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. 

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In November, Detroit residents will vote for the next mayor and fill seats on the city council. It will be the first change in the city’s mayoral leadership since 2013, when Mike Duggan was elected as a write-in candidate.

There has been positive momentum in Detroit since that time. City services have improved, new development continues to pop up in the downtown and midtown areas, homicides are down and the city’s population is increasing. But despite that, a key issue in our politics lingers.

Only a fraction of Detroit residents show up to vote. 

According an analysis by the Detroit Free Press, voting in municipal elections has dropped over the last 20 years while turnout in presidential and gubernatorial elections remains steady.

Free Press editorial page editor, Nancy Kaffer, joined the show to discuss their findings and share why residents in low turnout areas aren’t voting.

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

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

The day before Detroit’s primary election, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey told The Metro “less than five” polling places in the city have accessibility problems — and that her legal obligation includes ensuring entrances and voting machines are accessible.

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.

Documented problems persist

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.

The Metro contacted Clerk Winfrey’s office for comment, but received no response.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

The 2025 Detroit primary election has concluded, and now we have a two-person sprint to November’s general election to determine who will be the city’s next mayor. In this episode of MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow breaks down the results with WDET’s Russ McNamara (host of All Things Considered Detroit weekdays at 4 p.m.).

Plus, Gorchow and host Cheyna Roth discuss a shake-up in the Michigan Public Service Commision.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode: 

• Why was there a personnel change in the Michigan Public Service Commission?
• What does the Detroit mayoral race look like now that the primary is over?

Highlights

On Mary Sheffield’s majority

McNamara said Mary Sheffield’s clear lead in the mayoral primary results didn’t surprise him too much.

“It always seemed like Mary Sheffield, especially over the past couple of years, was being groomed as the heir apparent to Mike Duggan,” he said. “And nothing in the run-up to this election swayed my opinion on that. And then nothing in the results would shake that either.”

Sheffield and Solomon Kinloch now advance to November’s general election.

On Alessandra Carreon’s replacement

Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently removed Alessandra Carreon, a clean energy advocate, from serving on the Michigan Public Service Commision, which regulates the state’s energy utilities monopoly. Whitmer replaced Carreon with Shaquila Myers, who critics call an industry ally.

Gorchow said the motive to remove Carreon is still unknown.

“The Governor’s press office has refused to answer questions about why Whitmer didn’t reappoint Carreon, saying only that she takes the appointments process seriously and there’s nothing that’s come out of these PSC meetings,” he said.

Besides Myers, the other two members of the PSC are Katherine L. Peretick and Chairman Daniel C. Scripps.

Detroiters cast ballots in primary election

Detroiters headed to the polls yesterday (Tuesday) for the city’s primary election.

In the race to become Detroit’s next mayor, City Council President Mary Sheffield led the field of nine candidates throughout the night, winning more than half the votes cast. Her victory was evident early, and the Associated Press called the race for her before 10 p.m. Sheffield spoke to her supporters at the Cambria Hotel, celebrating her clear victory.

“I believe our best days are ahead of us. The victory tonight is not mine. It is ours. It is ours. It belongs to every little boy and girl in this city that was told to dream small. It belongs to every neighborhood in this city that has felt left behind.”

Pastor Solomon Kinloch finished second in last night’s primary election.

He celebrated with supporters at the Roostertail. Kinloch says if he’s elected mayor of Detroit, he’ll focus on investing in everyone in the city.

“Detroit needs more than a manager of downtown development. We need moral leadership, someone who doesn’t just govern but serves putting people and their needs front and center in every decision.”

The race for second place was close and continued through the late-night hours. Kinloch beat former Council President Saunteel Jenkins by just over a thousand votes.

The two winners of the mayoral primary will face off against each other in the November general election. Incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan decided not to run for a fourth term. Instead, he’s running in 2026 as an independent candidate for governor of Michigan.

Additional headlines

Detroit City Council races take shape

The field of candidates is down to four in the race to become Detroit City at-large members—those elected across the whole city, not just within a district. Incumbents Mary Waters and Coleman Young led the voting. Challengers Janee Ayers and James Harris will also advance to the general election. The top two vote-getters in November will be elected to City Council.

In Council District 2, incumbent Angela Whitfield Calloway and Roy McCallister Jr. will face off in the general election.

Renata Miller and Willie Burton will vie for the council seat in District 5. And Denzel McCampbell and Karen Whitsett will compete in District 7.

Suburban mayoral primaries

Hamtramck residents cast their ballots in a mayoral primary Tuesday. The top two candidates were Adam Alharbi with 54 percent of the vote and Muhith Mahmood with 29 percent. They’ll face each other in the November general election.

Dearborn Heights voters selected Mo Beydoun and Denise Maxwell as the two mayoral candidates advancing to the November general election.

In Taylor, Tim Woolley and Herman Ramik were the top two vote-getters and will move on to the November ballot.

Pontiac voters chose Mike McGuiness and Kermit Williams to run for mayor in November. In Southfield, incumbent Ken Siver and challenger Sylvia Jordan will appear on the general election ballot.

Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield won a clear majority of votes in Tuesday’s mayoral primary. She’s now one of the two finalists for the top job in city government.

Sheffield says if she’s elected mayor, she’ll work to find new revenue streams to replace federal funding and invest it in areas that will continue the city’s growth.

“Where every Detroiter has a clear path to quality education… good paying jobs… and home ownership. And where strong pipelines in skilled trades and tech… gives our young people opportunity to build their future right here at home.”

Sheffield says she will also focus on re-invigorating Detroit’s neighborhoods, while investing in community policing and youth programs to create a safer city.

Detroit pastor Solomon Kinloch finished second in last night’s primary election.

He celebrated with supporters at the Roostertail. Kinloch says if he’s elected mayor of Detroit, he’ll focus on investing in everyone in the city.

“We’ll tackle poverty, attracting jobs that pay upward of $35 an hour, and make sure Detroit is trained and ready to be hired, we’ll invest in neighborhoods and not just downtown, because it’s not just about policy, but priorities that need to change.”

Former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins held on until the very end — before eventually coming in third in the primary for Detroit’s next mayor.

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