Detroit mayor-elect Mary Sheffield has chosen her deputy mayor.

Brian White has been her chief of staff during her time as city council president. White says he’ll help Sheffield deliver on her promises to spread Detroit’s growth into the neighborhoods. 

Sheffield has also announced she will keep Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison in his position. In a press statemen the Sheffield transition team credited Bettison with a record drop in violent crime across the city. Sheffield said the chief has the “respect of his peers…the loyalty of the rank and file… and the hearts and trust of the people.” 

Additional headlines from Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Federal childcare assistance

New federal bills would replicate a Michigan program to help with childcare in every state.

The “tri-share” childcare program splits the cost of childcare between income-eligible families, employers and the state. Republican Representatives Hillary Scholten and John James co-sponsored the bill.

If passed, the legislation would give states enough funding to run the programs for three years. 

Whitmer aims to improve reading scores

Governor Gretchen Whitmer says improving Michigan’s student reading skills will be her number one priority next year.

She told the Michigan Literacy Summit in Detroit that last year’s reading test scores show the need for urgent action. “Today, we’re 44th in the country in fourth grade reading. Just four in 10 third graders in Michigan read at grade level, and almost one in three Michigan students tests below average, and that’s what would call a crisis and the vast majority of the people of our state would agree.”

Whitmer says school districts need to focus on a small number of proven strategies to build reading skills, such as phonics.

She says she will share more details about her plans during her final State of the State address early next year. Kids Count ranked Michigan among the ten worst states in 4th and 8th grade reading scores. 

Detroit attorney joins the race for District 13 Representative

Detroit attorney Maurice Morton has announced he is running for Michigan’s 13^th Congressional District seat. Morton will challenge Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar as an independent. 

Financial aid information

The state’s last virtual FAFSA webinar of 2025 is this week.

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education Advancement and Potential’s Student Aid and Access Outreach team offers online information sessions for students and families preparing to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. 

The FAFSA is used by colleges and funding organizations to determine financial aid for students. The MiLEAP webinars also offer information on federal financial aid programs, state financial aid programs and resources for finding scholarships. The last FAFSA webinar of the year is Thursday, Dec.18 at 6:30 p.m. 

To register or to find a recording of a previous webinar, go here.

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Black leaders in Detroit want a change in the city’s Congressional representation.

The U.S. House seat is currently held by businessman Shri Thanedar. State Representative Donavan McKinney is challenging him in the 2026 Democratic primary in the 13th District.

After Thanedar’s election in 2022, Detroit—the country’s largest majority-Black city —was left without representation by an African American.

Following redistricting, Congresswoman and native Detroiter Rashida Tlaib was elected to the 12th District.

The multi-millionaire Thanedar was able to win the Democratic primary in 2022 against eight opponents.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans says narrowing the field will make things more difficult for Thanedar this time around.

“I’ve been advocating for at least four years for a change—an African American—to lead the 13th congressional district,” Evans said. “You have to connect with the communities that you serve. And the big problem we have now is that connection is not there.”

Thanedar refutes that he isn’t involved in his district and often highlights how much money came to the city during the Biden Administration.

Making what she calls a rare endorsement, former Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence is also advocating for voters to rally around McKinney.

“Why would I endorse against a sitting member of Congress? It breaks my heart that we, the people, have not seen our voices in the House,” Lawrence said. “We have not had someone who understands [us].”

“Of all the things that have been happening, have you heard from the person who’s sitting in that seat now? No. Do you have any confidence that when we’re fighting and we’re trying to push through this madness, that you have a fighter on your hands? Donavan is my fighter,” Lawrence said.

Affordability and accessibility

McKinney was elected to the state house as a progressive in 2022. In running for Congress, he has secured the endorsement of Tlaib and the rest of the Justice Democrats as well as Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Lowering costs for working class people is the basis for his platform. That includes lowering car insurance and child care. McKinney is a father of three kids all under the age of four – including a newborn. He says he has a salary that’s twice the median for his district, and yet the costs are too high.

“We can only afford – off my state house salary – to put our oldest child into childcare,” McKinney said. “Childcare costs for us cost more than our mortgage. It is unbelievable.”

“If I’m struggling living paycheck to paycheck, just imagine what other folks across the district have to go through, day in and day out.”

In his own endorsement speech, Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist laid out why he thinks McKinney is the right person for the moment.

“[This moment] demands the leadership that harkens back to the progressive vision for Congress that has always emanated from the city of Detroit—when we first had a Black caucus,” Gilchrist said. “The vision for that came from a Black congressman from Detroit. There is something missing in Congress, not having black leadership from Detroit.”

“But the thing about a hole is we can fill it.”