Annalise Frank
Jan 28, 2025
If elected mayor, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield says she wants to lower residents' property taxes while advocating for a new entertainment tax.
If elected mayor, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield says she wants to lower residents' property taxes while advocating for a new entertainment tax.
Driving the news: This is the first in our series of interviews exploring mayoral candidates' policy priorities.
It's still early in the race to replace three-term mayor Mike Duggan. The nonpartisan race has its primary in August and general election in November.
Flashback: Sheffield, who grew up on the west side, is the daughter of pastor and activist the Rev. Horace Sheffield III and granddaughter of civil rights leader Horace Sheffield Jr.
In 2013, at age 26, she was the youngest ever elected as a Detroit City Council member and became the youngest council president in 2022.
Here's what Sheffield had to say about key policy goals around neighborhood development, public safety and financial success in her conversation with Axios Detroit.
The council president wants to build on her work in local legislating, focusing on access and opportunity for all Detroiters.
First, neighborhood revitalization and empowerment — investing in areas outside downtown for safety, vibrancy, walkability and fuller retail corridors. This is essential for population growth, she says.
Next, building the middle class, affordable housing and generating wealth. In addition to convening stakeholders to create "multiple tools" to address high property taxes, Sheffield says she's looking at using more city resources to help returning citizens, as well as requiring training and hiring of Detroiters for city contracts.
"It's one thing to tout jobs and say Detroiters are employed, but we want quality employment that allows for people to sustain their families."
To partly offset reducing property taxes, she aims to increase hotel taxes and create an entertainment tax on ticketed downtown events.
Sheffield also pointed out that designated "affordable" housing is often still too expensive, and that the city needs to incentivize developers who build lower-income-targeted units.
In the realm of public safety, "I'm very big on community violence intervention programs, and possibly creating an office of gun violence prevention in Detroit. Creating more ways to address the underlying social issues that breed crime in our community."
As Detroit's federal COVID-19 rescue funds run out — they must be spent by the end of 2026 — City Council and the mayor will be looking at which programs to continue and how to prioritize the budget.
Sheffield is optimistic about securing other funding, be it state, federal or philanthropic.
Referring to the Trump administration, she said, "I remain optimistic, and I am willing and ready to work with whomever is in office to benefit Detroiters. There has to be some common ground here that will benefit Detroit."
A huge theme of the mayor's race is going to be big business and community — balancing the varied interests and needs of those affecting and affected by Detroit's still-evolving landscape post-bankruptcy.
Sheffield said: "It's about communication. It's about understanding that business needs community and community needs business. And when there is transparency, when there is mutual respect, honesty in these discussions, to me they always turned out to be way more productive. So having someone who's leading the city who has a healthy and equal balance in perspective for both business and community is important ... I think we all want the continued growth of Detroit ... We do not have to operate in silos."
The bottom line: Asked about a quality she brings to the table that makes her unique from the other candidates, Sheffield said:
"I think I bring an equal balance of a mutual respect from community, and being able to bridge that divide that I do believe exists between business and community. I think I am uniquely positioned to be able to do that. Being able to be a bridge builder, someone who can bring the two together, is extremely important as we move Detroit forward."