Council Member Fred Durhal III filed paperwork to become a candidate for Detroit mayor in 2025.
Durhal, a former state lawmaker, is serving his first term on the City Council representing District 7 on Detroit’s west side. He is a chair of the council’s budget committee and has been an advocate of using taxpayer subsidies to incentivize development.
“Whether I served in Lansing as a state representative or on the Detroit City Council, I have always delivered for Detroit,” Durhal said in a statement. “I’m excited every day when we can bring people, businesses and community organizations together to build opportunities for all families, especially those who work hard and still struggle to get by.”
A candidate committee called “Fred Durhal for Every Detroiter” was formed Monday with his wife listed as the treasurer. It allows Durhal to begin fundraising but doesn’t guarantee he will make the ballot. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
Durhal won a tight race in 2021, defeating Regina Ross by 59 votes. He was previously elected to two terms in the state House of Representatives, then ran unsuccessfully for state Senate against Marshall Bullock in 2018.
Similar exploratory committees were formed by City Council President Mary Sheffield, former council president Saunteel Jenkins and businessman Joel Haashiim.
While serving on the council, Durhal has been an advocate for residents who live with a disability. He secured boosted funding for the Office of Disability Affairs, wheelchair accessibility upgrades at bus stops and ambassadors to help disabled residents navigate events. Durhal has also been working on reforms to animal control ordinances to protect residents from dangerous dogs.
Durhal included a list of policy accomplishments in a statement announcing his candidacy. It included his advocacy for securing incentives for rehabilitating the former American Motors Corp. site, directing Strategic Neighborhood Fund investments to build park and streetscape improvements along Dexter Avenue and bringing two recreation centers in his district.
Durhal recently advocated for a new ordinance that would create a faster process for providing tax breaks for affordable housing projects.
“Being mayor of the City of Detroit would give me the opportunity to expand our vision for Detroit’s resurgence,” Durhal said. “What I want for my wife and two children, I want for every Detroiter. Detroit is only better when every Detroiter has the opportunity to do better. I look forward to working with the community to craft that vision of progress going forward and to continue building our city together.”