Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. sparred in a heated televised debate on Wednesday night, Oct. 15, forcing the two to defend themselves and their records while also trying to convince voters that they have what it takes to become the Motor City’s next mayor.
Detroit’s WXYZ-TV hosted the debate, where Sheffield immediately took the opportunity to point out her 12-year council record of either developing or sponsoring city initiatives directly touching Detroiters’ quality of life issues, and Kinloch to deliver his vision as a potential first-time elected official, but a longtime executive leader.
The hour-long debate — so far, the only televised debate ahead of the Nov. 4 general election — featured several testy exchanges between the two candidates seeking to replace outgoing Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who is running for governor as an independent in 2026. Sheffield opened with a soft shot at her opponent, noting that she already has experience running city government and is “ready to lead on Day 1,” while Kinloch, who has never held public office, pointedly mentioned that his opponent’s experience hasn’t resulted in enough positive results for Detroiters, especially those living far away from the city’s downtown area.
Kinloch’s core argument focused on characterizing Sheffield as ineffective and untrustworthy, claiming her time on the City Council has led to little change for residents. Sheffield countered that her opponent can point out the city’s problems, but has no plan to fix them, arguing that Kinloch has been absent from city affairs until an opportunity was opened by Duggan’s decision not to seek reelection.
Throughout the debate, which was bookended by Sheffield ads placed by her campaign on WXYZ-TV Channel 7, the two candidates traded verbal barbs while also attempting to lay out their vision for Detroit’s future.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the debate:
First day on the job
Kinloch said his first move would be to evaluate current leadership to determine whether they actually can deliver to Detroiters.
Secondly, he said he would “hit up” his statewide colleagues in Lansing, as well as Michigan’s elected officials in Washington and corporate leaders, to ensure everyone is on the same page and “coming together, collectively, to deal with a lot of issues,” he said, pointing out his administration would be about everyone, not just himself.
Sheffield said she would hit the ground running, making sure she has the most efficient leadership team, tasking her administration to find solutions to improving city services and lending residents greater access to city hall.
“We understand that there are a lot of residents who are complaining about basic quality of life issues that we want to figure out how we can better enhance and address,” Sheffield said.
Regional Transit
Prior to the debate, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a $40-million investment in researching a passenger rail service and transit hub adjacent to Michigan Central in Corktown. Both candidates were asked how they plan to improve transit in the city.
Sheffield said she aims to increase the frequency and reliability of public transit, and boost safety of the service, along with paying drivers “wages they deserve.” She said she expects to build regional partnerships and explore options such as micro transit shuttles to supplement Detroit’s bus service.
“My number one focus is reducing wait times,” Sheffield said, adding that a robust transit system would help attract new residents.
Kinloch recalled how using buses to traverse the city when he was growing up in Detroit was his primary option, noting that for some Detroiters, it is their only option. He said students and families depend on public transportation to get to school and work, and agreed with the need to boost wages among drivers and mechanics.
“It’s not an option, it’s an obligation that we provide reliable transportation,” Kinloch said. “These are issues that have been negated and neglected for a long time, and it should not take us running for mayor to bring attention, weight and gravity to this.”
Improving public transportation has become a growing concern in recent budget cycles as advocates demand more investment in a system that largely serves Black and low-income residents. Advocates say the bus system is a critical lifeline for Detroiters who face nationally high auto insurance rates. It’s also become a priority for leaders seeking to attract new, young talent.
A 2023 ridership survey found most riders earn under $32,500 and half don’t have a driver’s license. The most common reason riders hop aboard is to get to work.
The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) expanded service on multiple routes earlier this year and is adding 45 new buses, hiring more than 60 drivers and improving shelters across the city.
DDOT pays drivers between $19.36 and $26.30 per hour, while SMART drivers make $25.80 to $32.34 per hour. This means some drivers leave the system for the suburbs once they are trained.
Bringing the National Guard to Detroit
On whether they would allow President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard troops in Detroit to help fight crime and enforce immigration policies, Sheffield strongly opposed the move, but Kinloch said he would not completely rule it out.
To which Sheffield retorted: “What we must do is become a national model of how to drive crime down in Detroit … it’s about a coordinated strategy that is rooted in partnerships with our law enforcement agencies and our communities.”
Kinloch said he would not deploy National Guard troops in a “martial law fashion, but in collaboration (with local law enforcement) in order to make sure we’re protecting soft spots throughout the city of Detroit.”
He added that Detroiters are looking for “people that go on to fight and stand for them” and questioned what officials have been doing for the last 12 years, sparking Sheffield to hit back.
“He has the ability to convene…pulling stakeholders together. He’s been absent on every single public safety initiative in the city. We do need more than rhetoric and talk, and slow dance,” Sheffield said.
Crime and safety
Both Candidates were asked to address the disconnect many residents say they are experiencing between reported declining crime statistics and their feelings of safety in their neighborhoods.
Kinloch, who pointed out that he has presided over funerals of children slain by gun violence, said Sheffield believes residents want “headlines and headlights instead of headway.” He also suggested there’s “fudging of the numbers” with crime data. He said residents deserve safety and justice.
Sheffield clapped back and said Kinloch has been absent on providing solutions to violence, touting that she has been on the ground advocating for additional funding for Community Violence Intervention programs.
