What Detroit mayoral candidates say on housing, safety, taxes and neighborhoods

Barlow, 41, positions himself as an advocate, innovator, and connector who’s focused on bringing new ideas and energy to city government.

Barlow has differentiated himself from opponents with a brash and boastful style. He’s been quick to condemn the efforts of city leaders and his rivals in mayoral forums, offering himself as a candidate who will make residents into “winners.”

Barlow has touted his 11-page policy plan as the best strategy any candidate has put forward. Some key pieces include tax incentives for businesses that hire residents and move in the city, a $500 million public-private business growth fund, training programs for advanced manufacturing and technology jobs, rent stabilization programs, homeless resources and the establishment of community land trusts.

Embracing technology is a central theme in Barlow’s policy agenda. He proposes creating a citizen dashboard to track and address housing needs, and he wants to bring 500 homeless families off the streets in his first 100 days as mayor. Barlow has also promoted using a “neighborhood equity index” to coordinate investments. 

Tech entrepreneurs don’t see Detroit as a place for investment, Barlow said, but he argues he could entice venture capitalists to the city. 

His vision for neighborhood investment includes creating “community innovation hubs” in each council district to serve as centers for youth employment, business development and community programs. 

He wants to create 100 new “family spaces,” which he defines broadly as community-centered places like skateparks and repurposed church rooms where residents can gather safely. Barlow said neighborhood design contributes to public safety. 

Barlow emphasizes a “boots on the ground” approach to safety, calling for more community engagement and involvement from organizations, churches and local leaders. He supports community violence intervention programs and mental health resources. Barlow said the city’s police force should reflect the city’s demographics and wants more accountability for officers. 

Barlow wants to improve the cleanliness and reliability of public transportation. He said the city’s transit centers are not welcoming for visitors and enhanced security measures could help improve the atmosphere. Barlow acknowledged people use the transit centers as shelters from the heat and cold, but they should have other places to go. 

Barlow’s campaign records place his home in the Oakwood Heights neighborhood in District 6. 

Craig, 69, is the city’s longest-serving police chief and only Republican candidate. He’s running as a crisis-tested leader who would streamline government bureaucracy and partner with the White House to bring resources to Detroit. 

Craig has emphasized his record at the Detroit Police Department from 2013 to 2021, saying he improved response times and homicide clearance rates, reduced carjacking incidents and opened new police stations. He said Project Green Light, which places cameras at gas stations and other storefronts, has been a proven success. Craig said he would “double down” on neighborhood safety and prioritize community policing as mayor.

CompStat is a data-driven crime management system first launched in New York City in the 1990s and also used by Craig’s police department. He wants to use CityStat, a similar data platform modeled after the policing tool, to manage city operations and track performance indicators. 

Education is a key issue for Craig. He said low literacy rates among adults and children in school inspired him to run for mayor. Craig said the city can’t move forward without fixing the public school system. 

Craig plans to use the mayor’s “bully pulpit” to put pressure on the Detroit Public Schools Board of Education to make changes. He’s harshly criticized Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s performance. 

Craig has also called for a review of the city’s spending and revenue. He seeks to increase transparency for city budgets and contracting. 

The disappearance of Detroit’s middle class is another theme of Craig’s candidacy. He wants to attract new businesses, streamline licensing processes to support entrepreneurs, boost workforce development programs and focus on long-term job growth. 

Residents should be prioritized over other parties as the Detroit Land Bank Authority sells properties, Craig said.

Craig ran for governor in 2022 but failed to make the Republican primary ballot after presenting falsified petition signatures. He then ran for U.S. Senate in 2024 but dropped out before the primary. 

Craig said he’d ally with President Donald Trump to move the city forward. 

The former police chief lives along the Detroit River near the Marina District in District 4. 

Durhal, 41, is the only candidate with experience in the state Legislature, which he says gives him a unique understanding of how to deliver results for Detroit. 

Durhal is finishing his first term on the City Council representing District 7 on Detroit’s west side. He succeeded his father to serve two terms in the state House of Representatives, at one point working as secretary of the Detroit Caucus and minority vice chair of the influential House Appropriations Committee. Durhal often paints himself as more pragmatic than his opponents. 

A 12-page policy platform focuses on seven issues: economic and business reform, tax relief, improving public safety and quality of life, strengthening neighborhoods and education. 

On the council, Durhal leads the budget and planning committees. He wants to make Detroit a better place for families, and highlights his record of revitalizing parks and recreation centers. 

