots are accounted for, there is still a possibility for a re-count. 

More election coverage

Dearborn voters have elected Mayor Abdullah Hammoud for a second term. 

Hammoud won with more than 70% of the votes in his bid against challenger Nagi Almudhegi.

He told a crowd of about 250 people at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center Tuesday night that the city is built on coexistence across faiths, backgrounds, and political views. 

“To our Arab American community, to our Polish, Irish, and Italian American families, to every new neighbor and every long time resident, white, Black or brown, to every faith and every background, Dearborn is a place where you are seen, where you are valued, and where you belong.” 

Hammoud became the city’s first Arab American and Muslim mayor in 2021 after mobilizing volunteers for clean-up efforts from catastrophic floods. 

Hammoud ran on a bid to continue the work he started four years ago. He said, “The way to win re-election campaigns is to treat people with dignity, to meet them in their homes and in their communities, listen to their needs, and deliver change that their families can see and can feel. That’s what we’re doing in Dearborn.” 

Also in Dearborn, voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to create a ward system for districted city council seats. 

More election coverage

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mary Sheffield won the race for Detroit mayor on Tuesday, defeating Solomon Kinloch Jr. to become the first woman elected to lead the city.

Sheffield, the Detroit City Council president, received more than 50% of the vote in August’s all-party municipal primary. The office is officially nonpartisan.

Sheffield will succeed three-term incumbent Mike Duggan, who did not seek reelection. The Associated Press declared Sheffield the winner at 9:12 p.m. EST.

More election coverage

Next week, the Hamtramck will residents will elect a new mayor. 

That’s because the outgoing mayor, Amer Ghalib was picked to be the Kuwait ambassador. His Senate confirmation is stalling because of a positive remark he made about Saddam Hussein, liking a social media post comparing Jews to monkeys, and for his refusal to condemn Hamas’ attacks on Israeli civilians. 

Still, in Hamtramck, residents have a choice of who they want to be the next mayor. Those candidates include Adam Alharbi, Hamtramck City Council Member Muhith Mahmood, and write-in candidate Lynn Blasey.

WDET reporter Nargis Rahman reported on the race, and joined The Metro to discuss.

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More stories from The Metro

Detroit is preparing for a mayoral election filled with “firsts.”

For the first time in a dozen years voters will elect a new leader to guide the Motor City, as Hizzoner Mike Duggan leaves to make an independent bid for governor.

And the next mayor will become either the first woman or, as far as city historians can tell, the first clergyman to ever sit atop Detroit’s government.

Blazing a political trail

History was on display at a recent news conference in Detroit’s Dexter-Linwood neighborhood.

Detroit City Council President and mayoral candidate Mary Sheffield stood in front of a historic-but-abandoned apartment building.

The structure is on a fast-track for development because of a program Sheffield helped create to address the city’s lack of affordable housing. She called it one of many initiatives she pursued during her dozen years on Council.

But Sheffield is also fully aware that she herself is at the precipice of Detroit history.

Sheffield is the first woman in more than 30 years to make it to the general election for mayor.

“I have thought about it,” she said. “I definitely lead with the fact that I’m the most experienced candidate, I just happen to be a woman. But I do think it sends a powerful message that we are ready for women leadership in Detroit. Most importantly it shows our next generation of women that they can be anything they put their mind to.”

Sheffield says she believes Detroiters are finally prepared to send a woman to the mayor’s office.

“That’s what I’ve heard. I’ve been campaigning for a year now and there’s a lot of excitement. In 324 years we’ve never had a woman lead. We’ve had 75 mayors in Detroit. Not one has been a woman. We’ve seen women lead in other cities, so it’s not new.” 

Tough enough to be mayor

Many women have chaired Detroit’s City Council.

But some who sought the mayor’s job, like former Council Member Saunteel Jenkins, say they ran into gender-based roadblocks.

“There is still a real power base and a voting base that, for whatever reason, doesn’t believe women should be leading,” Jenkins said.

She came up just short of being one of the top two finalists in this year’s mayoral race.

But Jenkins is a veteran campaigner for political office.

And she says women candidates deal with a level of scrutiny their male counterparts do not.

