Mary Sheffield - Candidate for Mayor

1) Federal policies often shift in ways that impact cities’ ability to provide essential services and maintain stability, especially in today’s political climate. What are the key federal programs you believe most directly affect Detroiters, and how would you advocate to preserve or replace these supports?

Response: The federal funding source whose impending absence is the most pressing here in Detroit and in cities across the county is ARPA, followed closely by HUD resources (CDBG, HOME, CDBG-DR etc). With ARPA, we are faced with a funding cliff that jeopardizes everything from blight remediation, job training and small business supports to home repair, homeless services and resource navigation. With HUD, we are faced with uncertainty in a space that impacts every Detroiter: Housing. In practice, my Administration will be prepared on day one to use data and community feedback to identify the most impactful of the ARPA and HUD initiatives. We will then lean on laser-focused, collaborative partnerships such as public-private financing models for development, targeted philanthropic support matched with internal resources and state grants to further sustain marquee initiatives. Affordable housing and home repair represent a nexus of many different aspects of quality of life for Detroiters, and therefore should be a focus of preservation and expansion. We will prioritize improving Detroit Lank Bank processes so that Detroiters can buy and repair homes. It is also central to economic mobility, as our homeowners’ property value stands to significantly rise with new roofs and other crucial improvements. And it is at the center of my Restoring Neighborhoods platform to grow Detroit, reduce housing insecurity and drive business and growth to Detroit's legacy residential and commercial corridors.

2) With the challenges posed by economic uncertainty, rising inflation, and evolving federal policies, what will be your approach to collaborating with local, regional, and national leaders to protect Detroit’s progress? What specific area—such as housing, education, or economic development—will you prioritize?

Response: Economic empowerment is a pillar of my campaign, and will be a focus of my administration moving forward. And the only way to combat uncertainty while still progressing so that all Detroiters experience the City’s comeback, is together. Locally, I recently announced a Faith-Based Development Initiative which under my administration will empower legacy neighborhood institutions to facilitate housing and commercial development opportunities with resources and stakeholder pairing provided by my Administration. I also stood alongside Mayor Duggan to announce a new concierge service to spark small business growth City-wide by cutting red tape and expediting City licensing processes, which I intend to expand. Regionally, I will work diligently at the State level to address property taxes, lowering costs in order to unlock the potential of homeowners to become business owners, and for our existing businesses to grow. Nationally, I will advocate for Detroit to be prioritized for significant federal support, improving transit through USDOT to support our transit system, stabilizing our residents and contributing to economic mobility. My goal is to build and lead a set of coalitions featuring community members, stakeholders, and fellow Mayors. We will use a collective voice to advocate for resources that economically empower Detroit, enhance the region, and further elevate our City on a national level.

3) A review of the City of Detroit’s Economic Outlook 2024-2029, dated February 2025, states that:

“Detroit’s economic recovery has encountered significant headwinds over the last eight months, but we expect it to regain its footing this year as the macroeconomic environment becomes more favorable. We note, however, that there is substantial uncertainty surrounding our forecast, particularly regarding policy changes with the new presidential administration, as well as with the pace of inflation and the Federal Reserve’s response.”

The report further states that the gains made in the number of jobs in the city and the number of Detroiters employed have declined since mid-2024. With this sobering background information and the instability caused by the tariff policies and the anticipated gutting of federal programs, what will your strategy be to:

A. Monitor the general fund for impacts, identify the trigger for a reduction in revenue that would necessitate scaling back services or triggering layoffs, and/or slow down the pace of service delivery?

B. Engage other levels of government to arrive at a plan of action?

Response: The first 100 days of my administration includes several measures to address this. One is a capacity-building directive to establish additional layers of fiscal and legal oversight within the Mayor’s Office. I will require a regular internal budget audit that supplements the Council-facilitated Standing Committee on Budget, Finance and Audit. Due to possible risk factors including the resuming of pension contributions, the ARPA cliff, and federal instability, I will also ensure that the Office of the Auditor General is appropriately funded and expanded if needed. Where a program may need to be curtailed due to a federal clawback, I plan to work with close partners such as DESC to route displaced City staff to alternative employment opportunities, broadly alert the public of the adjustment and rationale, and provide alternative resources to fill the gap left by the program. In the case of unforeseeable emergencies such as a natural disaster or mass displacement, a rainy day fund exists to buffer shortfalls and ensure that residents are made whole. Presiding over 12 balanced budgets, 11 with a surplus, I know for certain that our current system, with the additional support that I plan to integrate, will be nimble and responsive in uncertain times. Finally, I will recruit experienced, high-level executive administrators to frame proactive contingencies alongside our county and state partners, so that we can collectively react to and adjust operations should a disruption occur.