City Council President Mary Sheffield is throwing her name into next year’s Detroit mayoral race. She formally announced her candidacy Tuesday night with a roughly hour-and-a-half long event at a union hall in Corktown.

Beyond continuing Detroit’s business growth, Sheffield says improving neighborhoods would be one of her focuses if elected mayor. She feels qualified to tackle issues that matter to communities, after spending the last decade representing the 5th District on city council.

“The affordable housing that I’ve done, the Responsible Contracting (Ordinance), the Neighborhood Improvement Fund are all initiatives that I was passionate about and I was able to approve,” Sheffield said.

While Sheffield is proud of her time as council president, she says she wants to create her own legacy separate from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. He recently announced he’ll step aside after his current term ends to run for governor of Michigan.

Sheffield, who has been a member of city council since 2014, says she knows her legacy in politics is linked with the current mayor. While she’s proud of what they’ve accomplished working together, Sheffield noted that they do share differences.

“We’ve not always agreed on everything,” she said. “I think that is what you’ll begin to see as I move forward, some of the things that I’m more passionate about that he may not have been.”

Sheffield says property tax reform and affordable housing are two of the key issues she’d tackle if Detroit voters elect her next year.

Other headlines for Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024:

• Detroit’s three casinos are reporting substantially improved profits for the month of November compared to the same month in 2023.
• The Detroit Lions’ 34-31 comeback victory over Green Bay last Thursday night averaged 17.29 million viewers, making it the most-streamed NFL regular-season game in history.
• Famed African American poet Nikki Giovanni has died. Giovanni became a leader of the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and ’70s, advocating for civil rights and self-determination. Her work challenged social, political and cultural boundaries.
• Detroiters should prepare for the return of winter weather this week. Light snow showers will start this evening, and the city could see up to an inch of accumulation by Thursday morning.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Michigan aims to set up a public network of 100,000 electric vehicle charges by 2030 to support an anticipated two million EVs on local roads. Millions of dollars’ worth of investments have entered the state in recent years to support that vision.

A report put together by some of Michigan’s trade organizations offers guidance on making it a reality. The so-called “Transportation Electrification Roadmap” includes policy and spending recommendations.

Listen: Policy experts discuss Michigan’s EV roadmap

Chase Attanasio, a policy analyst at Clean Fuels Michigan, says one suggestion is to establish a clean fuel market in the state.

“We’ve seen in California, a clean fuel standard has created a market for clean fuels that surpasses $2.8 billion in the first three years of the program,” Attanasio said.

Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council Policy Principle Sophia Schuster says building out an electric vehicles network represents a chance to improve state power infrastructure as a whole.

“We have the chance to look at electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure that support them as a solution to supporting a healthier grid,” she said.

Schuster added that Michigan’s power grid currently ranks among the worst in the country when it comes to reliability.

Nearly three years after a teenager killed four of his classmates in a shooting at Oxford High School, victims’ families are still looking for answers.

They want a review of how school officials acted leading up to the shooting, calling on Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, to do so this week.

Steve St. Juliana’s daughter, Hana, was among those killed in the Oxford High School attack. He says further action is needed to prevent future school shootings.

“This is about getting the truth out there,” says St. Juliana, “to create the counter measures to save our kids. This is not about identifying people to prosecute.”

The families are frustrated that a state review of procedures around the 2021 shooting has not taken place. They say they’ve had a hard time getting answers from the Oakland County prosecutor and state attorney general — accusing Nessel of retracting an offer to investigate over lack of probable cause.

Speaking to the media, Nessel countered that her offer to review has always been on the table.

“Now these offers were made to the school board and to the criminal investigation and prosecutions being handled by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and prosecutor. Our involvement on both fronts was soundly rejected,” she said.

While Nessel says she remains willing to help, she isn’t sure why Oakland County officials are now pointing the case at her.

“My authorities are not expansive beyond those that are already held by the county prosecutor and sheriff, who currently have the investigation, and have investigated this matter thoroughly for years and years now,” she said.

Nessel says her office can’t investigate without a referral from local authorities. She says she’s confused by Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard appearing in support of the Oxford family’s call to action, arguing that she’d need information from him to move forward.

In a statement, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she’s unaware of any action needed by her office to involve the attorney general.

Oxford families say they’re tired of the finger pointing.