“Things as little as the height of the heels you wear or if you have on heels at all,” Jenkins said. “I was talking to someone just recently about when Jennifer Granholm ran the first time for governor in Michigan and how much time they spent even on her hair color. Because people would judge her based on how blonde she was or was not.”

Jenkins had navigated political gauntlets before.

Yet despite having served as City Council president and the CEO of a non profit, Jenkins says it was clear a different standard applied to being the executive officer of Detroit’s government.

“There were people who said, ‘Leading Council, that’s amazing. But the mayor’s office? You sure you want to do that? That’s a tough job.’ As if women would not be tough enough to do that. And that was a question I was asked often, are you tough enough for this job? It’s not something that people would ask a man.”

Mixing ministry with the mayor’s office

The candidate vying with Sheffield to be Detroit’s next mayor has faced his own questions — because he is a man of the cloth.

The Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr. spent his primary election night victory speech hammering Sheffield. Not for her gender, but for what he alleged is her neglect of neighborhoods where a majority of children still live in poverty.

“Where do we go from here? Detroit deserves results,” Kinloch told the crowd of supporters. “We deserve more than you just talking the talk. We deserve you stepping up and standing up and walking the walk.”

Kinloch has said he’ll continue pastoring his Triumph Church if he’s elected mayor. He calls his campaign an extension of his ministry.

“This gives an opportunity to see the preacher in a different role. To know that all of us got a responsibility, not to just do something from a spiritual perspective, but to do something social and political. That’s my rearing and my raising. And if I don’t do nothing else, I believe that this is a great opportunity to inspire an entire city that ordinary people can do some extraordinary things.”

The bully political pulpit

But other pastors in the Motor City say mixing politics and the pulpit often means walking a treacherous moral tightrope.

The Rev. Nicholas Hood III was a Detroit City Council member in the early 2000’s and twice made unsuccessful bids for the mayor’s office.   

Hood says while on Council he had to serve both the public and his own conscience.

“It’s one thing to take a position on any issue from the perspective of political expediency. But then to add the burden of deciding if this is morally right. Does this position jive with my faith and what I think God would expect of me?” 

Hood says running for office was not exactly what some of his congregation expected. Or approved of.

“My church members always raised an eyebrow. They were proud of me. I think they still are. But people would say, ‘I don’t want you to be corrupted. Politics is corrupt.’ I would always counter, ‘But that’s all the more reason why you need people like me to get engaged.’ ” Detroit’s churches do have a history of being politically active.

Sheffield noted that fact during a recent and contentious televised mayoral debate with Kinloch.

She said, “We have a pastor here who has not developed one unit of housing. But we have a lot of your peers who’ve joined in our faith-based initiative, where we’re gonna be supporting our faith-based institutions to spur economic development and build housing here in the city of Detroit.”

Kinloch’s response was one of many testy exchanges between the two mayoral contenders.

“Mary, it’s disingenuous for you to assault me and my church for all of the work that you know we’ve done in this community. Triumph Church and Solomon Kinloch have done more for this community than anybody you know.”

Voters prepare for history

The heated tone of the debate bothered some voters, many of whom praise outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan for progress made in the city during his tenure.

Detroiter Ronald Ferguson, for one, says he’s seen broken streetlights come on and blighted buildings come down in his neighborhood.

But Ferguson questions how much Sheffield had to do with that.

He says Kinloch’s message of reducing poverty resonates with him.

“I feel he’s for the people. And I think he’ll do a better job than what we’ve seen over the past 6-10 years from his opponent,” Ferguson said. “She’s been Council President for so long. Yet where’s all the results from her efforts? So I’m ready to try something different to see if I can get a different result.”

But there’s a different vibe at a watch party where Detroiters viewed this month’s acrimonious televised debate.

Voters there, like Arlyssa Heard, had few concerns about Sheffield’s record.

Heard says she values both Sheffield’s service and the historic nature of the Council President’s run for mayor.

“I think it’s important,” Heard said. “I think it also is a statement that as long as you’re qualified, whether you are a woman or a man, it means something. But I think it would be great to see a woman lead this town. I don’t know if that’s gonna have anything to do with my decision. But I think it would make for some good things to talk about the next morning over coffee.”

