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. 

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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.

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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