DETROIT – The race for Detroit mayor intensified on Wednesday night as candidates Mary Sheffield and Solomon Kinloch Jr. engaged in a debate on key issues, including public safety, economic growth, and city services.
The event on Oct. 15 was the first debate since the mayoral primary in August, where Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield led with more than 50% of the vote.
Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr., running as a political outsider, came in second with just over 17%.
Both candidates are vying to lead a city experiencing a revival, with population and economic growth reaching levels not seen in decades.
The debate covered a wide range of topics, including Detroit’s economy, public safety, infrastructure, and public schools.
Tensions rose as Sheffield criticized Kinloch’s lack of experience in public office, while Kinloch argued that Sheffield and city leaders have not done enough to address crime and poverty.
Public safety was the opening topic, a major concern for many Detroit residents.
Sheffield said, “I will ensure as mayor that we’re investing in prevention, more year-round youth employment for our young people, ensuring that we’re expanding our community violence intervention work, that we are launching the city’s first office of gun violence prevention.”
Kinloch challenged the city’s crime data, saying, “The reality is that anytime you have a department that’s grading their own test, you’re going to have a problem with the fudging of the answers and the fudging of the numbers.”
Kinloch spoke to Local 4 after the debate and said, “I’m not accusing anyone of doing anything erroneous. What I am accusing is that we may need to change our perspective and how we approach crime and how we identify and look at it,” Kinloch later clarified when speaking with reporters.”
While Detroit police report crime remains below 60-year lows set in 2024, Kinloch said the statistics don’t match residents’ sense of safety.
Sheffield said, “I’m not going to go back and forth on crime data. What we know is that we’ve made tremendous progress, one life lost is still far too many, and I’ve laid out my plan to have a strong partnership with the community and law enforcement.”
When asked about accepting National Guard troops to fight crime, as done in other cities under the Trump administration, Sheffield said no, while Kinloch responded, “Not in a martial law fashion.”
Kinloch Jr. said, “When you talk about large venues and large crowds, and large gatherings, particularly some of the violence we’ve seen in recent times, we can always partner with law enforcement agencies, but not to police and control our communities.”
The city’s economy was another major topic.
Detroit has a poverty rate of over 34%, making it the poorest major city in the U.S., with more than half of children living below the poverty line.
Kinloch proposed, “The Kinloch promise will include, first of all, a children’s trust fund that every baby born in the city of Detroit will receive a seed of $1,000, and it will be allocated on a yearly basis up until that child gets the age of 18.”
Sheffield highlighted her efforts, saying, “We’re going to be pushing for more jobs. I created the industry standards board, which brings our workers to the table to negotiate better wages and working conditions. And lastly, we must invest in people.”
The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4. Voters can check their registration status at michigan.gov/vote.
The debate video was courtesy of WXYZ/Scripps.