When that sun rises after Election Day it will mark a new dawn for Detroit politics, whether it’s a woman or a minister set to occupy the mayor’s chair.

More election coverage

There are just a few days left until Detroit’s municipal elections take place.  Early voting began last Saturday. 

The two candidates for mayor, City Council President Mary Sheffield and Pastor Solomon Kinloch,  are scheduled to take part in a forum Thursday at the Detroit Economic Club.  That’s expected to be their last meeting before next week’s election.  Each candidate will take the stage alone to answer a series of questions about their vision for the city. 

This event is not a debate. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, October 29, 2025

SNAP benefits 

Food banks and pantries are preparing for a surge in demand if federal food aid is paused this weekend from the government shutdown.

The outlets were already struggling after federal program cuts this year. Now, SNAP benefits are set to pause Nov. 1. It’s the latest in a string of hardships placed on charitable food services. Food banks and pantries across the country are concerned about meeting the growing need left in the wake of that pause.

Some states are trying to fill the gap, but others lack resources to help. (AP) 

Ghalib Senate 

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib is seeing some Senate opposition to his nomination to become U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait. 

President Trump nominated Ghalib earlier this year, but the discovery of social media posts criticizing Israel have pushed some Republican Senators to say they will not back his nomination in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

Ghalib says he will not withdraw his name from consideration for the position. 

Arthur Murray Event 

City officials gathered on Detroit’s east side Wednesday to break ground on a new housing development. 

The project, called “The Arthur Murray”, will renovate a historic building in the East Warren-Cadieux area.  The long vacant building will be turned into affordable housing and commercial space. 

The renovated structure will include 32 apartments.   

Gas prices 

Detroiters are continuing to get a break at the gas pump.  The average price of a gallon of self-serve unleaded is $2.99 today.  That’s down a penny from last week and is 12 cents cheaper than last month at this time.

Analysts say the annual switch to winter blends of gasoline is helping to lower prices, as is reduced demand for gas as we approach the colder weather months. 

Hutchinson extension 

ESPN is reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to a huge contract extension with defensive end Aiden Hutchinson. 

The network’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the four-year deal is worth $180 million per season.  That’s one of the most lucrative contracts ever in the NFL for a non-quarterback position.  Hutchinson has six sacks in seven games this season after missing most of the 2024 season with a broken leg.  He’s considered one of the best pass rushers in the league. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Adam Alharbi, 44, is an engineer for the Department of Commerce. He’s running for Hamtramck mayor to improve the place he’s called home since he was a kid.

“I will show that I’m for everyone. I’m not a Yemeni candidate or a Muslim candidate, I’m an Hamtramckan candidate that I will serve everyone equally, regardless of race, religion,” he says.

Alharbi says among residents’ top concerns are high property taxes and water bills, along with deteriorating water lines and sewer systems. 

“We have sewer systems and water lines that are deteriorated and been neglected for so many years, and now we need millions and millions of dollars to change them,” he says.

But Alharbi says there is potential for change.

“We have potential to make it look nice and attract visitors and businesses and improve our city,” he says.

Alharbi, 44, was the highest vote getter in Hamtramck’s mayoral primary election, with 1,931 votes. 

Alharbi says repairing water and sewer lines can take place over years and phases.

Connecting Hamtramck

Recently, several Hamtramck city councilmembers have been charged or are being investigated for alleged election fraud cases.

He says its also important to educate voters, who may have a language barrier in the Yemeni and Bengali communities, to not present their ballots to any candidates, amid the allegations. 

“Some of them [voters], because either they’re fairly new in Hamtramck, they feel like, oh, a candidate, he’s a government employee. He’s asking me this, it must be legal, but they don’t think it’s legal,” he says.

Alharbi says working with influencers to create videos in various languages about the do’s and don’t’s of elections may help inform voters.

If elected, Alharbi says he will make educational videos about city meetings and host an annual State of the City to further engage residents.

“A lot of people don’t watch or attend the council meetings, so I will make sure that I provide videos afterwards, explaining what happened, what our plans are, what our challenges are, so that they’re aware” he says.

Welcoming business, bringing people together

Alharbi, who is a part of the Downtown Development Authority, says he plans to expand business in the city by updating parts of Banglatown in Hamtramck to reflect the Bangladeshi population. Similarly, he hopes to create a Yemen Town and World Town on Jos Campau to reflect the communities in the city and attract new businesses.

