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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

More stories from The Metro

Detroit voters will elect a new mayor this fall. Nine people are running to succeed Mike Duggan, who’s making an independent bid for governor next year. The top two finishers in next month’s primary election will advance to the general election in November.

WDET is having one-on-one conversations with voters about the issues they want the next mayor and city council to address. We call it the Citizen Vox Project.

WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley spoke with Eugene Brown II, a resident of Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood on the city’s west side, about why he says honesty and action matters in the city’s next leader.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Eugene Brown II: Because we’re not too big on the words anymore. We need to see action, movement, growth, development, and these are all things that are taking place now in the city of Detroit and have been taking place for the past 15 years. So, we have always been at work setting up things, having successful things happen by by way of the water department. Even initiating the things that have happened with the Gordie Howe Bridge. You see what I’m saying? So, we’ve been hard at work, really, in the streets.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET News: Who do you think right now is the best person for the job? Do you have someone in mind?

EB II: Well, you know, when I look at Mary Sheffield — I usually don’t, I usually don’t endorse people. But when I look at the Sheffield brand, it’s pretty solid.

BT: What is it specifically about her brand that speaks out to you?

EB II: Well I would you say from past to present. And then you could probably say to yourself, if you know certain people that have that name, then you probably can say that for yourself. You can put it together however you want to put together. I don’t name drop, but you could just look at that and just put it together and see. And then if she lying, she’d be called out, just like anybody else is.

BT: Is there anything specifically in your neighborhood that you would like to see the mayor possibly work on?

EB II: Well, our neighborhood is pretty solid. We’re pretty much a group of family. The only really thing that we really focus on here is protection, peace, happiness, love, no violence, no killings, no stabbings, no robbings; none of that stuff out here. We don’t need any of that. I came from the ’80s. I already lived through all that — ’90s drug era, crack epidemic, Devil’s Night. You see, then ‘YN’ crazy culture, like whatever we’re dealing with right now. But the Detroit Police Department is doing a very fine job, as well as the adjacent, you know, task force that have been set up for the 25 years [sic].We all know this Wayne State progression. It’s a beautiful thing to see people coming together in the city to handle life differently after things were so ripped off, like the water department. We received about a what, 25% pay cut in 2008 to actually help with this process. We actually helped with this process because we were robbed of our money. Well, not robbed. I’ll say… our money was put in trust.

We are investors in the Gordie Howe project, because we had to take the blow of this for the citizens of Detroit to drink water to live, and to flush their boo boo down the pipes so they don’t die. So, you know, we’ve really been hard at work, city of Detroit Water Department, so as far as I’m concerned, since we worked the waters, a portion of these assets that they’re wanting to collect, we should probably be repaid. So, I’d like to see that happen, because all those brothers, they live in this community, too.

On the latest episode of the Detroit Evening Report Weekends, WDET News Director and Detroit Evening Report host Jerome Vaughn shares a conversation he had with Jeremy Allen, the executive editor of the Michigan Chronicle, at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference.

They talked about the issues likely to be top of mind for voters as they prepare for Detroit’s August mayoral primary and how Detroit’s unique news landscape supports residents during election seasons.

Listen to the episode using the media player above.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Most candidates vying to become Detroit’s next mayor agree the city’s high property tax rates remain a barrier to home ownership and attracting more residents. 

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

They say Detroit needs to find new revenue streams, especially now that the city has allocated all of its pandemic relief funding. 

On WDET’s The Metro, Detroit mayoral candidate and City Council President Mary Sheffield said Detroit must increase partnerships with the private sector. 

“I do not believe that we can tax our way out of anything. That’s one tool to have in the tool box. But overall we want to continue to increase our population, we want to continue to provide good-paying jobs because when that happens we get revenue back to Detroit through property tax and income tax,” she said. 

Sheffield and rival candidate Saunteel Jenkins say the city should explore creating a local sales tax. 

Other contenders — like council member Fred Durhal III — say Detroit should target new investment from green energy and tech firms. 

But mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch argues the city cannot grow its way to prosperity without help from state lawmakers.

– Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter, WDET.

Other headlines for Thursday, July 17, 2025:

• Dearborn City Council voted Tuesday to restrict Airbnb and other short term rental units to the downtown area. The decision was in response to some residents who have complained about parties and parking in their neighborhoods.  The zoning amendments will take effect on Jan. 1. 
• Local prisoners will be receiving a new opportunity from Wayne State University. The university’s Prison Education Program allows inmates to receive a bachelor’s in sociology with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation, starting fall 2025. Staff say the major was chosen because of its broad reach and the transferrable skills that come from a strong background in liberal arts.
• Wayne State University is launching a women’s varsity soccer team beginning the 2026-27 academic year. It’s the first new varsity sport brought to the university in more than a decade. The new team will play in NCAA Division II as part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, with home matches on the lit turf stadium next to Tom Adams Field. The search for a head coach will begin this summer.  

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Only about one out of every five people in the city of Detroit voted during the last mayoral election.

Now a similar small percentage of the electorate will likely determine who leads the city for the next four years, as long-time Mayor Mike Duggan makes a bid to become governor.

WDET is talking with voters about the candidates and issues that matter to them as part of our Citizen Vox Project.

That includes 60-year-old downtown resident Monica Davie.

She says the city faces a crucial crossroads.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Monica Davie: (Interview edited for clarity.) The conscience of Detroit is at stake. I think we need someone who has experience in both private and public sectors. I think our candidates are well-intended and that they love the city. Any one of them would be very good. But we need great.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: Do you have a particular candidate in mind yet?

MD: I am supporting Saunteel Jenkins. She started her early career in public service. Think she has persevered over some personal and professional challenges. Her service on the Detroit City Council was very, very good. I think she had an opportunity to showcase her talents and has done a great job with THAW (The Heat and Warmth Fund, a nonprofit assistance agency.) I think that she has protected and supported at-risk and underserved populations in the city. I think we need that kind of leadership.

QK: You already mentioned some issues. But what others in the city would you like to see whoever becomes the next mayor address?

MD: I’d like to see as much attention and money spent in the neighborhoods as is in downtown. What happens when folks are visiting a community and the lights go out? Is it still welcoming to the individuals? We have got this tag phrase of the “old Detroit” and the “new Detroit.” There’s no such thing. It’s just one Detroit. And there’s a group of individuals that held Detroit down, as we say, when the lights were out, so I’d like to see them respected.

I don’t know how we have a big, beautiful metropolis and still have individuals traversing through that are homeless and we’re not building big, beautiful shelters for them and giving them a leg-up. They don’t need a hand-out, they want a hand-up. And we have the mechanisms and the resources to do it right here in the city of Detroit. So, I would like to see an individual be really focused on sharing the wealth, spreading the wealth, making sure the individuals in the city of Detroit, no matter who they are, get some of these skilled trades jobs training. That whole component is important. Even though our political landscape is threatening adult education and skilled trades, I would like to see us focus on it in the city of Detroit. I don’t want to see us moving our low-income and at-risk individuals out to the suburbs, our homeless out to the suburbs. I’d like to see them integrated and supported in the city while we continue to build.

QK: This will be the first time in about 12 years that Mike Duggan is not running for mayor. What have you thought of the job that he’s done? And do you see things he’s done that you think the next mayor should either build upon or perhaps go beyond?

MD: I’ll be honest, I was not originally a supporter of Duggan. But I think he has a brilliant mind and I think that he’s galvanized and exposed some real challenges that we have in the city. I think that he’s tried to take a swing at them, like some of the blight and tearing-down some of the vacant homes and some of the urban farms and some of the subsidies that he’s offered. I think he’s done a good job. I’m appreciative of his leadership overall. I would like to see the next mayor follow that blueprint, look at his historical footprint, sort of put their own spin on it and bring us some new and innovative things with that base still in place. Not someone that he’s just endorsing, but someone that can think like him and call upon him for support when they need him.

