Mary Sheffield Elected Detroit’s First Female Mayor After Win Over Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.

Mary Sheffield has been elected mayor of Detroit, becoming the first woman to lead the city after defeating the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. in Tuesday’s election, according to calls by the Associated Press and CNN. According to USA Today, Sheffield celebrated at the MGM Grand Detroit with family, friends and supporters while Kinloch’s campaign gathered at the Garden Theatre.

A 12-year veteran of the city council, Sheffield was the first candidate to organise a campaign committee for the mayoralty two years ahead of the vote as Mayor Mike Duggan chose to run for governor as an independent rather than seek a fourth term. She won the August primary with 51% of the vote in a nine-way field; Kinloch received 17%.

Sheffield raised about $2.8 million during the cycle, drawing donations from political action committees, business leaders and other local figures. Kinloch’s campaign reported roughly $790,000 in contributions, largely from small individual donors plus some executives and members of his estimated 40,000-member Triumph Church. After the primary, Duggan endorsed Sheffield, USA Today reported.

The contest remained relatively low-key until mid-October, when the candidates clashed in their first televised debate on WXYZ-TV. In the final week before the election the rhetoric intensified: from the pulpit Kinloch warned voters that Sheffield would represent “another stain on a city that 'just came from that dark cloud and history of corruption,'” and added, “if y'all let that woman become the next mayor, she goin' in under federal investigation.” Sheffield described Kinloch’s remarks as “desperate.”

Sheffield’s office confirmed she had a relationship in 2019 with Brian McKinney, CEO of Gayanga Co., a contractor that received $4.4 million in demolition contracts the council approved that year. USA Today reported the city’s ethics department issued a redacted opinion in April 2019 saying disclosure was not required because the ethics ordinance covers only financial, familial, spousal or domestic partnerships. McKinney’s company has been suspended from Detroit’s demolition programme amid allegations it filled sites with contaminated dirt from the Northland Mall redevelopment.

Kinloch faced scrutiny as well: reports emerged ahead of the August primary that he pleaded guilty to assault in 1993 after an incident involving his then-wife. He has acknowledged the episode, saying he has grown from it and uses the experience in his ministry to counsel others.

Both campaigns relied on neighbourhood canvassing, church outreach, visits to senior homes, billboards and advertising to reach voters.

According to USA Today, Sheffield will take office as nearly $1 billion in pandemic relief funds are due to expire and President Donald Trump has signalled potential cuts to social service programmes Detroit depends on. “This machinery is about to get broken by the federal government,” Rip Rapson, CEO of the Kresge Foundation, warned in press coverage on the fiscal pressures facing the city.

Sheffield has said she intends to assemble an efficient leadership team and hire a Chief Growth Officer to diversify city revenue. Her agenda includes cutting property taxes for residents, building 44,000 affordable housing units, improving city services and expanding access to City Hall.

Both candidates pledged to address poverty and crime. Kinloch proposed building 10,000 affordable housing units and increasing community-led policing, at times calling for a larger federal role. Sheffield has emphasised continued funding for Community Violence Intervention programmes, creating an Office of Gun Violence Prevention and expanding community policing and mental-health resources.

(With inputs from USA Today)