Detroit mayoral candidate Mary Sheffield is flexing a “progressive, people-centered, anti-poverty” record in meetings with residents as the campaign shifts gears for the November general election.
Sheffield earned 51% of the mayoral primary vote, winning the vast majority of voting precincts as she vaulted ahead of eight opponents. She could become Detroit’s first woman mayor if she beats rival Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr., who finished second with 17% of the vote. Kinloch’s campaign has also positioned the Triumph Church leader as a grassroots working-class champion, and they know there’s ground to make up, but Sheffield took the initiative with a series of town hall meetings scheduled in each council district.
“No one can say I’m not available and you don’t know what I stand for or don’t have the opportunity to talk to me,” Sheffield said Tuesday at the first meeting in Jamison Temple Baptist Church. “We are embarking on such an important moment in the history of Detroit and we need leadership that is present, leadership that doesn’t feel entitled.”
Sheffield said she’s looking forward to intimate conversations with voters where she can dive deeper into her platform after having to deliver short soundbites at primary candidate forums. She had a back-and-forth discussion with around 20 residents Tuesday about her agenda for the future and unveiled a few fresh policy items like a strategic planning process in each City Council district — an idea that primary opponent Saunteel Jenkins had promoted during her campaign.
Sheffield earned 43,572 primary votes while Kinloch earned 14,893, leaving 27,506 people who voted for a candidate that’s not on the November ballot. If they all went to Kinloch, it still wouldn’t match Sheffield’s primary vote total. But historically, a larger group of Detroiters turn out in November — 22,000 more voters cast ballots in the 2021 general election — which could give Kinloch room to grow support.
A Detroit News analysis of voting data showed Sheffield and Kinloch performed better in lower-income areas, while rival Jenkins outperformed Kinloch in higher-income areas. It also found Kinloch didn’t win either precinct that contained a Triumph Church campus.
Who’s progressive?
Kinloch is also competing with Sheffield for the progressive branding, arguing he’s built a grassroots following and is focused on inequality. His campaign plans to make public safety and poverty top priorities.
Kinloch said an escalation of child gun victims this year is a sign of failed leadership. He’s been critical of “institutional politicians” in his bid to turn his lack of government experience into an asset.
“Reportedly death and injury by gun fire is up almost 35% for our youth 18 and under. If the president of the City Council is calling her leadership on crime ‘progressive’ while our kids are being gunned down in the streets, her policies and leadership have failed us,” Kinloch said in a statement to BridgeDetroit. “This cannot continue. We cannot have another bloody summer with thiskind of failed leadership. It’s time for a change.”
At the town hall, Sheffield said Detroit’s downward crime trend “absolutely means nothing” when young people die in shootings. Sheffield wants to create an office of gun violence, boost funding for community violence intervention and mental health co-response programs, create more youth activities and safe spaces, and add neighborhood police officers.
“I don’t think that we as a city spend enough time on intervention programs that are getting to the root cause of why violence is taking place in the first place,” Sheffield said. “When we talk about public safety, it has to be a comprehensive and holistic approach. You can’t police your way out of it. You have to provide myriad of services, and that’s what you all can expect from me.”
The council president said she has “the receipts” to demonstrate a 12-year record of “delivering tangible results through sound policy.” She also has a long list of endorsements from union groups representing skilled trade workers, firefighters, janitors and service workers.
“Don’t get it twisted,” Sheffield said. “I know there’s a lot of rhetoric going around right now. I’ve always been for the people. I have always stood for working class families. These endorsements solidify that. It shows you that I always have elevated everyday working people, and I’m excited to do that as mayor.”
Sheffield secured Mayor Mike Duggan’s support shortly after the primary, stacking an endorsement with heavy symbolism on her portfolio.
Duggan declared her as the most qualified and best prepared to carry on his project of growing the city, but the nod has also energized Duggan critics who detest the influence of corporate leaders. Sheffield has said, “You can be pro-people and pro-business at the same time.”
Kinloch has said the endorsement is an attempted “coronation” of Sheffield by a political establishment that has failed to address the city’s biggest problems. He’s been endorsed by the UAW, and rallied with President Shawn Fain, along with AFSCME Michigan 925 and the 12th and 13th Democratic Party Districts.
“After 12 years on the Detroit City Council—and 4 more as Council President—if you haven’t fixed it by now, you’re not going to,” Kinloch said in a statement issued just after Duggan’s endorsement. “Detroit doesn’t need recycled ideas or the same politics that have left too many neighborhoods behind. Detroit needs fresh leadership, with the courage to do what career politicians couldn’t.”
Sheffield said Duggan’s support demonstrates that there will be continuity between their administrations, and shows she’s “ready day one to lead.”
“It sends a loud message to Detroiters,” Sheffield said. “But I will also say that we did a lot of work. We had over 50% of the vote without Mayor Duggan’s endorsement and we want to make sure that is at the forefront. The mayor was very much so pleased with the race that we ran, and him coming in really solidifies the amount of work that we did and the amount of people we reached.”
A BridgeDetroit review of campaign finance records shows Sheffield has already benefitted from some of the deep pockets that helped put Duggan in office.