One of his accomplishments on the council was a “fast track” ordinance that streamlined the process for developers to secure tax breaks for affordable housing. He wants to expand this program to support single-family homes and allow smaller and minority developers to access incentives for building in neighborhoods.

Durhal is a pro-development candidate who is “unapologetic” about using tax breaks to coax business to Detroit. Tax breaks and corridor improvement authorities should be used as a tool to incentivize development inside and beyond downtown, Durhal argues. 

Durhal would expand the Downtown Development Authority’s footprint to include Corktown, Midtown and along Gratiot Avenue near Eastern Market, opening up more areas where the authority could capture and reinvest tax dollars. Durhal said improving commercial corridors along major streets will help justify more investment in public transit along those routes.

Residents deserve a “main street in every district,” he said, with walkable commercial corridors featuring locally owned businesses in close proximity to neighborhoods. Durhal wants to streamline development processes to increase housing options and cut regulations that hobble new businesses.

Durhal wants to extend tax breaks secured by developers that would have otherwise struggled to finance their projects. Durhal says the end of those tax breaks could cause landlords to hike the cost of rent or spike a wave of foreclosures. 

Meanwhile, Durhal proposes an aggressive “blight accountability” tax focused on land speculators who sit on underutilized property. He also wants stiffer penalties for slumlords and more city inspectors for rental properties.

Durhal would charge 25 times the regular tax rate on neglected properties. The revenue would cover a property tax cut for homeowners. Durhal seeks to slash the city’s operating millage by 19.5 mills, saving homeowners $400 to $600 annually. 

Durhal was an early supporter of the city’s community violence intervention program and advocated for state lawmakers to provide permanent funding. He would launch an Office of Violence Prevention and supports increasing pay for police officers, more patrols in high-crime areas, and continued investment in police surveillance tools Project Green Light and ShotSpotter.

Regional transit partnerships should be working toward a rail network, Durhal said. He committed to doubling the city’s transportation budget, and raising wages for drivers and mechanics. 

Durhal lives in the Garden View neighborhood, nearly dead center in District 7.

Haashiim, 75, is deeply critical of powerful business interests and argues that voters should pick a self-funded candidate who isn’t owned by corporations. 

Haashiim opened his first business, a party store on Seven Mile Road and Hartwell Street, at 20 years old. The venture led to a career in the wholesale industry. He’s retired now, but that hasn’t quelled his frustrations with “predatory” government and business decisions that hurt residents. 

Haashiim said a 20-year-old today has no shot to open a business like he did. That’s partly why Haashiim wants to create a municipal bank. He said a city-owned lending institution could help residents secure funding for businesses, housing and other ventures. 

While he’s skeptical of tax breaks, Haashiim supports community benefits agreements that are legally enforceable. He pledged to ensure corporations and developers deliver on promises to the community in exchange for tax breaks or public support.

Haashiim wants to give residents more say in land use planning by restoring Citizens’ District Councils. They were established to address inequities stemming from “urban renewal” projects that displaced Black neighborhoods. City agencies couldn’t approve development without consulting with councils that represented residents from the surrounding area.

Former Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr repealed a city law authorizing CDCs, so Community Advisory Councils were created in Detroit’s 2012 Charter revision as a replacement. Haashiim said residents need more power to decide what projects come into their communities. 

Haashiim’s public safety strategy is more focused on creating job training and youth opportunities, rather than risk overpolicing by increasing enforcement. He said poverty is a driver of crime, so residents need economic, education and social support. However, Haashiim also wants to hire more police officers to patrol parks and neighborhood spaces. 

Haashiim wants to create 10,000 homes by building new units with energy-efficient materials and rehabilitating vacant properties. He proposed creating a city-owned manufacturing company to hire residents. 

He also supports stricter enforcement of rental regulations and hiring more inspectors to ensure housing is in good condition. Haashiim said residents are being exposed to environmental hazards in derelict rental housing. 

Haashiim believes he can diversify the city’s economy by attracting international companies beyond the auto industry. He also wants to reclaim city assets lost during bankruptcy.

Haashiim lives in the Garden Homes neighborhood of District 2. 

Jenkins, 54, seeks a return to government office after serving as City Council president during the city’s financial restructuring, a job she left to lead nonprofit utility assistance efforts at The Heat and Warmth Fund. 

