The next mayor of Detroit is not just tasked with managing the city, they also manage relationships with business and policy leaders from across the state.

Detroit’s mayor regularly attends the Mackinac Policy Conference to help build those relationships. But this election season, the candidates vying for that seat are here making their case for why they should be elected the next leader of Michigan’s largest city.

Saunteel Jenkins is one of those candidates. The former Detroit City Council president most recently served as the CEO of The Heat and Warmth Fund – otherwise known as THAW. She joined The Metro to talk about how her past experience has prepared her for the role, and what her priorities would be as the city’s next mayor. 

“I had to build coalitions with legislators in Lansing and in D.C., and work on both sides of the aisle to bring resources home for our families,” she said. “There are a lot of things that I did as the CEO over the last decade that correlates with the job of the mayor.”

WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said that the Detroit-Windsor area is the “busiest active border crossing in North America,” and that about $200 billion of trade flows between the two countries annually. 

A border that is active has plenty of infrastructure that needs to be maintained. Regine Beauboeuf, CEO of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel for American Roads, oversees the bridges, tunnels and toll roads that exist between the two countries. 

She joined The Metro live from Mackinac Island on Wednesday to discuss what her job entails and to provide more insight on the consequences of the trade war between the U.S. and Canada. 

American Roads is a U.S.-based owner and operator of transportation infrastructure, including toll assets, and currently operates three toll bridges — including the international tunnel connecting Detroit with Windsor.

She spoke about the region’s unique cross-border economy and why she doesn’t expect to see a major impact at the border from Trump’s recent tariffs.

“Together Detroit and Windsor, really that’s its own ecosystem,” she said. “We’ve been working together; it’s not just trade, it’s also people [who] will come to work, like the health care workers who are coming here; you have people with families or in-laws in other countries…so there is a very strong history between Windsor and Detroit and I don’t think you’ll see that being affected.”

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The Mexican Patriotic Committee of Metro Detroit hosted its 60th annual Cinco de Mayo Parade on Sunday.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mexico was the underdog in that fight. France would eventually win the war and establish a period of control over Mexico. The battle remains a symbol of the resistance and resilience of the Mexican people against colonial powers. 

But celebrations this year have been impacted by fears of immigration raids. Events in Chicago and Philadelphia were cancelled. Residents in Detroit raised similar concerns, but it didn’t stop the celebration. 

Maria Elana Rodriguez is the former president of the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation. She joined The Metro on Monday to talk about the history of Cinco de Mayo and how people are celebrating. 

We also revisited a conversation with Frank Solis, a local historian who’s preserving Tejano music in Detroit. His father, Martin Solis, helped make Tejano music popular in Detroit with his band Los Primos.  As a self-taught musician, Solis started playing the Bajo Sexto, a Mexican 12-string instrument from the guitar family, and developed his own unique musical style.

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Good teachers can be hard to find and even harder to keep, especially in districts with limited funding and high needs. 

But a recent report from Detroit PEER researchers at Wayne State University’s College of Education found that Detroit Public Schools Community District has a teacher retention rate above the national average. 

To learn more about the report’s findings, Metro Producer Cary Junior II spoke to its lead author, Bianca Burch.

Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, also joined The Metro to discuss changes the district is making to retain teachers. She also spoke about the unique and untold challenges teachers currently face.

View the full report at detroitpeer.org.

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More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 28, 2025:

• Political analysts say Canada’s federal election is the most important in decades
• New MOCAD exhibit to highlight contributions of Black tech innovators
• Detroit Councilwoman Santiago-Romero is suing to get back on August primary ballot

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There are more women attending college in the U.S. than men, enrollment data shows. 

And more women have college degrees today than men of the same age. Research shows the more education a person gets, the lower their chances are of living in poverty.

Today on The Metro, we’re having a conversation on why boys are struggling with two people who are working to help Black boys find success right here in Detroit — Black Male Educators Alliance Founder Curtis Lewis and Bottom Line Executive Director Danielle North.

We’re looking at this approach through the Black lens because while all boys are struggling, Black boys are falling behind the most. 

We also asked listeners:

“Why do you think boys aren’t going to college at the same rate?”

Adelia in Detroit said: “There are a couple of discussions about this matter centered around Black boys and men, and their traumas inflicted upon them through centuries and years. And even as recent as days and months, centered around white domination and supremacy…and so that’s the root that has to be kind of rooted out and try to capture it and heal our young men, and our grown young men and our grown older men of color in America.” 

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Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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