More than a year after forming a candidate committee for a Detroit mayoral bid, City Council President Mary Sheffield on Tuesday announced her campaign for the seat.
Sheffield’s campaign kicked off in a flashy event Tuesday evening at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 58, alongside notable guests. Sheffield has been a City Council member since 2013, when she was elected as the youngest member. She served as council president pro tem in her second term, and president of the nine-member body in her current term. Residents drove her to run for mayor, she said in an interview Monday, noting that with Mayor Mike Duggan’s departure, the city has a “unique time to have continuity, to have someone here that has been a part of developing and rebuilding” Detroit.
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield speaks during a press conference for the 2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Thursday, May 4, 2023, along a section of the track near the finish line on Franklin Street near Saint Antoine Street in downtown Detroit.
“What we’ve what we’ve experienced in Detroit, this renaissance, this growth, has been about partnerships. It has been about a collective effort from our federal, state partners, philanthropic support, to really help move Detroit forward,” Sheffield said. “I understand the importance of collaboration, and I am looking forward to working with all levels of government and in both parties to find common ground that will benefit the growth of our city.”
Sheffield emphasized that her campaign is rooted in unity, and she aims to build upon it through public and private partnerships, and through collaboration between City Council and the mayor’s office. Sheffield also plans to meet Detroiters in their homes and in the community to understand their concerns this next year, she said, adding that she wants to build off of initiatives from her tenure on City Council to build vibrant neighborhoods, affordable housing and economic opportunities for Detroiters, especially small businesses.
Her campaign slogan — “Together We Can. Together We Will” — is intended to reach Detroiters of all incomes and backgrounds.
Sheffield’s five areas of emphasis
“I spent the last 12 years really learning intimately the issues of our city, the struggles and the potential of Detroit, and that is really what gives me the greatest hope and the greatest inspiration to want to serve is really understanding what Detroit can be. And it’s about really just building on the growth and the progress that we have created together over this last 11 years in ensuring that the city’s prosperity touches the lives of every resident, every business and every neighborhood. I think we have more work to do,” Sheffield said. “I believe the position gives me a greater opportunity to reach more and to have a greater impact on really improving the quality of life for Detroiters.”
Should she succeed, Sheffield aims to focus on five key areas: addressing property tax reform, walkable and vibrant neighborhoods, investing in safe communities, which includes the police department and community violence intervention, affordable housing and economic development.
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield hugs her paternal grandmother Mary Coty and her cousin Rylan Owens inside the IBEW Local Union 58 hall in Detroit on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.
“Housing is just so important to me. It’s something that I’ve dedicated a lot of my time to here at the City Council, and really ensuring that we have a pathway to home ownership, that we are investing in infill housing throughout our neighborhood. It’s not necessarily rental housing, but more opportunities for home ownership and affordable housing opportunities in general for Detroiters of all incomes is important to me,” Sheffield said.
The council president also wants to dig into reducing overall property taxes, a “burden that is placed on both businesses and residents” by building a working group to to “build upon the work the mayor started with the land value tax” in addressing structural property tax reform. Duggan’s land value tax proposal, which reached a standstill in the Michigan Legislature, would tax vacant landowners at a higher rate than homeowners or those with developments on their properties in an effort to hold land speculators accountable and encourage development in the city. Property taxes hinder families from moving to Detroit or staying in the city, Sheffield said.
What Detroiters want
Eliminating barriers for local businesses and establishing a streamlined process for them to succeed is another issue entrepreneurs raised to Sheffield.
“We just launched, for example, the Detroit legacy business program that pours funding into businesses that have been Detroit for 30 years or more. I want to see more programs like that initiated that are investing in existing businesses here in Detroit,” Sheffield said.
The legacy business grant program allows small businesses to apply for a grant between $15,000 to $50,000 to cover various expenses.
“Serving here the last 11 years, most people want the same thing. They want vibrant, walkable neighborhoods where families live. They don’t just work and play in Detroit, but they actually come and live and raise their family, (they want a) strong educational system. They want safe communities … housing options for Detroiters with a strong middle class, and of course, economic growth is important to every Detroiter,” Sheffield said.
Other candidates who formed committees for the mayoral post include former Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins, Councilman Fred Durhal III, Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate and businessman Joel Haashiim.
Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Council President Mary Sheffield to run for mayor in 2025