Jenkins highlights her experience as a social worker, breast cancer survivor council member and nonprofit CEO, arguing she has broad expertise in the public and private sector. Jenkins wants to launch an intensive bottom-up master planning effort in each council district. She wants residents to inform zoning changes and placement of grocery stores, laundromats, commercial corridors, affordable housing, transit and parks.

“Saunteel’s Six” policy priorities include stronger neighborhoods, public safety, job opportunity, small business support, reliable public transit and strong schools. 

A personal experience with gun violence motivates Jenkins’ public safety agenda. Her brother Jovan was fatally shot at age 14 in a dispute over his jacket. She plans to establish a permanent cold-case unit in partnership with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office to improve the homicide closure rate. 

Jenkins would also launch illegal gun and drug task forces, targeting high-level traffickers. She also said prevention should be part of any crime reduction strategy and wants to expand mental health resources. 

She supports expanding community violence intervention strategies and would hire more neighborhood police officers. A Jenkins administration would not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest or deport residents, she said. 

Jenkins has said the most dangerous time for children is between 3 and 6 p.m. She wants to create after school youth services modeled after Beacon Youth Programs in New York. Jenkins is a fan of the cradle-to-career strategy being practiced at the Marygrove campus. 

Teachers would be offered discounts on land bank homes under a Jenkins administration. 

Detroit’s improved credit rating could be leveraged to accelerate affordable housing, Jenkins said. She would issue bonds to reduce the cost of building new units, modeled after efforts in Chicago and San Francisco. She also supports down payment assistance and home repair grants to ensure seniors can age in their homes. 

Her platform calls for expanding the city’s Housing Trust Fund, enforcing rental code standards, and exploring rent control to stabilize affordable housing. 

Jenkins proposed a city-wide penny sales tax, which she projected will generate about $100 million annually. The tax could offset property tax cuts and help reduce the city’s reliance on state and federal support, she said. 

She wants to create transit centers in each district and wants to add shuttles that travel shorter distances more frequently. Jenkins wants to change the stigma around riding the bus, saying it’s perceived as something for low-income people who can’t afford a car instead of something everyone could take advantage of. 

Jenkins lives in a co-op in the Elmwood Park neighborhood east of I-375. Her home is in District 5.

She’s faced some criticism for leaving her City Council seat to work at The Heat and Warmth Fund. The nonprofit organization helps low-income families pay utility costs and make energy-efficient home improvements. Jenkins says she never left the city, she just took a job that allowed her to have more impact. 

Kinloch, 52, pitches himself as a political outsider and “builder” inspired to seek government office to address the deep needs of residents who are failed by current leaders. 

As senior pastor of Triumph Church, Kinloch has spent the nearly three decades growing the evangelical church network to a regional powerhouse of 40,000 members and eight locations across Southeast Michigan. Kinloch has said he would continue to preach if elected, though he would hand off day-to-day operations to an executive leadership team. 

He argues Detroit’s growth has largely benefitted its wealthiest residents and business interests, often using the metaphor of “two Detroits” to describe class differences. Kinloch also invokes Dr. Marin Luther King Jr.’s “fierce urgency of now” to stress that Detroit can’t wait for incremental change.

Kinloch says his lack of government experience is offset by his unique ability to convene business, philanthropic, labor, religious and community stakeholders. Kinloch argues he can work with philanthropies to build 10,000 affordable housing units, open 10 grocery stores, launch down-payment assistance programs and establish workforce training centers. He seeks to “lift every block” in partnership with coalitions of neighborhood, nonprofit and business leaders. 

Monthly rent for new affordable housing units remains too expensive for many residents, Kinloch says. He would advocate for state law changes to reduce property taxes, saying the high tax rate is a key reason he got into the race. Kinloch also wants to offer targeted tax breaks for first-time homebuyers and rental assistance vouchers for low-income families.

Kinloch proposed creating a Department of Opportunity and Empowerment to connect residents with financial assistance programs. 

A state property tax relief program would come back if Kinloch has his say. Kinloch plans to lobby state lawmakers to revive the “Pay As You Stay” program, which helped homeowners pay off delinquent property taxes. It ended in 2023. He also supports extending home repair grants and no-interest loans to help residents improve aging housing.

Kinloch says Detroit’s public safety challenges stem largely from inequity and lack of opportunity. He wants to further invest in youth violence prevention and wrap-around services, including mentorship, after school and job training programs and expanding community intervention strategies.

