Detroit mayoral candidates debated housing, public safety, education and more during a forum Thursday, May 29, at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference.

Five candidates participated in the debate, hosted by The Detroit Regional Chamber, including Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit Councilman Fred Durhal III, Detroit pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr., and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig. Detroit News Editorial Page Editor Nolan Finley and BridgeDetroit founder and journalist Stephen Henderson will serve as moderators.

Countless media organizations and journalists attend the Mackinac Policy Conference to gain a better understanding of what business, nonprofit and political leaders are doing to try to improve the state.

Annalise Frank, a reporter covering Detroit for Axios, is among them. She joined The Metro to talk about the Detroit mayoral debate planned for Thursday night and what else she is covering at this year’s conference.

There will be five candidates participating in tomorrow’s debate, including Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, Former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit Councilman Fred Durhal III, Detroit pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr., and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig.

She says she is hoping to get a sense of what business and philanthropic and political leaders want to see from Detroit’s next leader.

“Mayor Mike Duggan is not running for reelection, so it’s kind of a new time for Detroit next year,” she said. “So what are the policy priorities; how do we grow population in Detroit; how do we improve neighborhood corridors — there’s just so much to talk about and limited funding to do it.”

WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

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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.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

More stories from The Metro