Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield ran on several promises: creating job opportunities for young people, improving schools, and investing in neighborhoods.
It’s no question that her platform was appealing, as the candidate won 77% of the vote. Detroit has a lot of poverty, a significant amount of crime, and many residents are in need of better job opportunities.
How are residents reacting to Sheffield’s victory? What do they hope she accomplishes? And, what kinds of organizing and coalition building will the new mayor have to do to live up to her promises?
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On Nov. 4, Dearborn residents will vote for mayor of the city. Current mayor Abdullah Hammoud is running for a second term against political newcomer, independent Nagi Almudhegi.
Dearborn voters elected the city’s first Arab American Muslim mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, in 2021.
“It’s my hope that we’ve demonstrated that we have been able to make progress over these last four years, and we’re running for another term to continue on that progress,” he says.
Hammoud says during his nearly four years in office, crime has dropped significantly, and he’s helped bring in $100 million in grants to improve the city.
During his campaign in 2021, he organized volunteers to clean homes devastated by catastrophic floods. He says residents are still concerned about flooding.
“Each and every single time it rains, if it’s a heavy rain event, people are texting anxiously, asking what has been done to help prevent flooding and back up into people’s basements,” he says.
The city has invested $25 million in capturing rainwater in short-term projects, hoping to attract another $400 million for long-term projects.
Machhadie Assi is a community organizer and political strategist. She says flooding caused by poor infrastructure concerns her.
“The Mayor and his team, they’ve been working tirelessly on improving it and developing it. I’m sure we’re not at a point where it’s perfect, but there’s definitely progress,” she shares.
Machhadie Assi at the ArabCon in Dearborn.
Assi is raising her three kids in Dearborn. She says she’s voting for Hammoud.
“They’ve been always transparent on what they’re doing and what they’re working on and what’s in progress,” she says.
Assi says it’s a way to keep the administration accountable.
Resident Maryam Hoballah says she appreciates Hammoud’s focus on creating more green spaces in the city.
“I have two young kids, and I just love that he’s renovating the parks, and he’s making it a safe environment for kids too,” she says.
Hammoud says building parks and green spaces is a priority for him as a father. He says the city invested $30 million in parks and green spaces.
Back to the basics
Abdulnaser Alnajjar has been living in Dearborn for 17 years. He says the city has shifted away from helping residents with their basic needs.
He says the city needs a new leader, “someone who cares actually to fix their real problem, not just bragging about grants and some parks that I personally don’t care about.”
Alnajjar says the next mayor should focus on different issues like tax increases, garbage collection, traffic, and public safety.
He says the city also feels divided.
“I do a lot of door knocking and the west side, and then they feel like that they’re not welcomed, they’ve been pushed [out] by the city and when you come to the East Side, the East Side, feel like the West Side is getting all the good services, and we just get the leftover[s].”
Alnajjar believes mayoral challenger Nagi Almudhegi brings a fresh perspective to city politics.
A fresh perspective
Nagi Almudhegi has been working as an IT professional for 20 years. He says he’s running for Dearborn mayor as an independent candidate to bring change to the city.
He’s also Arab American.
“These last few years is I see the direction of Dearborn deteriorating. We’re more divided than ever before,” he says.
For example, Almudhegi says more could have been done sooner to resolve the flooding in the city.
“What I would have done exactly within the first six months of getting into office, I would have issued a report,” he says.
If elected, Almudhegi says he wants to build a $1 million internship program for youth.
Nagi Almudhegi is a candidate in Dearborn’s 2025 mayoral race.
He also wants to attract more businesses.
“I want Dearborn to be known as the entrepreneurial hub and innovation hub of America, and we have the talent to do it,” he says.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says the city invested a $25 million federal grant to improve Warren Avenue and launched the Night of Innovation to provide monetary prizes to businesses during a pitch competition.
“We are at over 100 ribbon cuttings this year,” he shares.
Recently, Hammoud has come under fire for telling resident Ted Barham he’s not welcome in Dearborn in response to a comment against a street sign bearing the name of Arab American newspaper publisher Osama Siblani. The sign was put up by Wayne County.
Nagi Almudhegi says he would have handled things differently by staying silent.
“As politicians, we can come up with statements that will try to defuse the situation,” he says.
Hammoud issued a response to the criticism at a city council meeting, saying everyone is welcome.
“Those who call Dearborn home know who we are, a city that welcomes and embraces everyone. It is our hope that one day, the unity you actually find in Dearborn, amongst its residents, is the same unity and coexistence that you see across our entire nation,” he says.
Representation for Arab Americans
Ali Baleed Almaklani at Arab Con
Ali Baleed Almaklani, Executive Director of the Yemen American Benevolent Association, has been living in Dearborn for more than 50 years. He says Dearborn has more Arab American representation in public office than it did prior.