Kinloch would launch a “crime prevention through environmental design” strategy endorsed by the National Institute of Crime Prevention, which considers how the built environment contributes to public safety. This includes designing public spaces for maximum visibility, ensuring regular maintenance and upkeep, and using physical features like cameras and barriers to reduce opportunities for crime. 

Detroit streets are dangerous for pedestrians, Kinloch argues. He plans to improve infrastructure in crash hotspots. Kinloch says every neighborhood should have a walkable commercial corridor like Woodward Avenue. 

Community Land Trusts are backed by several candidates. Kinloch says he would use the Detroit Land Bank Authority to help identify sites. 

Kinloch says food insecurity is a serious problem and that he wants to support evidence-based food and nutrition strategies that could be paid for by Medicaid and Medicare.

Kinloch grew up in Detroit, left the city after graduating high school and returned last year to run for mayor. He lives in the downtown Exchange tower on the edge of Greektown. Kinloch’s campaign said he first moved in with his brother, who lives in the same building, but now rents his own unit. 

Kinloch is eligible to run for mayor, but the move has attracted media scrutiny. Kinloch still owns the five-bedroom home in Oakland Township where he’s lived for more than a decade. The property was bought for $841,600 in 2014. He previously lived in Lathrup Village, West Bloomfield and Southfield. 

His brother Jonathan is a Wayne County Commissioner and chair of the Michigan Democratic Party’s 13th Congressional District. 

Perkins, 55, is running as a fearless neighborhood warrior and self-made CEO of a Black-owned legal firm who would stop the overuse of tax breaks and focus on forgotten pockets of the city. 

Perkins opened his Detroit-based law firm in 1996 and is the city attorney for Inkster. He previously served the same role for Highland Park and provided legal consultation to the Detroit City Council. Perkins said he’s faced difficult trials, like the death of his wife, and said he’s risen from the ashes like Detroit itself.

Perkins says his campaign is critical of the status quo and rooted in “putting Detroiters first.” He says the city’s best days are ahead. 

His policy platform has 10 key components: build great neighborhoods, improve public safety, reduce taxes, invest in water infrastructure, support small businesses and schools, direct city contracts to local businesses, improve public transit, reform property assessments and adopt artificial intelligence technology responsibly.

Perkins said his legal expertise gives him a strong understanding of public safety and police abuses. Perkins wants more officers in neighborhoods and an expansion of surveillance cameras to prevent property crime and traffic violations.

The attorney has also stressed that “one-size policing doesn’t fit all neighborhoods,” and wants to balance enhancing safety without compromising civil liberties. Perkins wants to create a youth advisory council that he would meet with on a regular basis. 

Perkins plans to renovate 2,000 homes and build 8,000 new units through public-private partnerships. 

Building single-family homes is preferred, but Perkins wants neighborhood organizations to have a seat at the table when planning the future of housing in their part of the city. He wants to empower “neighborhood quarterbacks” to lead planning efforts and serve as a liaison to the city. Perkins said the position would ensure projects are completed. 

He’s called for a forensic audit of city spending to uncover waste and improve transparency. Perkins said tax breaks are being “handed out like candy” to developers who haven’t created benefits for the city’s neighborhoods. 

Perkins says it’s unacceptable for low-income families to face water shutoffs for overdue bills while large corporations are not held to the same standard. He pledged to review and reform how the city determines utility shutoffs and to direct resources to those most in need.

Campaign filings show his address is in the North End neighborhood just west of I-75. The property is owned by Kilimanjaro Management, which shares an address with Perkins’ law firm.

He moved back to Detroit before launching his campaign for mayor. Perkins previously lived in Grosse Pointe Shores. Detroit’s voter file shows Perkins registered to vote in Detroit in January 2024. Property tax records show Perkins sold his Grosse Pointe Shores home at the end of 2023.

Perkins said he moved away from Detroit for the same reasons many residents find themselves leaving the city: Education and crime. 

The mayoral race isn’t Perkins’ first foray into politics. He was involved in organizing Detroit’s successful reparations ballot initiative. Perkins also helped organize an unsuccessful 2021 ballot initiative that sought to give Detroiters more power in appropriating money.

Sheffield, 38, cast herself a “people’s champion” and ally of outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan as she seeks a promotion after leading the City Council for the last decade. 

