She won an outright majority of the vote in Tuesday’s crowded primary. In November, she’ll face the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr., the second-place finisher. He should not prove much of an obstacle, however, given that Sheffield finished more than 30 percentage points ahead of him.
"We still have far to go to build a Detroit that is more equitable, more just and truly safe for all,” Sheffield said during her victory speech. “But I say to you tonight, we can rise higher. And as your next mayor, we will rise."
Sheffield will succeed three-term Mayor Mike Duggan, who guided Detroit out of the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy, revitalized much of the downtown and increased the city’s population for the first time in decades.
Like other candidates this year, Sheffield offered credit to Duggan for the city’s turnaround, but insisted that there is still much work to be done in raising living standards and city services across the vast city, much of which remains mired in poverty.
“Everyone is not benefiting and feeling the prosperity of Detroit,” says Sheffield, who is 38. “So I think the next mayor has to ensure that the growth not only continues but that it reaches more people, that it goes to more neighborhoods and that is felt more equally throughout the city of Detroit.”
Governing spoke with Sheffield at her campaign office earlier this year. What follows are edited excerpts from that interview:
Governing: In the time Duggan has been in office, the city has come a tremendous way. What stands out to you as markers of how far the city has come?
Sheffield: I remember coming into office in 2013 when streetlights were not working, grass was not being cut, trash wasn't being picked up. Response time from EMS, police and fire was extremely low, and so basic quality-of-life services that residents expect weren't being met.
When Duggan came in, he was data driven. He wanted these metrics reached and, with the support of council, we were able to do that. We had 47,000 vacant structures when I took office, and now we have 3,000 remaining. The amount of investment that we've seen and the economic activity overall has changed drastically in the city of Detroit, and that has allowed us to have this resurgence that I think we're all proud of.
Detroit hit bottom and went bankrupt. What allowed you and others to see the potential that was here?
Detroit is known for resiliency. We are a city that will never stop, right? We believe in who we are in our city. The bankruptcy was a huge part of our resurgence, given the fact that it allowed us to shed billions in debt to really rebuild and grow our infrastructure. So I think that was the pivotal moment that allowed us to begin to rebuild slowly and invest back into basic city services in Detroit.
It's a combination of the resiliency of Detroiters who never left, even when it got bad, and then also the support of public-private partnerships, our corporate entities, those who believe in Detroit. We're not going to let this city end and die.
Visiting the city, I appreciate that you didn’t sell the Van Goghs.
Like I said, the basics weren't happening. Nobody would pick up the phone when you were carjacked or whatever. Now, the lights are on, and it seems like that's raised expectations. People are not putting up with hopelessness.
There’s a level of service that any Detroiter deserves, and now it's about how we maintain that. The next mayor who comes in has to be someone who understands that that basic quality of life should be met and what it takes to maintain and keep that momentum.
What remains undone?
We all understand that Detroit has definitely revitalized and grown, but it hasn't reached everywhere. It hasn't. Everyone is not benefiting and feeling the prosperity of Detroit.
Poverty is a huge issue. We have far too many people in Detroit, including children, that are living in poverty. And again, with the amount of investment in the growth that we're seeing in downtown, how come that is not spreading to middle-income families and those who are below poverty? We have to be intentional in our focus in addressing the issues of homelessness, housing, poverty and education here in the city of Detroit.
It always seems to be more difficult to revive neighborhoods than downtown.
It's a huge city, and it's going to take time to address all the development of all neighborhoods. But again, there has to be an equal focus. We have spent a lot of investment and attention in downtown Detroit — and I do think we have to build our downtown in order to have a world-class city — but we have to be intentional about that focus going into our neighborhoods, and more neighborhood initiatives have to be at the forefront.
You wouldn’t be running if you weren’t optimistic about the city but are you confident that the foundation is there and the upward trajectory is going to continue?
Oh, yes, I do. I believe that wholeheartedly. And I also believe in every meeting that I have with corporate leaders in Detroit, those who have invested in the city, that this is a collaborative effort. We all love this city, and so many people are invested in the growth of Detroit, that we're all going to ensure that we continue to move forward as a city.
