Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett. 

It’s feeling like Christmas in July for me. Detroit candidates were required to publicly disclose their fundraising activity at the end of last week, providing a valuable window into where money is flowing and who’s writing the checks. 

Campaign finance disclosures are a useful tool for reporters seeking to draw connections between influential donors and their favored candidates. The latest reports show fundraising activity from Jan. 1 through July 20, so I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release.

Building maps and spreadsheets with the data is honestly one of the more enjoyable aspects of my job. How else would we find out that Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson has an interest in the Detroit mayor’s race? (He donated $5,000 to Council President Mary Sheffield.)

Jackson might be able to use the Force, but he can’t vote in the Detroit mayoral race. Here are a few more useful takeaways: 

Most of the money is coming from outside Detroit 

Detroit’s nine mayoral candidates have raised $3 million combined. The vast majority of that sum (72%) has come from people who don’t claim Detroit addresses.

My calculations show roughly $832,000 came from Detroit residents. That’s less than half of the $2.1 million in donations from people living outside the city.

A lot of this money is coming from suburban communities in Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties, but some of it is coming from places like Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles. I laid out all the donations on a map, so you can easily see for yourself where the money is coming from.

Only 28% of the money given to candidates so far has come from Detroiters.

Attorney Todd Perkins’ campaign tried to argue non-residents are shaping the outcome and the best-funded candidates will owe them, but he also raised more from non-residents. The trend held for everyone except Jonathan Barlow, who raised $2,485 total, and Haashiim, who is largely self-funding his campaign. 

Wealthier suburbanites can’t vote but can exert political influence through their wallets. It’s not a new phenomenon — 80% of funding in the 2013 mayoral primary came from people who live outside the city.

It inspires a few questions: Does a reliance on outside donors shift policy focus away from Detroit’s neighborhoods? What favors do donors expect to receive in exchange for their support? Is the lack of funding from residents all about income, or does it reflect a lack of faith in candidates? 

Sheffield is dominating the money race 

Sheffield has been a presumed front-runner since her entrance into the race. The new disclosures show her fundraising operation is way ahead of her opponents. Roughly $2 out of every $5 raised has gone into her campaign’s pocket. 

Sheffield raised $797,677 this year, adding to a pile of money she started raising last year when she was one of the first candidates to enter the mayoral race. Throughout the campaign, she raised $256,698 from donors who claim Detroit addresses and $811,691 from people who live outside the city.

Mayoral rivals Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. and former council president and nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins raised $410,923 and $405,96, respectively. 

Sheffield had $451,478 left to spend at the end of July, giving her a major edge if she advances from the primary. She would immediately have resources to keep her campaign moving forward.

For comparison, Kinloch had $55,977 and Jenkins had $49,949 in remaining cash at the end of July. 

Sheffield has raked in $173,838 from business and union groups alone. Larger donors include political committees representing Dan Gilbert’s companies, Deldin Law firm, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and the SEIU.

Deep-pocketed donors have outsized influence, but the money comes from one person with one vote, assuming they live in the city. I also like to track which campaigns are drawing a large number of smaller donations as a way to gauge their support among average people. 

Small-dollar donors give modest amounts to political campaigns; in this case we’re looking at people who gave $100 or less. A high number of small-dollar donations could suggest a broader base of support or indicate voter enthusiasm. 

Sheffield raised $48,071 from people who gave $100 or less, while Kinloch raised $29,329 and Jenkins raised $25,526.

Double donors hedge their bets 

I spent a good portion of Tuesday’s council session building a spreadsheet that shows donors who gave to multiple candidates. While reporting this year, I’ve heard reference to donors “hedging their bets” by spreading money around, so they have some goodwill with whoever becomes mayor. 

Donors may give to multiple candidates to maintain good relationships regardless of who wins, but it also could reflect donors’ uncertainty about the outcome. 

I found nearly 500 double donations worth a combined $434,880. People who gave to multiple candidates averaged nearly $1,000 per donation. 

The money was largely split between Sheffield, Jenkins and City Council Member Fred Durhal III. Here are a few notable examples:

• Detroit Pistons Vice President Arn Tellem gave $8,300 to Sheffield and $8,000 to Durhal. His wife Nancy also gave Sheffield $8,300. 
• Avinash Rachmale, CEO of Lakeshore Global Corporation, gave $7,000 to Sheffield, $4,000 to Jenkins and $500 to Durhal.
• Matthew Cullen, chair of JACK Entertainment, former president of Rock Ventures and outgoing chair of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, gave $5,000 to Sheffield, $4,000 to Jenkins and $2,500 to Durhal.
• Sachse Construction CEO Todd Sachse gave $3,000 to Durhal, $2,000 to Sheffield and $500 to Jenkins.
• Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, gave Sheffield, Durhal and Jenkins each $1,000.
• Phil Pierce of the consulting firm Pierce, Monroe & Associates gave Sheffield $3,300, Jenkins $2,500, Perkins $2,000 and Durhal $1,000.
• Detroit real estate developer Richard Hosey gave $3,000 to Durhal, $2,400 to Jenkins and $1,500 to Sheffield.
• Anthony Michaels, president of The Parade Company, gave $300 each to Durhal, Jenkins and Sheffield. 

