And then there were two. After Detroit voters whittled a nine-candidate primary field earlier this month, two candidates — Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and megachurch leader Solomon Kinloch — remained in the race to replace the outgoing Mike Duggan as Detroit’s next mayor.
Duggan declined to seek re-election to set up a run for governor, a bid he’s making as an independent.
Sheffield, the reigning city council president, and Kinloch, the pastor of Triumph Church, beat a deep field that included former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, former City Council member Saunteel Jenkins and current member Fred Durhal III.
The general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4.
The next mayor takes over in a city that, before Duggan, suffered through an emergency manager put in place by the state and has since shed or restructured about $7 billion in debt and exited bankruptcy in December 2014.
Corp! Magazine, wishing to stay out of the politics of the race (we are a business magazine, after all) and stick to the candidates’ visions, went to their campaign websites and pulled a sampling of each candidate’s positions and plans should they be elected.
REV. SOLOMON KINLOCH JR.
(His full plan can be found at www.kinlochformayor.com)
Kinloch says he’s fighting to provide a community where families can be healthy, and kids can thrive. This means having access to nutritious food, quality healthcare and strong education. Unfortunately, he said, access is not equitably distributed and there are families and children who encounter far more barriers to health and success than others.
Kinloch said that, as mayor, he will fund food as medicine initiatives. Food insecurity significantly raises the risk of developing health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease which can cause premature death (Detroit has the highest rate of diabetes in the country).
His “food as medicine” strategy will bring together federal, state, and city governments; local health providers, payers, accountable care organizations and Detroit’s local food community to deploy evidence-based food and nutrition security strategies that could be paid for by Medicaid and Medicare.
Strategies will include funding for strategically placed affordable grocery stores, delivery of medically tailored meals, and investments in community gardens. These strategies will directly improve health for residents while reducing healthcare costs.
He will create the Department of Opportunity and Empowerment to coordinate all financial assistance programs across the city and get residents the help they need.
He will partner with Detroit’s school community to address social barriers to education, establish a senior cabinet-level position specifically tasked with working with school administrators, educators, parents, and children to coordinate city services that support student success.
Fighting for Safe and Vibrant Neighborhoods
According to the Detroit Neighborhood Vitality Index, less than 40% of Detroiters are satisfied with the condition of vacant land, commercial buildings and infrastructure in their neighborhoods.
Under a Kinloch administration, every neighborhood will win. Detroiters will see unprecedented neighborhood investment and increased collaboration with community-led organizations as we roll out the “Safe and Vibrant Neighborhoods” initiative. This initiative will be led by the mayor-appointed “Chief of Neighborhoods” who will work with all government, corporate, non-profit, and community partners. If elected, Kinloch said he would, among other things:
- Invest in youth violence prevention to reduce the root causes of violence.
- Expand community-based violence intervention strategies citywide designed to reduce violent crime in Detroit’s most impacted neighborhoods.
- Build balanced partnerships between law enforcement and community partners to stop violent crime.
- Launch the “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” strategy to reduce serious property crimes, such as burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny, and arson.
- Invest in maintenance of parks, recreation centers and libraries. Economic impact studies have determined that well-maintained urban parks, recreation centers and libraries can increase the property values of surrounding homes up to 10%.
- Develop vacant Detroit Land Bank property into valued community assets.
Fighting For Affordable Housing and Home Ownership
For too long, Kinloch said, too many have been “pushed to the margins” – working families losing their homes to foreclosure, seniors forced to choose between medicine and rent, young people locked out of the dream of homeownership, and entire Detroit neighborhoods hollowed out by disinvestment, neglect, and bureaucracy.
One in five Detroit residents are housing-cost burdened, spending more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs. Renters are significantly more likely to report housing cost burdens (30%) than homeowners, but homeowners experience this as well (18%).
Detroit needs to “think bigger, build faster, and invest smarter,” he said. “We need housing policy that reflects the values we preach—equity, inclusion, and opportunity for all.