Sheffield is the youngest mayoral candidate and was the youngest City Council member in Detroit’s history when she was first elected in 2013. She could be the city’s first woman mayor too. Sheffield is serving her third consecutive term on the council and argues she helped set the foundation for Detroit’s next chapter.

Her policy platform has seven pillars: Public safety, economic empowerment, accessible transportation, social services, affordable housing, quality education and neighborhood revitalization. 

Sheffield says the city should lobby state lawmakers to authorize new revenue-generating tools to invest in neighborhoods. She’s proposed an entertainment tax on downtown activities or half-penny sales tax. 

Sheffield said she’s raised money for neighborhoods before. She said a fund that uses income taxes generated by Detroit Pistons employees to cover the cost of community projects is a model for other mechanisms to ensure neighborhoods benefit from downtown development.

At the same time, Sheffield wants structural reform of Detroit’s tax system, including property tax relief for homeowners and 

Affordable and quality housing has been a key area of focus. Sheffield wants to expand the city’s federally-funded down payment assistance program to increase homeownership and pledged to build more single-family homes for middle-class families. Sheffield also wants to ensure “legacy Detroiters” who remained in the city through hard times are not displaced. 

Sheffield wants to expand home repair grants, particularly for seniors, and proposed creating “an office of housing rights and home ownership” to better enforce housing standards and protect renters. 

She takes pride in creating “the first ever” Housing Trust Fund, which is used to benefit extremely low-income households, and inclusionary housing policy, which requires developers who receive city subsidies to reserve 20% of units for affordable rental housing.

She pitched a faith-based development initiative that would include a $50 million philanthropic fund. Sheffield said she will organize meetings with faith-based partners and officially designate them as “community anchors” operating in “anchor zones” in each City Council district. 

Faith-based organizations would receive support from a new team in the mayor’s office to secure permits and navigate city regulations, receive grant funding and get connected to business partners.

Sheffield has both called for ending the Downtown Development Authority and possibly expanding it. She’s generally been critical of large tax breaks for real estate developments, but supports using abatements to create affordable housing. Sheffield also wants to improve the Community Benefits Ordinance to give residents more leverage in negotiations with developers for neighborhood investments. 

Streamlining business licensing and cutting red tape is part of Sheffield’s strategy to create a better environment for entrepreneurs. She advocated for expanding the Motor City Match program to provide more support for businesses and created a fund to support longtime businesses. 

Public safety is inseparable from neighborhood conditions and quality of life issues, Sheffield argues. She supports community violence intervention groups and sees potential in strategies that don’t directly involve police. She’s called for a multifaceted approach to address underlying issues, like expanding youth programming and recreation center access.

Sheffield would create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention to coordinate community strategies. She also advocates for “old school community policing” with more “boots on the ground” to foster better police-community relationships.

Detroit police shouldn’t coordinate with federal immigration agents, Sheffield said. She opposes using city resources to aid immigration enforcement.

Sheffield says she wants to grow the city’s population, but young people need access to great-paying jobs, quality schools for their kids, reliable public transit and affordable housing. She wants to shift the perception of Detroit to be in the same weight class as Miami, Chicago and Washington, D.C. 

Sheffield is the daughter of the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, executive director of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations, and granddaughter of Horace Sheffield Jr., a Black union leader who helped stage strikes that led Ford to recognize the United Auto Workers. 

The maternal side of the Sheffield family also made an impact. Sheffield’s mother was an educator and nurse, while her grandmother was an activist. Sheffield describes herself as a lifelong leader who was “born to serve.” She lives in a co-op in the Elmwood Park neighborhood east of I-375. 

Simpson, 54, has run for mayor six times previously and failed to gather much support each time. But she’s undeterred, saying she won’t quit on residents.

Simpson proposed a city-run insurance program where residents can pay a recurring fee that funds home repairs. She wants to put surveillance cameras in sites that attract illegal dumping and require apartment buildings to pay for city trash pickup.

Revitalizing neighborhoods shouldn’t come with new taxes, she said, residents have been overtaxed enough. She wants to establish more gun-free zones across the city and supports a more visible police presence in parks and other neighborhood spaces.

While Simpson has been running for mayor since 2005, she pitches herself as a fresh face and independent thinker. Simpson said she doesn’t belong to either major political party. 

She identifies as a member of the family of Elijah Muhammad, the former leader of the Nation of Islam. She’s a lifelong resident raised on the eastside and a retired cosmetologist. 

Simpson lives in the Gratiot Woods neighborhood in District 4.