In this episode

• Why is State Rep. Karen Whitsett not seeking a new term?
• How has the Regional Transit Authority improved public transportation?

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State Representative Karen Whitsett, is making waves this week for not running for a fifth term in office. What influenced her decision? This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow discuss her reasons for leaving as well as her career in office. 

Although Whitsett was a Democrat, there was friction between her and her own party. Gorchow pointed out multiple policy disagreements she had with her party but there was one thing that seemingly irked people the most.  “Whether in the most liberal corners of Detroit and Ann Arbor to the conservative bastions of Hillsdale…is that elected officials who don’t show up for work can hit the road.” 

This is in reference to Whitsett not showing up to multiple legislative sessions in the span of a year.  

Later in this episode Ben Stupka, executive director of the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan, stopped by to talk about road funding. Stupka says the RTA is responsible for things like making transportation in Detroit more efficient and unifying the fare policy between SMART and DDOT. When it comes to ridership he says things are improving. “We are 80% back to pre-covid levels. We are seeing an increase each year. Transit is a public service, if that means putting routes out there that aren’t heavily used but are available for the people who have funded them locally….that’s what we have to do.” 

Michigan’s 2026 budget includes an increase in road funding.   

• More from WDET:

  MichMash: Democrat Karen Whitsett facing backlash over abortion stance

  Detroit Evening Report: Gas prices spike after Iran war starts

  Detroit Transportation Corporation looks into how to get the People Mover on track