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How to watch Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's final State of the City address

How to watch Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's final State of the City address

CBS News25-03-2025
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will deliver his final State of the City address Tuesday evening.
Duggan will give his thoughts on Detroit's future from inside Bedrock's new mixed-use development on the site of the former Hudson's department store.
"For 40 years since Hudson's closed, this block has been a huge dead spot in the heart of downtown and a reminder of all that had left the city. Next week, most Detroiters will be able to get their first look inside and when it opens later this year, they will be able to once again feel a sense of wonder and pride being on the Hudson's block," said Duggan in a statement.
CBS News Detroit is simulcasting live coverage of the address beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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In November 2024, Duggan announced he
would not seek a fourth term in office
. In December, Duggan followed up on that announcement by
kicking off his campaign for Michigan governor
, electing to run as an independent in the 2026 race.
Duggan is Detroit's 75th mayor. He is serving his third four-year term and is the second-longest-serving mayor behind Coleman Young, who was elected to five terms and 20 years. His current term ends in January 2026.
Duggan first took office in January 2014, and
the city emerged from its historic bankruptcy
in December of that year.
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Here are the candidates running in Detroit City Council's at-large race
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Here are the candidates running in Detroit City Council's at-large race

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Janee' Ayers Former Council Member Janee' Ayers has spent the last few years "doing the work without the title," she said. She has taught, consulted and worked for the city's parks and recreation department — back where she started 26 years ago. "I am running again because the work that we started is not finished," Ayers, 43, said. Ayers lost her council seat in 2021 amid a federal public corruption investigation into several officials, related to the towing industry. That case closed in January. "Was it fair? No. Was it judged in the court of public opinion? Absolutely. But am I upset about it? Absolutely not," she said. "Because they had a job to do and they did their job; and through their job and the due process, everything that I've said from the beginning — I haven't done anything — has been proven to be true." The experience has taught her what it means to have the true spirit of Detroit, she said. "I know what it means to be counted out. 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He said he'd work with Community Violence Intervention groups to prevent crime. He said he'd also like to hire more firefighters to go out and educate the public on hands-only CPR, for instance. Detroiters, both new and longtime residents, and regardless of their income, want to be safe, he said. "When you go to work in the morning, when you leave out of your house, you want to be safe. You want to make sure your streetlights are on if you got to go to work in the dark so you can see where you're going. You want to make sure when you dial 911, not only is the fire department coming, the EMS is coming, but the police are coming," he said. Harris, who has been with the Detroit Fire Department for nearly 28 years, said he lives in District 1, north of Rosedale Park. Shakira Lynn Hawkins Attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins said she has more than 20 years of legal experience — much of it in the public sector — and describes herself as a public servant who lives and works in the community. "I'm a progressive. There are things that I have seen that need change," Hawkins, who didn't share her exact age, said. "I did not see anyone necessarily stepping up and addressing the causes that matter to me." The top three issues Detroiters are confronting? Affordable and emergency housing, public safety and youth education and economic empowerment, according to Hawkins. More: Detroit mayoral candidate, who assaulted his wife in 1993, says he learned from mistake More: SMART bus leader resigns, deputy elevated "For a while now, residents have been displaced. And there has been a prioritization of development downtown and that has been at the expense of our neighborhoods, our families, our schools and our libraries. And I will be the voice that our residents need," she said. In 2020, Hawkins ran for a 3rd Circuit Court judgeship on a platform of fighting for criminal justice reform. Though she did not win that election, she said that experience helped her realize that her true passion was in policy. "We all know that there is a pipeline to prison, and I wanted to try to keep as many people out of that pipeline as possible. But once you're in the criminal justice system, you're there," she said. "If I can do something to effect policy and make better outcomes for people, then they never enter that system to begin with." In 2024, she unsuccessfully ran for a seat in Congress, representing Michigan 13th Congressional District, which is comprised of a sizable chunk of Detroit, as well as portions of western Wayne County and Downriver. Hawkins decided to run for a local race so people could get to know her and her passion, she said. She acknowledged how expensive it is to run a campaign and how difficult it is to unseat incumbents, but said she wants to "stay a part of the conversation, even if I don't have a high chance of winning." Hawkins, a former city attorney who currently is in private practice, lives in Midtown Detroit. Gary Hunter Gary Hunter said he's a longtime preacher, community activist, photographer and CEO President at Detroit Times Media Group / The Shot News. 