Detroit voters elect Mary Sheffield as first woman to serve as mayor
Democrat Mary Sheffield, Detroit’s youngest City Council president ever, was elected as mayor Tuesday, making her the first woman to hold the role in the city’s 210-year history.
Twelve years after becoming the city’s youngest City Council member ever at age 26, she will join the wave of young Democrats leading major cities.
“Tonight, our city adds another chapter to its great history. … Seventy-five mayors have led this city. Not one has been a woman. But tonight, Detroit, as we know that changes. And you changed it, Detroit,” Sheffield said in her victory speech.
“I don’t take for granted that I stand on the shoulders of so many warrior women who have prayed, who have sacrificed, just for us to be here in this moment,” she continued. “A torch carried from one generation to the next. And so I say to every little girl watching tonight, and to every child in this city: Never doubt yourself. You are gifted. You are powerful.”
Sheffield was born into a family of political prominence. Her father, Horace Sheffield III, previously served as co-chair of the Michigan Democratic Party’s Community Democratic Caucus and launched a 2014 congressional bid for the House.
Her grandfather, Horace Sheffield Jr., is well renowned for creating the United Auto Workers Inter-Racial Committee alongside other civil rights advancements with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph. She invoked his name in her victory speech.
“Let’s not forget who we are. We are a city of innovators, of champions, of changemakers. We put the world on wheels. We created the Motown sound. We built the nation’s first public highway,” she told supporters.
“We powered the arsenal of democracy. And from these Detroit streets came freedom. From the Underground Railroad to the fight for civil rights. This is the home of the labor movement. The birthplace of America’s middle class. And nearly 60 years ago, my grandfather, Horace Sheffield Jr., stood on the front lines during the walk to freedom, demanding jobs, dignity, and justice for every Detroiter.”
She continued, “And now, almost six decades later, his granddaughter stands right here. Ready, equipped and prepared to continue that fight for all Detroiters.”
Sheffield will lead a city with rates of murder, violence and property crime that rank top 10 in the nation. She said Tuesday she hopes to change the culture through investing in neighborhoods and communities.
“Together, we will invest in every corner of our city. Rebuilding our neighborhoods, investing in our commercial corridors. Every family will feel supported. Every child will have a path to reach their full potential. And every resident will have access to transit that they can count on,” she said.
“We’ll work tirelessly to ensure the safety of our communities. Block by block. Focusing in on prevention first. Strengthening community and police relations. And treating gun violence like the public health crisis that it is.”