“We’re called the world in two square miles. We just want to make Hamtramck a better city, good reputation and welcoming to everyone,” he says. 

He says as a business owner, he will also work to ease business permits on Jos Campau and provide incentives to big businesses. 

Alharbi previously served on the Hamtramck Zoning Board of Appeals and as Vice President of the Yemeni American Leadership Association (YALA). 

Alharbi says he would like to host more events in the city to bring people together.

“We should look out for each other, because what unite us is far more than the differences we have,” he says.

He hopes to bring positive change to the city.

“I want a legacy that showcases a successful Yemeni Muslim person who improved a city regardless of the challenges that we had,” he says.

More election coverage

Lynn Blasey, 42, is a write in candidate for Hamtramck mayor. She says she decided to run after community members asked her to run.

“When some community members approached me, it was really asking me to be a voice or a viable choice that residents can feel more comfortable about,” she says.

Blasey is the co-director of Community Arts Partnerships for the College for Creative Studies. She has worked at the education department at the Arab American National Museum, educating people about Arab American communities. 

Blasey ran and lost bids for the Hamtramck City Council in 2021 and 2023. She serves as the vice chair of the Hamtramck Arts and Culture Commission. 

She created the Hamtramck Area Disaster Recovery Group as part of flood recovery efforts for FEMA after the floods in 2021.

Uplifting Hamtramck

Blasey says she’s concerned about Hamtramck’s public image.

“People across the world have some pretty negative opinions of our city, and so this is a really good opportunity to sway that narrative and help celebrate the wonderful, magical things that make this community so unique and diverse,” she says. 

Blasey says she’s disappointed by the recent election fraud in the city.

“I have spoken up previously about the effects cheating has and that people doing it continuously is a degradation of our democracy and really weakens the whole system,” she says.

Blasey says she would like to hold people accountable by taking a firm stance against people who don’t respect the law.

She says it’s important to communicate and connect with community leaders and organizations in Hamtramck to bring people together.

“I think we need to return to having more town hall meetings, utilizing some of our public spaces when there are some of those more challenging issues on the table, really taking those to the community,” she says.

Supporting the arts and businesses

Blasey is connected to the city’s arts community. She says more can be done to leverage artists. 

“There is a huge design economy, arts economy, that Hamtramck is not really tapped into. We have a lot of artists here, but we’re not capitalizing on that,” she says.

Blasey is a part of the Hamtramck Downtown Development Authority’s Organization & Promotions sub-committee. 

“I think there are some really uniquely Hamtramck ways that we can attract new businesses,” she says.

She says it’s important for people to work together, building on each other’s strengths. 

“I think there is so much value in bringing people together,” she says.

More election coverage

While much of the media’s attention on November’s elections has been on Detroit’s mayoral race, there are many other political contests happening outside the city. 

One of them is in Madison Heights. That’s where a one-term city council member is running for mayor against the current Eastpointe police chief. 

If elected, the council member would be the city’s first Black mayor. But what’s also interesting about this race is that he — not the police chief — won the endorsement of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police.

How did City Councilor Quinn Wright do it? And, why does he want to be mayor? 

Last week, Producer Sam Corey spoke with Wright about that and more. 

The Metro reached out multiple times to Wright’s opponent, Chief Corey Haines. We still have not heard back from him.

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

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More stories from The Metro

A new survey conducted by the University of Michigan and Outlier Media reveals the top concerns Detroiters would like to see the next mayor address.

Crime and Safety topped the list, followed by neighborhood maintenance, access to better paying jobs and affordable housing.

Mara Ostfeld is with the University of Michigan and co-authored the survey. She spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Mara Ostfeld: If you had to identify your top three major challenges just getting by in life today, what would you say those are? And as you mentioned, the most commonly selected ones were crime or safety, neighborhood conditions  and employment. And I don’t think any of those would jump out as new themes for people who’ve been in Detroit or talking to Detroiters, but I think it was interesting to think when we asked Detroiters who mentioned crime or safety next as a follow up: so what would you want the city to do about this? …A majority of Detroiters mentioned something other than police when they were talking about what would make them feel more safe. A lot of Detroiters mentioned things like better lighting or more gun control or less vacant housing or more support for neighborhood associations. Which highlights something different and something we have seen more in Detroit, but something different than what often comes to mind is the most common response to safety concerns.