'I have a deep passion to address the needs of our community," Hunter, 65, said. People shouldn't have to fight for resources in the city of Detroit, he said, adding that longtime Detroiters cannot get services, such as roofing assistance and weatherization, compared with newcomers. Other challenges he cited include what he described as a lack of transparency for Detroiters to know what's going on, and extra drainage and sewage fees on water bills. Hunter also said he'd like to see more minority contractors. 'I want Detroiters to feel welcome in Detroit, and right now people in Detroit don't feel welcome in Detroit," Hunter, who lives on the east side of the city, said. Hunter, in a video from the civic engagement hub CitizenDetroit, said his goal is for seniors to have a safer place to live, for children to have a better place to learn and for communities to have a cleaner area to dwell. "It is not this downtown versus out-town, not the in-town versus the out-town, but one Detroit for one people, with one purpose — that's to live in harmony, to live in peace and to live with quality, safety, education," he said in the video published by CitizenDetroit on June 21. Valerie Parker Valerie Parker never thought she'd run for City Council, but decided to do so now because "our kids are in trouble." "I need the power for the whole city of Detroit, so I'm able to go into these schools and be the eyes and ears and make sure they're not giving our kids cold food; make sure that the kids' bathrooms got doors on; make sure they're doing right by our kids," Parker, 65, said. She said she wants the city council to hold what she termed unregulated charter schools, accountable. City government has a limited role in education and charter schools typically have their own boards. Parker describes herself as an urban educator who has been fighting for youths since 2005. "I'm able to stick my hand up in there and pull something out for these kids, and that's what I'm going to do. … I'm gonna do my four years, and then I'm going somewhere and (retiring)," said Parker, a substitute teacher for metro Detroit charter schools. There aren't many places for kids to just have fun, she said. Parker said she also supports Community Violence Intervention groups. "We don't trust the police like other people trust the police because of the stories our parents told us, and so I don't argue with the kids, it's their reality. I think the community (has) to come and heal and get to trust the police again, because they don't trust them," she said. Parker resides in the Castle Rouge neighborhood. "We got to make Detroit great again," she said. "Mike Duggan … did an excellent job of laying the foundation. And so, as he runs (as an) independent for governor, he's leaving a track record and I hope that we can just build on it." Mary Waters Mary Waters, an incumbent, said there's still a tremendous need for housing, employment and public safety improvements. "Housing is a top challenge and I know that firsthand. I'm talking about true affordable housing. … We have people that make less than $30,000 a year," Waters, 69, said. She supports income-based housing, she said, and cited the Fast Track PILOT ordinance, offering property tax cuts to developers based on rent prices, as a way to bolster development in neighborhoods. Waters said she's a seasoned leader and touted her track record as a council member, including a one-stop shop and a call center for housing needs and a $203 million housing plan. 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In a written response, Waters said the plea occurred 15 years ago and said the IRS "eventually said I owed no taxes on the watch." "All this is mind-boggling given that the people of Detroit elected me to Detroit City Council," she said in a text message to the Free Press. She cited her "perfect attendance" in the state House, including her role as floor leader, and her journey from Alabama to being a University of Michigan graduate and surviving breast cancer. Coleman Young II Coleman Young II said he wants to implement a guaranteed income pilot program, providing $500 to 125 people, based on their income, for up to 24 months. That idea — and the funding for it — still is in the works, the incumbent council member said. He also listed off a number of other issues he'd like to tackle. "I want to create more jobs. I want to lower taxes. I want to make sure that buses show up on time. I want to invest in public safety. And I want to make sure that we have a better, more responsive city for the citizens of Detroit because they deserve it," Young, 42, said. The top challenges confronting Detroiters are housing, public transit, public safety and jobs, Young said. He wants more mixed-use and multifamily housing, as opposed to single-family housing. What would that look like? Condos, apartment buildings, tiny homes and 3D-printed houses, Young said. "We also need to expand our community policing program," he said. He wants to revive police mini-stations, an initiative his father, the late Mayor Coleman Young, started. The idea is to place officers in certain neighborhoods and inside senior buildings. It's a pitch he made in his 2017 bid for Detroit mayor, which he lost. Young previously served in the state Senate and House as a Democrat. He lives in the Islandview neighborhood. Learn about other candidates running for Detroit City Council at BridgeDetroit: ; , and . Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@ Follow her on X: @NushratR. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Candidates for Detroit City Council's 2025 at-large seats Solve the daily Crossword

Detroit Trail Mix: Sheffield leads on mayoral fundraising
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Axios

time2 days ago

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Detroit Trail Mix: Sheffield leads on mayoral fundraising

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Downtown Detroit Is Back
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