“Listen, long time ago, we didn’t have nobody in the city council. We used to wish to have an Arab American, Muslim American, whatever, to be even in the city council,” he says.
Dearborn residents will have to decide whether they want to give Abdullah Hammoud another four years in office or want a new leader to bring a different viewpoint to the city.
Election day is Tuesday, November 4th.
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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.
Audits show Detroit’s polling sites still fall short on accessibility, even as Michigan expands early voting. We explore what disabled voters faced this election — and what must change before the next one.
Detroit is famous for cars, but getting around the city is complicated if you don’t drive. Deanne Austin has spent much of her life finding ways to make it work.
“I’m the millennial that never got a driver’s license,” she said. “I still don’t drive.”
After graduating from Michigan State during the recession, Austin returned home and took a job in Livonia. The commute required three buses and, at the end, a ride from her grandmother because the line stopped short of her workplace. That experience shaped how she sees Detroit’s transportation system, one that often gets riders close, but not all the way.
Today, Austin serves on the board of Transportation Riders United (TRU) and continues to advocate for more reliable and affordable public transit. She also worked for Detroit Public Schools Community District, where she saw how limited transportation affects students. “My students would tell me, ‘Miss Austin, I’m sorry I’m late, my bus never came,’” she said.
Austin doesn’t rely only on the bus. She often uses ride-hailing services or gets rides from family, especially when time or health limits her options. That, she said, highlights why Detroit’s transit system still needs attention.
“We need more funding for buses. We need more drivers. We need the city to invest in the people who move Detroit.”
Her message for city leaders: fixing transit means improving access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and civic life.
Austin joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to explain how, she said, “transit touches everything,” and what Detroit’s next mayor must do to improve it.
Use the media player above to listen to 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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When Mike Duggan was sworn in as Detroit’s mayor more than a decade ago, much of the city was in the dark. Four out of every 10 streetlights didn’t work. His administration rebuilt the grid and relit neighborhoods block by block.
Blight became another target. Crews tore down thousands of abandoned houses that posed safety risks. With hundreds of millions in federal relief, Duggan stabilized the budget and funded neighborhood programs. Meanwhile, the city’s violent crime rate eased: just over 200 homicides last year, the lowest number since the mid-1960s.
Other markers point to momentum. Detroit’s population has inched up for two years in a row — rare for a city that has seen decades of decline. Moody’s even restored Detroit’s investment-grade bond rating.
Duggan highlights these milestones when he calls himself “a fixer.”
The broader picture is mixed: while downtown investment is visible, many neighborhoods still face population loss and a lack of basic infrastructure.
Still, compared with the Detroit Duggan inherited in 2014, the city holds more promise today, and much of that transformation happened under his watch.
Now Duggan wants to take his record statewide. He’s running for governor of Michigan in 2026 as an independent — and asking voters across the state to buy into his version of Detroit’s turnaround.
The mayor joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how he thinks his strategies can scale statewide.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
This week, nonprofit advocacy organization Detroit Disability Power pushed back. The group disputed Winfrey’s claims, pointing to its 2025 survey of 167 polling locations. The findings, they say, reveal widespread barriers and raise serious concerns about Detroit polling place accessibility ahead of the November election. The audit of this year’s primary found that half of the surveyed polling locations had accessibility issues with entrances and doorways, and 70% had problems with Voter Access Terminals (VAT).
Eric Welsby, the policy director for Detroit Disability Power, joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to dispute Winfrey’s claims. He explained the persistent barriers for people with disabilities at Detroit polling locations and how this issue is not unique to Detroit.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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Detroiters cast their ballots during early voting and on August 5 to choose which candidates will move on to the general election in November. The primary results help shape the races for mayor, City Council, and other key local offices.
100% PRECINCTS REPORTING Last updated Aug. 6 at 8:52 a.m.
Detroit Mayoral Race
Primary results (100% precincts reporting)
The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November.
City clerk says Trump’s election lies may be to blame
Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey predicts voter turnout of between 13 and 18 percent for today’s primary elections. Typically, fewer people head to the polls in years without a presidential race. But Winfrey told WDET’s “The Metro” she blames the low numbers in part on former President Trump’s false claims that elections — including in Detroit — were rigged against him.
“When you as a leader of this great country say things like ‘Voting doesn’t matter… it’s not fair… they cheat,’ that would oftentimes lead to, I think, voter apathy,” said Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey.
Winfrey says only about 2,000 people voted early — despite early voting starting more than a week ago and ending Sunday. She says other cities across the country are seeing a similar trend.
“And we see all across the board that turnout is slow… that people are disinterested. But I also think that candidates also drive turnout. When people are excited about the candidate one way or the other… they show up and they show out,” Winfrey said.