Democrat Haley Stevens will continue representing Michigan’s 11th Congressional District in Congress for the next two years. The incumbent candidate decisively beat Republican Nick Somberg at the polls this week.

Stevens acknowledges that strong Election Day results for Republicans could make things more difficult for Democrats in Washington. She says Tuesday’s outcome represents a tipping point in U.S. politics.

Listen: Haley Stevens talks Democrat outlook in Washington

“We’re heading into the year 2025,” says Stevens. “It’s a new marker in time, and we have to continue to ensure and embrace American leadership.”

Stevens warns against Capitol Hill losing sight of America’s interests abroad, saying Russia and China are waiting to capitalize on U.S. weakness. She adds that passing legislation to bolster American manufacturing will be one of her top priorities.

“We want to make sure that we have secure supply chains, I want to deliver on that,” Stevens said. “I’m also going to continue working on our education system, standing up for those who are seeking higher education.”

Despite strong election day results for the Republican Party, Stevens says she’s optimistic Democrats can accomplish some of their legislative goals in Congress.

Speaking with WDET on election night, Stevens’ opponent Nick Somberg acknowledged the loss. He says he’ll return to his day job as an attorney — where he is currently defending Meshawn Maddock in the Republican fake electors case — and hopes to run for office again in the future.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump visited the Detroit Economic Club (DEC) on Thursday. The crowd of mostly business leaders provided a more formal setting than the former president’s usual campaign rallies.

Trump told the crowd that, if elected, he wants to make interest rates on car loans fully deductible to promote buying. Currently, that benefit only exists for certain businesses and individuals who are self-employed.

The former president also vowed to lower the corporate tax rate by 6% if he returns to office.

“Cutting it from 21% all the way down to 15%,” says Trump, “but only for those who make their product in the USA.”

During his roughly two hours on stage, Trump talked a lot about wanting to introduce new tariffs for manufacturing abroad. However, he did not offer much detail on what those numbers could look like.

Detroit remark

Trump sprinkled in a number of jabs at his political opponents throughout his speech. At one point, he took aim at the city of Detroit while criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris.

“You want to know the truth?” Trump said. “It will be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president. You’re going to have a mess on your hands.”

That comment sparked backlash from a number of Michiganders, including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. He responded to Trump in a social media post, saying: “Crime is down and our population is growing. Lots of cities should be like Detroit. And we did it all without Trump’s help.”

While outside perceptions of Detroit are often fueled by memories of automotive bailouts and a 2013 bankruptcy filing, the city’s recovery over the last decade is a point of pride for many locals. Last year, violent crime fell to its lowest level since 1966 and the population rose for the first time since 1957.

In a statement to WDET, Trump’s campaign commented its stance that poverty and violent crime rates are too high in the city — adding that the auto industry isn’t what it once was.

“As President Trump emphasized in his speech, his policies will usher in a new era of economic success and stability for Detroit, helping the city reach its fullest potential,” said Victoria LaCivita, Trump’s Michigan communications director.

“This guy is calling us ugly and then asking us out on a date.”

-Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel

With the Presidential Election less than a month away, Democrats from around the state have jumped on the opportunity to defend Detroit.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the city, “the epitome of ‘grit,’ defined by winners willing to get their hands dirty to build up their city and create their communities,” via social media.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Dana Nessel questioned the wording of Trump’s remark, posting: “This guy is calling us ugly and then asking us out on a date.”

Auto industry

Republican vice presidential pick JD Vance was recently non-committal on whether the Republican ticket would honor the $500 million in government money earmarked to help General Motors’ Lansing plant transition to electric vehicle production.

That came after Trump made remarks about revoking some of the money promised to businesses under the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act during past campaign stops. However, Trump did not mention this topic at the DEC and it remains unclear where Trump and Vance stand on GM’s Lansing factory.

Donald Trump did frequently tell the audience he wants to repeal a so-called nationwide “EV mandate.” While the Biden Administration has legislated future guidelines on tailpipe emissions, there are no federal-level laws to outright ban the sale of gas vehicles.

Read more:

• Metro Detroiters lay out the issues and candidates shaping their vote
• Vance, Republicans stress voting during Eastern Market stop in Detroit
• Harris rallies supporters in Redford Township, Flint