There was just a really big push in desire to see the city show respect for people’s neighborhoods in a way that reflected the way a lot of people love their neighborhoods.

MO: It would probably resonate with you and other people who spent a lot of time talking to Detroiters, is that a big theme was just concern about how people’s neighborhoods were being maintained and attended to. And a really strong desire for just better attention for neighborhood upkeep, whether that mentioned just trash pickup or vacant lot maintenance or, you know, people coming to fix lighting or fix trees. There was just a really big push in desire to see the city show respect for people’s neighborhoods in a way that reflected the way a lot of people love their neighborhoods.

Bre’Anna Tinsley: Employment and access to jobs were mentioned in the survey, and when asked what specifically Detroiters would like to see addressed, items like wages and flexible hours were mentioned. Not typically something a mayor can address, does the mayor have any sway over these things?

MO: I mean, I think that’s a really good question, and not all of these are things that the incoming Mayor can directly mandate. But it does speak to you know, we do know that mayors and our legislators do work to create incentives for different types of companies to come to the city. And I think another thing is that we can think about what makes the desire for flexible schedule so prominent. We know a big factor that leads to a desire for more flexible schedules is after school programs, child care, and transportation. All of those things are things that are more directly in the realm of mayoral control and impact.

BT: Schools also fell into that same category. Issues like better teachers, class sizes and more schools were of big concern for Detroiters, but the mayor doesn’t have direct control over that. In what ways could the mayor address these concerns?

MO: There are partnerships that can be incentivized in the city, building more partnerships with teacher training programs. And I am hesitant to say too much. I don’t know all of like, the policy dynamics and politics behind, you know, education policy. But regardless of whether it’s in their direct realm of control, we know there’s a lot of indirect mechanisms in terms of incentivizing certain partnerships or changing the structures around which some of these like things, are enabled for this by the school board. And so I think it’s important for the mayor to know what’s this? Residents, especially people concerned about education, want in that realm so that they can work within what is in their space to incentivize these other changes.

More election coverage

Wayne State University President Kimberly Espy is resigning.  That’s according to a source with knowledge of the situation. 

Espy has reportedly been under pressure from the school’s board of governors to step down.  In recent weeks, there’s been criticism about the unexplained decision to place the dean of Wayne State’s Medical School on leave. 

A story by the Detroit News says the Interim Med School Dean resigned because his appointment did not follow proper channels.  Espy was also criticized for not fully engaging in the Detroit community.  She did not appear at an event on campus Monday to announce a program to make it easier for DPSCD high school students to attend Wayne State. 

Espy became the President of the university in August 2023.  A Wayne State Board of Governors’ meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday September 17, 2025

Mayoral Debate 

WXYZ-TV has announced that it will broadcast a Detroit mayoral debate on Wednesday, October 15. 

The television station will host City Council President Mary Sheffield and Pastor Solomon Kinloch in its Southfield studios that evening.  Sheffield and Kinloch were the two candidates receiving the most votes in the city’s August primary. 

The October debate will be moderated by Chuck Stokes and Carolyn Clifford. 

679 Area Code 

Get ready to dial a few extra digits every time you call someone on your phone.  Starting October 7, residents will need to dial all 10 numbers when making a call.  In other words, all calls will need an area code. That’s to get folks ready for the new 679 area code.  That new code takes effect on November 7. 

Detroit residents seeking new phone numbers after that may receive a 679 area code once all 313 numbers are exhausted.   Residents in Wayne County suburbs such as Redford Township, Highland Park, Hamtramck and Dearborn will also be affected by the change. 

Fall safety

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is working to keep older adults from falling and getting injured. 

The department is collaborating with the Michigan Falls Prevention Council and the National Council on Aging.  They’re offering special online tools for risk assessment and fall prevention classes online. 

A webpage provides a directory of programs to help senior citizens stay healthy.  Residents can also call 2-1-1 to speak with a live operator about resources in the area. 

Next week is Falls Prevention Awareness Week. 

