Highland Park voters have a choice in the 2026 election: Keep the mayor they have or elect a new one.

Incumbent Glenda McDonald won the August primary election and is seeking another four-year term. Her opponent is community activist and Avalon Village developer Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris.

McDonald says she’s running because she and her team have more work to do.

“There are some things we need to complete, which includes our water infrastructure,” she says.

The State of Michigan gave the city $100 million to replace lead service lines and repair leaks in its aging pipes. Those leaks have been a major reason why Highland Park’s water bills were so high for many years. It’s also why the city once owed millions of dollars to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA).

McDonald says securing that money has been her biggest accomplishment so far.

“Children do not have to worry anymore about lead in their water because all of those (lead lines) are being replaced,” she says.

WDET’s Pat Batcheller spoke with the mayor about that and other reasons why she’s running.

To hear the conversation, click the audio player at the top of the post.

Early in the interview, McDonald discussed an on-going dispute with the Great Lakes Water Authority. She said that Highland Park has been overcharged by GLWA by around $1.5 million in Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) cost.

GLWA sent this in response: 

GLWA continues to follow the agreements entered into by the parties in 2024, including Highland Park’s wastewater disposal services contract, which establishes requirements for CSO cost allocation and wastewater treatment services.

The current CSO cost allocation methodology originated in a 1999 rate settlement agreement and has been carried forward through subsequent federal orders and agreements, including contracts with GLWA’s member partner communities.

In response to Highland Park’s concerns, GLWA formed a CSO Cost Pool Task Force, comprised of member partner communities, including Highland Park, to conduct a technical review of the allocation methodology. The Task Force met regularly between March and July 2026 but was unable to reach agreement on a revised methodology.

GLWA disagrees that an adjustment to Highland Park’s charges is appropriate under the existing agreements. While GLWA remains committed to working collaboratively with its member partner communities, including Highland Park, to address concerns related to charges and billing, the parties have agreed to resolve their outstanding disputes through arbitration. GLWA looks forward to a timely and final resolution through that process.

Updated at 3:55 p.m. to include statement by GLWA

The Coleman A Young Foundation’s years long efforts to get a statue of the former Detroit mayor in the U.S. Capitol is coming to fruition.

Funders such as the DTE Foundation, Bedrock, The Ilitch family and business people John A. James and Suzanne Shank have donated to the cause.

The statue will be in the Capitol building’s National Statutory Hall Collection, replacing a marble sculpture of Lewis Cass, a former governor of Michigan who supported slavery.

Young was Detroit’s longest serving and first Black mayor. The Charles H. Wright Museum will host an event Tuesday, Oct. 20 to celebrate the announcement.  

Additional Headlines for Oct. 16, 2026

Detroit School board candidates and voter awareness

Citizen Detroit is asking its audience to help spread the word about the 25 candidates running for Detroit School Board this election by watching and sharing the candidate interviews on their website.

Candidate interviews have been available for several weeks on Citizen Detroit’s site.

The candidates answered questions about their priorities for students, what they hope to accomplish on the board and what they wish they had experienced as students themselves.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.  

Extreme weather has taken a toll on sewer systems

Heavy rains have overwhelmed Metro Detroit sewer systems in recent years flooding rivers, streams, and basements. Local leaders and water experts met in Southfield today to talk about better ways to manage stormwater.

Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash says regional cooperation is critical. 

“Stormwater does not follow political borders. It follows river systems. 

It follows drainage districts. So, where the water flows really matters. All the communities in Oakland County and regionally are working together on a whole broad array of work.” 

Nash says green infrastructure absorbs rainwater and keeps it out of sewers. Oakland County recently planted 30,000 square feet of trees and shrubs in two Pontiac parks that were prone to flooding. 

Davis Aerospace Technical High School returns to Coleman A. Young International Airport

The Davis Aerospace Technical High School is returning to Coleman A. Young International Airport after 13 years at a different location.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District has converted the airport’s former main terminal building into a school for aviation training for Detroit. This marks one of several investments into the city airport over the last year, including the addition of companies MyFlight Tours and AvFlight.  

Detroit Evening Report will be back in the new year

The Detroit Evening Report is taking a hiatus until Jan. 2027! We’re planning to come back bigger and better in the new year. Stay tuned.  

The growth of artificial intelligence has fueled the need to build large data centers that use millions of gallons of water every day to cool high-tech equipment. Officials and water experts will discuss AI and more at a regional stormwater summit in Southfield on Oct. 16, 2026.

Jim Nash is Oakland County’s water resources commissioner. He’s concerned about what happens when those facilities discharge the water they use.

“There’s potential contamination of heavy metals,” Nash says. “So, we have to make sure that anything coming out of these facilities is not going to be polluting.”

Nash also says data centers could threaten underground aquifers in areas where people have water pumps instead of municipal water.

AI has an upside

But he says AI can be a helpful tool in managing stormwater. Oakland County uses it to inspect the insides of pipes.

“We used to do it with people looking at videos,” Nash says. “We’ve used AI and we can train it so (AI) can see things that people can’t see as fast.”

As for fears that enemies of the United States could use AI to attack municipal water systems, Nash says he is prepared.

“Oakland County has a very effective IT security team, and we do a lot to make sure our systems are secure,” he says. “We’ve never had a significant breach.”

Nature can mitigate flooding

AI is not the only challenge to managing stormwater. Heavy rainstorms in recent years have caused flooding and overwhelmed Metro Detroit’s sewer and drainage systems. 

Nash says green infrastructure can help absorb that water and keep it out of sewers. Oakland County just finished a new stormwater project in Pontiac. He says some parks in the city would become muddy and useless after heavy rain.

“We’ve changed this using native plants, using all the features of green infrastructure to collect that water,” he says. “It’s a very aesthetically pleasing way of doing it.”

Oakland County also pays residents up to $2,000 to put green infrastructure such as trees, gardens, and rain barrels to absorb stormwater.

Nash says the annual stormwater summit promotes regional cooperation. 

“Storm water does not follow political borders,” he says. “Where the water flows really matters and all the communities in Oakland County and regionally are working together.”

The summit takes place at Lawrence Technological University. Admission is $35.