The latest data only tells part of the story 

It doesn’t capture so-called “dark money” non-profit organizations that take advantage of legal loopholes to support candidates without explicitly telling residents to vote for them. They can’t coordinate with campaigns, either. 

These nonprofits are not required to disclose their donors. They can also accept unlimited donations that are either used for campaign ads — several candidates already have roadside billboards and television ads paid for by dark money groups. 

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WHAT PAGE ARE WE ON 

Today’s notebook covers the July 29 formal session. Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway was absent. The council is going on recess in August and will return the first week of September. 

Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details. 

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Our election tracker provides regular updates on campaign happenings. Keep checking this page for news.

Looking for more coverage of 2025 elections? All of our interviews with mayoral candidates are online. 

Stay on top of upcoming election forums and debates with this Google calendar. Don’t see an event listed? Email me here to get it added. 

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CURFEW VIOLATION DECRIMINALIZED, FEES RAISED

The council voted 7-1 to update a parental responsibility ordinance in hopes of improving observance of a curfew for minors across the city. It was a response to the recent shooting deaths of young children. 

Parents can be fined if they are found responsible for their child performing a “delinquent act,” which isn’t limited to curfew violations. Parents could be fined $250 for their first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses. 

Council members removed incarceration as a penalty in exchange for raising the fines. Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero was the lone no vote, arguing that no data was provided to show that raising fines will improve parental responsibility. 

Police Chief Todd Bettison said there have been 86 tickets issued to parents and 234 curfew violation notices issued since July 4. He asked the council to adopt the changes “not to criminalize or create a hardship” for parents, but to encourage them to take a court-issued intervention course.

Bettison said 36th District Chief Judge William McConico volunteered to take on all parental responsibility cases. Parents who can’t afford the fines can instead take courses designed to give them resources and skills in conflict resolution, social skills development, substance abuse recovery and anger management, among other things. 

Bettison emphasized that the new ordinance decriminalizes violations and said the fee hasn’t been increased in nearly 40 years. 

Chief Police Chaplain Demetrius Davenport said the fine increase is an opportunity for parents to get help, “not a money grab.” A financial impact report found the new fines would generate “modest revenue increases” for the city. 

But some residents were skeptical. Board of Police Commissioners Member Linda Bernard said the fines are “highly punitive” given the city’s poverty rate. Two write-in candidates for the Board of Police Commissioners, Bobbi Johnson and Lucious Conway, said there’s little proof that it will work. 

“Fining children and their parents for being outside in a city that has failed to invest in them is not safety, it’s injustice,” she said. “It’s also unrealistic, especially for single parents, working families and those struggling to make ends meet.” 

Council Member Mary Waters said the city “cannot legislate morality” and worried about the impact of harsher fines on low-income households. She voted in favor of the changes after expressing discomfort, arguing that there needs to be a public education campaign so residents know the rules. 

“My fear is we are acting based on emotion because we want to stop what is happening with crime in this city,” Waters said. 

Community activist Teferi Brent and Board of Police Commissioners Chair Darryl Woods said action is needed to protect children. Woods told anecdotes of visiting families of slain kids with Bettison, while Brent said those families support the changes. Brent claimed 27 children have been shot and killed in the last 30 days. 

Council members are exploring ways to give Detroit youth opportunities for productive activities. Nine recreation centers are open on Saturdays and the city is working with community violence intervention groups to bring programs and mentorship to recreation centers. 

Crystal Perkins, director of the General Services Department, said the city plans to create e-sports expos across the city and could create a gaming league with competitions. Perkins said other cities that have reduced youth violence took a “multi-faceted approach.”

“It wasn’t just programming, it was treating the violence among our youth as a public health issue,” Perkins said. “They’re addressing trauma. they’re addressing poverty.” 

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HOTEL BLIGHTS RAVENDALE COMMUNITY 

Several residents in Detroit’s eastside Ravendale neighborhood asked the City Council to shut down an allegedly problematic hotel in the area.

Toni McIlwain, president of Ravendale Community Inc., claimed the Travel Inn on Harper is attracting drugs, prostitution and violence to their neighborhood. Residents have protested since March to shut down the hotel, but undercover police operations and city inspectors haven’t found justification to do so. 

Bettison said he’s personally walked the halls of the hotel and plans to continue monitoring activity at the site “until we get this done.” Cpt. Stacy Greer-Travis said the organized crime unit conducted 11 operations since last June but hasn’t found evidence of prostitution at the hotel. 

As of last December, there were 488 emergency calls connected to the site, including 13 death investigations and 21 violent crimes. The hotel has a current certificate of compliance and is licensed. 

David Bell, director of the Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department, said a $500 blight ticket was issued. A resident in the audience audibly scoffed, saying it’s a small sum of money that won’t change anything.

Gwendolyn Adolph, a resident of the Ravendale neighborhood for 46 years, said prostitution in the area is impossible to ignore. 

“It’s crude for me to say this, but the reality is what it is: Nobody wants to pick up condoms and bras in their front yard,” Adolph said. “You can’t walk to the corner without (someone) soliciting you. We have cars pulling up and dropping off individuals in front of our home. There’s more to District 4 than East English Village and the Chandler Park community, and we need your help.”

Council Member Latisha Johnson said she visited the hotel in November and has been working with BSEED and DPD to address residents’ concerns. 

Council President Pro Tem James Tate also asked police to investigate sex workers frequenting Eliza Howell Park.