Detroit Grand Prix Dates 

The Detroit Grand Prix has confirmed its dates for next year. 

The race through downtown streets will take place on Sunday, May 31, 2026.  That’s the weekend after Memorial Day.  And as has been the case for many years, it’s the weekend following the running of the Indianapolis 500. 

Detroit Grand Prix organizers say 156,000 people came downtown to watch events over this year’s three-day weekend.  They say more than a million people watched the Grand Prix on television this year. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Former Detroit mayoral candidate Saunteel Jenkins is endorsing Mary Sheffield for the job. 

She expressed her support for Sheffield this morning during an event at Cody High School on the city’s west side, saying they have shared priorities. 

“It’s about kids all over the city of Detroit who deserve to live in a city free of gun violence.  It’s about all the kids who deserve to grow and reach their full potential.”

Jenkins has an understanding of City Council president Sheffield’s qualifications to become mayor.  Jenkins served as the president of Detroit City Council before stepping down in 2014. 

Sheffield faces Pastor Solomon Kinloch in the November 4^th general election. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Hollier for Secretary of State

Detroit Democrat Adam Hollier has announced that he’s running to become Michigan’s next Secretary of State.  

Current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is term-limited.  She’s running for governor in 2026 instead. 

Hollier served two terms in the Michigan State Senate and later served as Director of Michigan’s Veterans Affairs Agency.  He had two unsuccessful runs for Congress in 2022 and 2024, with last year’s run scuttled by problems with petition signatures. 

Hollier had originally announced plans to run again next year in the 13^th Congressional District, but has now changed course. 

Casino revenue updates

Detroit’s three casinos brought in 106.9 million dollars in revenue last month.  That’s down 4.6 percent from August 2024. 

MGM Grand continues to hold the largest share of the city’s casino market at 48 percent.  Motor City had 29 percent.  And Hollywood Casino at Greektown captured 21 percent of the market.  Together, the three casinos paid 12.6 million dollars in taxes and wagering agreement payments to the City of Detroit last month.  They paid another 8.6 million dollars in taxes to the State of Michigan. 

Slotkin at Levin Center 

U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin is scheduled to speak at Wayne State University’s Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy this weekend to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Slotkin will deliver the keynote address.  The event takes place on Saturday. 

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens in recovery

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens is recovering from prostate cancer surgery.  He underwent a procedure on Tuesday to deal with the problem. 

In a statement on YouTube, Dilkens urges men to talk to their doctors about prostate health. 

“I’m grateful for the early detection and I look forward to making a full and complete recovery.  Now let’s face it.  Men of a certain age can be stubborn when it comes to their health care needs – and even more so when it comes to talking about prostate issues.  Had it not been for my family history and my family doctor’s great advice, I would never have even known that I had cancer.” 

Dilkens says he has been monitoring his prostate health in the past few years because of his family history.  A biopsy this summer confirmed he had prostate cancer. 

Dilkens has served as Windsor’s mayor since 2014. 

If there’s something in your neighborhood you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org.  You know how much we love hearing about Detroit. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Voters in Detroit face a defining choice in the August 5 primary election. But right now, fewer than 10% of registered voters have participated. Most of those ballots have been mailed in. In‑person early voting, which ended August 4, was minimal.

That is a little surprising this year, given Michigan’s no‑excuse absentee law, which voters approved in 2018. It lets anyone request a mail-in ballot without needing a reason.

This is also the city’s first competitive mayoral race in over a decade, with three-term Mayor Mike Duggan running for governor of Michigan. In other words, it’s a pivotal chance for leadership change. But turnout, so far, doesn’t yet reflect this moment.

Meanwhile, voter accessibility has been a question. During the 2021 election, disability advocates filed an ADA complaint saying key voting information, like where and how to vote, was inaccessible online for users of screen readers, affecting thousands of Detroiters. And, some polling locations across metro Detroit remain inaccessible to voters with disabilities.

To discuss this, Detroit’s top election official, City Clerk Janice Winfrey, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro.

The Metro has spoken with all of the candidates running for mayor. You can find those conversations at WDET.org/voterguide2025.