Since entering the Detroit mayoral race in December, City Council President Mary Sheffield has become a frontrunner in the race.

According to recent polling, she’s leading the charge in front of Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig.

As the daughter of Rev. Horace Sheffield III — the leader of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations — and the granddaughter of Detroit labor leader Horace Sheffield Jr., Sheffield has been steeped in politics and the Black church for her entire life. She was also the youngest person elected to Detroit City Council when she was just 26 years old. 

Today, the millennial candidate is very social media savvy, often using TikTok and Instagram to connect with city residents. She’s also gained favor from many young people, including big-name Detroit rappers like Sada Baby and Skilla Baby — who both appeared at her annual “Occupy the Corner” events.

But behind Sheffield’s popularity, what does she stand for? She joined The Metro on Wednesday to talk more about the priorities of her campaign and what she’d bring to the table as Detroit’s next mayor.

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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Local nonprofit CitizenDetroit is working with Politics on the Go and Activate Detroit to get Detroiters informed ahead of upcoming city elections.

The collaboration has launched a website with videos from candidates to help voters prepare to elect the city’s next mayor, clerk, city council members and board of police commissioners.

CitizenDetroit will also host a Detroit Primary Election Candidate Forum from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 31, at the IBEW Local Union 58, 1358 Abbott St., Detroit/

Visit citizendetroit.org for more information.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Other headlines for Tuesday, July 15, 2025:

• Two of Detroit’s iconic summer festivals will be taking over Midtown this weekend. The Concert of Colors, taking place July 16-20, is one of the longest-running free global music festivals, attracting tens of thousands of attendees. Also, the Charles H. Wright Museum’s 60th annual African World Festival celebrating the African Diaspora returns to Hart Plaza this weekend, featuring music and dance performances, food and arts vendors, a Children’s Village and more.
• The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is screening the documentary short “I am Potawatomi,” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, along with a language workshop. The film covers the near death and current revitalization of the Potawatomi language.
• The Clark Park Coalition is reaching out to its community for support as it plans another year of youth programs. Summer youth activities include its soccer program and street hockey. The Park has also maintained a hockey program for years — making the sport accessible to Latino and Black youth in the city. It has taken special pride in its girls programs. The coalition says it’s not only looking for donations. Anyone interested in volunteering can also visit clarkparkdetroit.org. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

On Aug. 5, voters will narrow the field of Detroit mayoral candidates down to just two, who will go head-to-head in the November election.

As we draw closer to the August primary, local organizations, unions and media outlets have endorsed the candidates they believe are best for the city of Detroit.

Last week, The Detroit News’ editorial board announced its endorsement of Detroit mayoral candidate Saunteel Jenkins, touting her maturity and experience. 

Nolan Finley, editorial page editor for The Detroit News, joined The Metro on Monday to talk about the endorsement and to share his thoughts on the competitive race.

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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Detroit’s primary election is less than a month away. Nine candidates are on the city’s ballot for mayor. WDET has been bringing you interviews with those candidates. 

Detroit businessman and mayoral candidate John Barlow sat down with WDET’s Jerome Vaughn to talk about his vision for the city.

Barlow says back in the fall of 2023, he started to study possible candidates as they considered joining the city’s mayoral race.   

“No one was able to convince me of a plan or a team that was organized or mobilized enough to be able to perform these duties once elected, or even to campaign properly to get elected,” he said.

Barlow says he did his full assessment of the field — and as a lifelong Detroiter — he felt the need to step into the mayoral race as a candidate who would represent both his generation and future generations. 

“I could not sit by and not put my name in the hat to give Detroit a real choice, from my perspective,” he said.  

Barlow says the city is on the cusp of a new era. He says the city was in a similar position in the late 1960s, when officials put in a bid to host the 1968 Olympics. If elected, he says he’d have the city put together a bid for the 2036 Olympics. 

The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Detroit has a long history in the maturation of Detroit’s religious and political scene. The church is guided by Pan-African Orthodox Christianity and was founded at a time when Black Americans were fighting for social and political progress. 