Fighting For Inclusive Economy
According to Kinloch, the average median household income in Detroit is $36,140. Detroiters want jobs that pay a living wage, wages their families can survive off. Additionally, they want to live in a city where employers do not put up unnecessary barriers to employment, where there is a reliable public transit system to get them to work, and where there are quality, affordable childcare options for their kids during work hours.
Kinloch said his administration will be a “trusted advocate for Detroit’s business community.” In partnership with the state, regional and local colleagues, Detroit will be committed to fostering industry growth and innovation, eliminating unnecessary regulatory barriers that hinder business development and investment, and increasing support for Detroit entrepreneurs and small businesses.
“Business sector growth is critical to the success of our economy, our neighborhoods, and our residents,” he said. “Businesses big and small will prosper.
Fighting For Business Prosperity
Kinloch said Detroit is home to over 300,000 businesses and a national leader in seven different industries. These businesses, he said, are the “economic engine of not only the city, but also the state.”
Kinloch said his administration will be a “trusted advocate for Detroit’s business community.” In partnership with state, regional, and local colleagues, the city will foster industry growth and innovation, eliminate unnecessary regulatory barriers that hinder business development and investment, and increase support for Detroit entrepreneurs and small businesses.
MARY SHEFFIELD
(Her full plan can be found at www.marysheffield.com)
Economic Empowerment
For Detroit to truly build and sustain a strong economy, Sheffield said, it has to “invest in our existing residents with small business supports, while attracting new jobs that provide higher-paying wages.”
In almost every department, she said, the city has to reduce red tape and make it easier to do business in Detroit. “This is exactly what first established Detroit as a Destination City, where families from all over the world came to thrive and to stay for generations after,” she said.
A Sheffield administration will “ensure that Detroit will be the leader” in small business development, will attract world-class companies and jobs, and will be a place where legacy Detroiters can be empowered to succeed by:
- Bringing higher livable wage jobs to Detroit and providing workforce development for current residents.
- Reducing the red tape that makes it more difficult to open a business in Detroit.
- Making Detroit the #1 city in the nation to start and grow a small business. “Our ‘Destination Detroit’ plan consists of detailed small business supports, and unveiling the administration’s big business strategy made up of entertainment, healthcare, technology, and defense economy work plans through collaboration & partnership across varying sectors,” she said.
Reliable transportation
The city, she said, must “create a transit system that is more accessible and reliable” — one that gets Detroiters to work, school, and their daily life without delay or disrespect. Sheffield’s administration will “upgrade Detroit’s transportation system” by expanding service hours, prioritizing reliability & frequency, and deeply and seriously pursuing regional transit with partners.
She said she will ensure residents of the Motor City can rely on transportation that efficiently meets their mobility needs with dignity and reliability by:
- Raising driver pay.
- Exploring Bus Rapid Transit and expanding the M1 rail to improve speed and further service.
- Working to implement DDOT Reimagined before 2030, prioritizing 10-minute frequency on key routes.
She said that, in her first 100 days, she will launch a regional transit work group.
“Creating a regional work group with defined deliverables, comprised of mayors, Wayne County leadership, Congressional representation, and local advocates … will allow us to intentionally develop a plan to transform Detroit into the regional hub it should be by exploring how we can develop regional cross-county rail and transit, while also gathering best practices to improve local Detroit.”
Social Services Safety Net
Sheffield thinks that not enough Detroit residents have felt or experienced the city’s progress. Detroit cannot be a world-class city, she said, without fully addressing housing insecurity, ensuring economic mobility for low-income families, or guaranteeing that Detroiter’s basic needs are addressed.
“We have work to do,” she said. “Homelessness still stands as a visible reminder of limited opportunities and failed systems, and families who need assistance find it extremely difficult to find and navigate helpful resources.
“We will ensure that underserved residents will finally be able to experience Detroit’s comeback by building a capacity that prioritizes access to basic needs for Detroit’s underserved residents,” she added. It will be accomplished by:
- Building a system of connected household resources that are easy to find, apply to and qualify for.