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

More stories from The Metro

What do Detroit voters want out of city’s next mayor? This summer, the WDET News team has been hitting the streets for a new project, Citizen Vox, to help us get a clearer picture of what Detroiters want out of the next mayor.

Ahead of Tuesday’s primary, WDET news director Jerome Vaughn joined the Metro to tell us more about what WDET reporters have been hearing from residents.

Detroit’s mayoral primary is Tuesday, August 5, 2025. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November.

Follow all of WDET’s election coverage, including candidate interviews and Citizen Vox by visiting the 2025 Election Guide.

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

More stories from The Metro

Detroit is just a few weeks away from a pivotal primary election that will decide the two final contenders to become the city’s next mayor.

WDET is listening to the voice of Detroit voters as part of our Citizen Vox Project.

George Goff is one of those voters. He lives in Detroit’s Jefferson – Chalmers community.

Goff says he’s following the mayoral race, but he’s still waiting to hear candidates address his concerns.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

George Goff: I am still disappointed they’re not talking about public policy. There’s a lot of environmental issues in Detroit and no one wants to address that.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: When you say environmental issues, especially if you’re on Jefferson and Chalmers, is it in terms of trying to prevent flooding, in terms of possible contamination in the waterways, all of the above?

GG: All of the above. We thought it was DTE Energy that had the problem. But it was another company, and you can smell [what’s left from the flooding] all the way up to Mack Ave. That’s a problem. You have the canals, they’re flooding constantly. And my home was flooded five times. FEMA is not doing anything. The city hasn’t done anything. And that’s a problem.

QK: Obviously whoever becomes mayor, you’d want them to address that kind of issue. I would think. What other issues, if any, do you see as important to the city that should be worked on?

GG: The other thing is that people are losing their homes now. It’s a new pandemic. Seniors are not able to keep their homes because insurance companies say they’re not going to be covered when things go astray. That’s a major problem in the city of Detroit right now.

QK: What would you suggest that whoever would be the next mayor do to try to help with that?

GG: They need to have policies in place for that, for the future. I know the city is working on a new pipeline waterway system. But they have to do more than that. They’re tearing up the streets on Jefferson Ave. and by the park and there is still sewage backing up.

QK: This will be the first time in a dozen years that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is not running for reelection. What have you thought of the job he’s done? And what do you think a future mayor should do? Should they build on some of what he’s done or go in a different direction?

“The social middle class of the city of Detroit is suffering. We need to make sure we’re able to live in Detroit with all these high inflation rates.”

– George Goff, Detroit voter

GG: I think Mike Duggan has done a great job for the city. I want to see the next mayor do some of the things that Duggan had put in place. But I need them to go beyond, especially for the middle class. The social middle class of the city of Detroit is suffering. We need to make sure we’re able to live in Detroit with all these high inflation rates.

They had a problem with the county deeds, they are having problems with taxes, they’re having problems with the upkeep of housing, and we’re losing a lot. Detroit could be a first-class city and it’s not anymore. So the next mayor has to get on the ground and start making way for the future of the city of Detroit. If we don’t, we will go back into bankruptcy.

QK: You think it’s that dire of a situation that bankruptcy could be a possibility?

GG: I think it’s very possible. Because they’re skirting around the real issues. People have gone to city council and shared their voice and it’s like, OK, we’ll look into that. But no one is looking into it. The flooding, people losing their homes, the taxes, common things they’re not doing. Look at the city transportation. And then crime now. There’s no activities for youth. They need to open-up recreation centers on the weekends, have midnight basketball or something. We need something for our youth. The parks are great but we need better policing of the parks.

Here on The Metro, we’ve been talking to Detroit’s mayoral candidates about how they would lead if elected, and what they would prioritize as the city’s next mayor.

Outlier Media Civic Life Reporter Briana Rice has also been covering the Detroit mayoral race. She recently customized a fun tool for Outlier called the Meet Your Mayor Quiz to help Detroit voters compare candidates and discover which individuals align best with their priorities. 

The 21-question quiz matches voters with candidates based on their views about housing, safety and other key issues. Outlier was able to create and localize the quiz thanks to the nonprofit newsroom THE CITY in New York City, which made the code open source for all to use.

Rice joined The Metro to share more about the quiz and how voters are utilizing it.

Take the quiz here.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

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