She’s taken tens of thousands of dollars in donations from people who supported Duggan’s mayoral campaigns, like Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun, Detroit Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem, a political committee tied to billionaire Dan Gilbert and dozens of contractors, real estate company owners and industry representatives.
The Sheffield plan
Sheffield said her policy platform is robust, and details are available on her campaign website. She’s being advised by David Bowser, who previously served in the Duggan administration since 2017 on housing services, and said more conversations are being held with department heads and key figures. Bowser is now the campaign’s Senior Policy Advisor.
Her plan for the first 100 days in office includes launching new departments for seniors and human, homeless and family services; offices of gun violence prevention, small business affairs, homeownership and housing rights; home repair and education task forces; and a regional transit working group. Sheffield also wants to hire a chief growth officer focused on population gains.
“A lot of what we’re proposing is really restructuring how we create an office under an existing department, shifting things within city government the same way the mayor did,” Sheffield said. “(Duggan) created the Department of Neighborhoods. That was brand new. He created new things within the existing structure and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Housing is a major part of her platform. Sheffield wants to create 1,000 affordable single-family homes, increase down payment assistance funding and strengthen the city’s eviction legal defense program.
“The greatest need for housing in Detroit is for an individual that makes $30,000 and below,” Sheffield said. “When we talk about affordable housing, we have to make sure that we’re building housing that actually meets the income needs of our residents.”
Sheffield said she supports the creation of rent control ordinances, though it’s currently prohibited by Michigan law. She expects to release a plan for alley lighting and study the cost of consistently cleaning alleys, particularly for seniors who can’t clear debris themselves.
Raising wages is also important to ensuring residents have affordable housing, she said. Sheffield wants to set a “Detroit first mentality” where city contractors hire residents.
“Look at former Mayor Young, It was a culture that he said ‘come to Detroit.’ This is what we expect,” Sheffield said. “We’ve always kind of operated from the scarcity mindset. We want (employers) to come here, but we also want to keep that Detroit first mentality, ensuring that we are prioritizing livable wages jobs.”
Kinloch’s platform includes creating a department of opportunity and empowerment to coordinate financial assistance programs and establishing a children’s trust fund that can be used for secondary education, starting a business or buying a home. His website includes other pledges to build 10,000 affordable housing units, expand rental assistance, boost home repair and down payment programs, cut regulations to start businesses, reduce blight and invest in public spaces.
Sheffield said the city is in a great position to center investment in neighborhoods. She wants to designate community anchor institutions like churches and nonprofits that will receive funding to revitalize their surroundings. She proposed restoring “neighborhood city halls” where residents can visit to access public resources.
Constituents still tell Sheffield they face long wait times for city buses. She supports increasing bus driver pay and creating a discounted fare for low-income residents.
“My main priority is to increase frequency on the routes, ensure that there’s more reliability of our service and ensure that we’re expanding service and routes to the areas that need it most,” she said. “Sometimes it’s frowned upon if you catch public transit, but if you go to Chicago or New York it’s normal. We have a lot to do to change the culture of public transportation, the stigma around it, and also boosting the morale of our drivers.”
Like most community meetings, the Tuesday town hall was a sounding board for frustrations about the Detroit Land Bank Authority. Sheffield is in favor of making reforms to improve transparency and prevent the land bank from taking back properties that aren’t rehabilitated along its timeline.
“My position, for those who are asking, is not to dismantle the land bank, but to make major reforms,” Sheffield said. “I do believe that they serve a purpose. They have a lot of legal rights and authorities that the city does not have, that we can utilize them for. I do agree with most Detroiters that it is extremely difficult to work with the land bank, they oftentimes seem unfair in their practices. There’s been a lot of situations where I’ve actually seen residents who are actually trying to make improvements, and the land bank was still trying to take the property from them.”
Sheffield’s campaign scheduled additional town halls on the following dates:
- 10: District 1 event from 6-7:30 p.m. at Citadel Of Praise, 20280 Lyndon St., Detroit, MI 48223
- 17: District 6 event from 6-7:30 p.m. at Basilica of Sainte Anne de Detroit, 1000 St Anne St.
- 2: District 2 event from 6-7:30 p.m. Location to be announced.
- 9: District 7 event from 6-7:30 p.m. Location to be announced.
- 23: District 3 event from 6-7:30 p.m. Location to be announced.
- 30: District 5 event from 6-7:30 p.m. Location to be announced.
Kinloch’s campaign scheduled a Sept. 6 rally at Cass Technical High School focused on mobilizing women voters. It features Kinloch’s wife Robin, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, former U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, Detroit comedian CoCo and DJ Rue.
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Malachi Barrett is a mission-oriented reporter working to liberate information for Detroiters.
Barrett previously worked at MLive newspapers in Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Detroit. He was named Michigan’s 2019 Newspaper Rising Star by the Associated Press. Barrett graduated from Central Michigan University in 2016.
Barrett lives in Pingree Park on the eastside with his wife. He grew up in Southwest Michigan but spent childhood years in California, Wisconsin, Virginia, South Carolina and Japan. His inbox is always open for news tips and pictures of Spider-Man.