- Targeting under-represented, low-income and senior Detroiters with new initiatives to address household needs.
- Creating a dedicated capacity to address homelessness with strong prevention strategies and integrated partnerships to improve services, outreach and outcomes.
Housing and Home Ownership
High-quality, affordable housing “has to be a cornerstone” of Detroit’s resurgence, she said. Developers must feel comfortable and welcome doing business in the city.
“This means that we will have to streamline the red tape of city bureaucracy and seriously pursue property tax reform,” she said. “We will also ensure that developers take part in Detroit’s focus on affordability. Beyond development, renters must be able to rely on landlords who are compliant and supported by the city. Homeownership must be encouraged with real support to foster generational wealth.
She said her administration would address housing affordability, property taxes, and homeownership for Detroiters by creating new, dedicated resources for renters and homeowners. This comprehensive strategy will include increasing housing stability and creating generational wealth for Detroiters by:
- Working to put Detroiters on a pathway to homeownership.
- Working with the State Legislature in Lansing to address structural property tax reform.
- Working to expand grant opportunities for home repair.
“Homeowners must have access to resources to reduce the cost of homeownership, including home repair and property tax relief,” she said on her website.
“Renters must receive education to understand their rights, guidance to find compliant landlords and supports to hold bad landlords accountable. Instead of expecting Detroiters to endlessly search for these resources, we will create a one-stop-shop for policies, programs and advocates to support renters and to make the dream of homeownership an affordable reality.”
Quality Education
Sheffield said over 65% of Detroit students do not have the means to get to school, and to stay in school. Chronic absenteeism is a sign that Detroit households have complex household service needs. This means that resource gaps in housing, food resources, transportation, childcare and employment have led to record-high rates of chronic absenteeism and underperformance.
“I intend to fully leverage the resources of my administration to address these specific needs for children and families,” she said. “I realize that if our youth are not in the classroom in the first place, we are not able to gauge their academic potential. I recognize that DPSCD operations lie with the school system – I intend to create and lead meaningful partnerships and advisory groups between my Administration and the teachers and administrators of DPSCD, to hear their voices and address their long-standing needs, so that they can focus on classroom performance.”
Sheffield said the city would work collaboratively to address the factors that impact student attendance, and then coordinate with all stakeholders to ensure a world-class education for our youth, by:
- Launching a supplemental Detroit Promise program to provide proactive mentorship and wraparound services to potential Detroit Promise participants and families, starting in middle school, to increase program utilization and ultimately reduce absenteeism.
- Creating targeted after-school programs and partnership options within the school district with the highest rates of absenteeism, located within 2 miles of school sites.
- Establishing a commission on education within the Mayor’s Office with DPS, Charter and other crucial entities to better measure outcomes and identify gaps, with the goal of a collaborative strategy to track and address performance and outcomes. We will focus on building and expanding after school programs, literacy programs and tutoring, and importantly, focus on identifying and addressing the household social determinants that impact student outcomes in our schools.
“The mayor has to be more active in helping to raise the quality of education in Detroit,” Sheffield said on her campaign website. “We need to bring together public and charter school leaders and stakeholders to best determine how to measure youth education outcomes.”
Chronic absenteeism is a sign that Detroit households have complex household needs. We will work with students, families, and DPSCD to provide world-class, multi-organizational supports that reduce barriers to well-being and education from pregnancy to graduation and beyond.
Public Safety
For Detroit to become a Destination City again, according to Sheffield, its residents need to feel safe, not just downtown, but in their own neighborhoods.
She said the city would ensure that Detroiters feel safe and feel involved in their own safety by:
- Addressing Root Causes of Crime, expanding access to mental health care & trauma recovery services, and continuing expansion & investment in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Programs.
- Establishing Community Safe Havens in neighborhoods to provide immediate assistance, resources and neighborhood support whenever needed.
- Making investments in Youth Programming using the Occupy the Corner model to provide resources, mentoring, and services to maximize talent and potential, and divert youth from crime.