The Shrine’s political arm, the Black Slate, endorses political candidates whom they believe will act in the best interest of Black Detroiters.

Most recently, the group endorsed Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. for mayor of Detroit, and District 2 Councilwoman Angela Whitfield Calloway for city council. 

Kandia Milton, associate pastor at the Shrine of the Black Madonna and chairman of the Black Slate, joined The Metro to share more about the organization and its endorsements. 

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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Detroit faces a turning point this year. Long-time Mayor Mike Duggan is leaving the office to make an independent bid for governor.

What do Detroiters want to see from the city’s next mayor?

WDET is examining that question by launching the Citizen Vox Project. These are one-on-one conversations with Detroit residents about the issues that matter to them.

WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter spoke with 69-year-old Midtown Detroiter Andrew Crawford. He says he’s not sure yet which mayoral candidate he’ll vote for. But Crawford says he does have a question for whoever takes the top job in Detroit’s city government.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Andrew Crawford: We strive so hard to be a big city. But how can you be a big city when your transportation is very poor? You got two rail systems and none of them really go anywhere. The QLINE just runs up and down from West Grand Boulevard to downtown. Then you got the People Mover. All it does is go in a circle. So, it’s money wasted.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: What about the bus systems?

AC: I don’t understand why the suburban SMART and Detroit Department of Transportation lines can’t be merged. Why would you have two systems? It’s still wasted money. I ride them all the time, both bus systems. And I’m telling you, people are moving back to Detroit, the city is growing, and once you get the public transportation system going better, the population is gonna explode. People can move around and depend on it. There used to be a lot of rail systems here at one time, before people started buying so many cars.

QK: What other issues stick out to you?

AC: Definitely crime. I wish the community would get more involved in helping police that. I’m hoping to see more of that. I’m hoping whoever becomes mayor invests in the whole city. Downtown, it’s going to take care of itself. It’s already on its way. Now it’s time to reach further than the boulevard.

QK: What would you want to see past the boulevard? What do you want to see out in the neighborhoods?

AC: I would like to see more houses, more businesses, communities coming together. Like that food co-op past Euclid on Woodward Ave. It’s a Black-owned food co-op. I’d like to see more of that. And also see the city commit to helping more people that have homes to maintain those homes.

QK: This will be the first time in a dozen years that Mike Duggan will not be mayor of Detroit. What have you thought of the job he’s done so far?

AC: I think he did a great job. I think he’d make a good governor.

QK: Would you like to see whoever becomes the next mayor just continue with the same kind of stuff Duggan’s done? Or, other than transit or crime, is there another area you’d want to see them try to improve on or go beyond what’s being done already?

AC: Take where he left off and make it go even further. Like the north end, I see businesses and restaurants popping up all over there. But I would like to even see them go deeper into the east side and Gratiot Ave. This is where public transportation comes in, because if you got those kinds of systems running throughout the city, it’s going to bring people to those communities.

I don’t care what you do to the city or how much you improve, if your public transportation system is not together, it’s going to fall apart. And the people need to come out and vote, especially in the Black community, even in these local elections. Because if we don’t, what’s going on now is going to continue. You got to show that you care. And that you care about voting. If you don’t care, this is what happens, the turmoil we in now.

Southwest Detroit native and entrepreneur Arnold Boyd is one of two write-in candidates competing against nine others in the city’s mayoral race.

Boyd, the founder of a school bus transportation company, launched his campaign in May and was one of the last to join the packed field of candidates facing off in the upcoming Aug. 5 primary.

Running on a platform of expanding skilled trades, making it easier to start a business, offering legal aid to senior citizens facing foreclosure and more, he says he would bring something new and different to the city.

“I’m running for mayor because I feel the city…all too often we vote for people that have name recognition or people that are career politicians,” Boyd said. “It’s time for the city to vote for people that come from their own.”

Boyd joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more details about his vision for Detroit and how he plans to achieve it.

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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