“What we don’t need is someone who consistently calls out the problems; we’ve heard not one solution in his response to how we can address the issue of public safety,” Sheffield said.
Sheffield added that she would lead a holistic approach to public safety that includes investing in prevention programs, youth employment opportunities, launching the city’s first Office of Gun Violence Prevention and expanding community policing and mental health resources.
Earlier this month, city officials touted a decline in violent crime — homicides, non-fatal shootings and carjackings — in the first nine months of this year compared to the same time in 2024, with Mayor Mike Duggan calling the reduction in overall crime showing “a change in a culture of accountability.”
The figures provided were from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30. They show homicides down 15%, from 155 in 2024 to 132 this year; non-fatal shootings down 22% from 469 in 2024 to 366 this year, and carjackings down 29% from 90 in 2024 to 64 this year.
The numbers from the first three quarters of 2025 also are down significantly from the same time period in 2022 — more than 40% in each category — with carjackings down 88%, from 537 in 2013 to 64 this year, according to city officials.
Let’s talk about housing
To increase homeownership opportunities for Detroiters, Kinloch said he would use a combination of low-interest loans and grants, while also redirecting property owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority to residents so they can rebuild neighborhoods.
Kinloch has argued that Detroit is a “tale of two cities” where growth is concentrated downtown. But, Sheffield fired back that Kinloch does not have a sense of what’s happening in the city because he owns a home in Oakland Township.
“While you’ve been building up Southfield, you could have been helping build up Detroit,” Sheffield pointedly stated. “We know pastors all around the city that have contributed to economic development, who built housing, who helped transform their communities. His church is in my district, and our community wants to know where he’s been.”
Triumph Church’s north campus is located in Southfield. The church also purchased the shuttered AMC Star Southfield 20 movie theater property along 12 Mile Road for $6.5 million in September 2022. In May 2024, the church sold it to “Triumph Southfield Property LLC.” According to the state’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs department records, Kinloch established the domestic limited liability company six days prior to the sale.
Kinloch said only 5% of federal pandemic relief spending has gone toward housing and 5% toward neighborhood investments. Sheffield said that’s false, touting investments in commercial corridors along Kercheval, Dexter, East Warren and Livernois.
Kinloch’s campaign referred reporters to a city dashboard that showed categories for how the $827 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding was divided. The total is arranged into 12 categories chosen by Duggan’s administration after a public input process and approved by the City Council in 2021.
The dashboard shows $37 million was spent on programs in the neighborhoods category (4% of the total), plus $27 million on affordable housing (3% of the total) and $109 million million for housing (13% of the total). Detroit has until the end of 2026 to spend all of its ARPA dollars.
Sheffield voted against the 2021 spending plan, saying many of the recommendations from her office and residents were ignored. Sheffield and Duggan have often disagreed on the use of Detroit’s federal pandemic relief, with Sheffield arguing that more funding should have been directed toward housing programs.
Who came out on top? Depends on who you ask
Kinloch quickly declared victory after the debate, saying the forum “gave the citizens of Detroit an opportunity to meet the real Mary Sheffield.”
“I wanted (voters) to know that they have somebody that got in this race that’s willing to fight for them,” Kinloch said. “The fact that I got in this race — a person that’s outside of politics — I hope that if I don’t do nothing else, I’m encouraging other people to get involved. People believe that politics is so corrupt. But at the end of the day, politics is not corrupt, it’s the people we allow to get in politics that makes politics corrupt.”
Sheffield, meanwhile, said the debate provided a “clear contrast” between her leadership and Kinloch’s focus on pointing fingers.
“I believe that Detroiters deserve solutions to the challenges that our city is facing, and that was not given by my opponent tonight,” Sheffield said after the debate. “I’m very proud of the work that we’ve accomplished in Detroit. We can acknowledge the progress, but also acknowledge that there’s more work to do. And that is what I will continue to focus on.”
However, Sheffield said she didn’t expect the debate to be as contentious as it was.
“My main vision and goal tonight was to articulate my vision and my accomplishments to the residents of Detroit,” she Sheffield said. “People saw a clear contrast between someone who has delivered for the city, someone who can provide solutions to our challenges, and someone who also can just provide rhetoric.”
Trying to clear the air after the debate
After the debate, Kinloch elaborated on his claim that crime data is being manipulated. He said there should be additional oversight into how crimes are tracked, but stopped short of saying that the data doesn’t capture all incidents.
“In any organization you have to have a level of objectivity when you’re grading your test. And at the end of the day, (the Detroit Police Department) shouldn’t be the only one that decides how a crime is called and characterized,” Kinloch said. “That should also be in partnership with the community. If we’re going to deal with it, we have to have transparent conversations, and that’s what I’m pushing. 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.”
In that same post-debate press scrum with reporters, Kinloch also clarified his statement on whether the National Guard should be deployed to Detroit. Kinloch said it’s “never acceptable” to have federal troops patrolling the city’s streets, but he’s open to using the guard to control large crowds and gatherings.
“When you start talking 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 in order to assist in that. But not to police and patrol our communities,” Kinloch said.
Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.
Malachi Barrett is a city reporter for BridgeDetroit. Contact: mbarrett@bridgedetroit.com.