The two highest vote-getters from today’s primary will move on to the general election in November. Mayor Mike Duggan is not seeking re-election and is instead running for governor.
Additional headlines
Detroit city races will narrow after today’s primary
Detroit City Council members Mary Sheffield and Fred Durhal will find out today if they’ll appear on the November ballot in the race for mayor.
Several other races will also narrow.
Seven candidates are on the primary ballot in Sheffield’s District 5. Four candidates are running in Durhal’s District 7.
In District 2, incumbent Angela Whitfield Calloway faces two challengers — former councilman Roy McAlister Jr. and State Representative Helena Scott.
Former councilwoman Janeé Ayers is among six candidates running for at-large seats against incumbents Mary Waters and Coleman Young II.
Michigan launches stipend program for behavioral health interns
Students studying for careers in behavioral health can now apply for state support while completing unpaid internships. The Behavioral Health Internship Stipend Program offers up to $15,000 to help cover living expenses and academic fees.
Those studying to become marriage and family therapists, behavior analysts, social workers, professional counselors, and psychologists may qualify.
Hannan Center exhibit celebrates artists who teach
The Hannan Center is showcasing a new exhibit titled Artists Who Teach and Their Students — part of its 100th anniversary season. The multigenerational show explores the connection between creating art and teaching it.
Curator and Gallery Director Richard Reeves says the exhibit gives teaching artists a much-needed space to show their own work.
REEVES: “A lot of times teachers are so busy doing the wonderful things they do — teaching our kids and adults — they don’t have time to be creative and do their own artwork. This gives them a space to show and express themselves.”
The Hannan Center is located at 4750 Woodward Avenue. More information: https://hannan.org
This summer is tracking to be the hottest on record… but it could be among the coolest summers we have for the rest of our lives. That’s the takeaway of a recent article from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit made up of climate scientists founded at MIT in 1969. Scientists have warned of global warming for decades now, and the need for more urgent action. That’s because avoiding the worst effects of manmade climate change will require cooperation on a global scale.
But a large paradigm shift must involve city governments and local power players too. Detroit’s primary election for mayor and city council is this coming Tuesday, August 5, and whoever takes the reins as Detroit’s next mayor will be in a unique position to get Detroit ready for the climate that has already changed significantly.
Ellen Vial is the Detroit Program Manager for the Michigan Environmental Council. The council is a coalition of organizations that have created a thorough, 48-page environmental voter guide, and Ellen is on The Metro this morning to discuss the depths of our climate crisis and what Detroiters can do about it.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Detroit is just a few weeks away from a primary election that will decide the two final contenders to become the next mayor. WDET is listening to the voices of Detroit voters as part of our Citizen Vox project.
One of those voters is Jasmine Kay. She has several issues she hopes the next mayor will address.
Listen: Detroiter says leaders need to stand up for residents
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Jasmine Kay: One would definitely be about like renting spaces and tenants rights. Just making sure that it’s equitable. Why am I getting luxury pricing but not getting a luxury space? So, I think that should definitely come up first just to make sure that people can be housed.
And the second would be like the education system. So like DPSCD. How are we actually making sure our students are being supported, and the teachers, the staff and the people who are doing that work that they have the safeguards and resources to properly do their job?
Sascha Raiyn, WDET News: Are there any candidates that seem to be addressing those issues for you?
JK: I would say not at this time, because I like to take my time to really kind of see their policies and see what they’re saying in between that time.
SR: How much do you feel like your expectations for the next mayor are shaped by the work of the last mayor?
JK: I would hope the initiatives that he did start, like removing blight and other things like that continue to be expanded upon. So I just hope that they would continue the good work that is really, actually helping the city to continue to do that and not let ego get in the way of ‘I’m going to tear it down, or I’m going to shut it down or stop it to reset it so that I can put my name on it.’
So, I just hope those programs and things that have been helping our city progress, they continue to do that, then they can sprinkle on their own little flavor in their next season. That this can be their claim to fame.
I would hope they would really listen to your people. First, because we’re here, we’re local. We are the ones being impacted directly by these policies and how it comes into our space. So, I would hope they just really listen to the people. Take a stand if something is really not with the vision of this country. If something is not right, that they would be bold enough to take that stand to do so. Just making sure we are protecting our people, because we’re right across from Canada. That’s a whole nother country. You know, Detroit, historically has been a place, like for the Underground Railroad, you know, of port of freedom. I like to, like do that. So I hope that they’re taking stands. They’re listening to their people.
SR: Is there anything you would like to say to people running to lead the city?
JK: Do your job for the people. Do your actual job for the people. What are our needs? And get it moving. Don’t over promise and under deliver. If there’s only one major thing you can do, then make sure it gets done. We have a tattered history with different mayors in this space. So, let that be a good reminder to actually do your job. Be involved. Let’s see your face more. Like, don’t be afraid of your people.
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