Duggan, Young Battle To Be Mayor Of Detroit

DETROIT, MI – As voters head to the polls next Tuesday, Nov. 7, they’ll be asked to choose between awarding a second term to the man who’s run the city for the past four years or hand the job to another man, whose father was the city’s first African-American mayor.

Incumbent Mike Duggan is pitching voters on the progress he’s made during his first four years in office. He points to the city’s downtown development, especially it’s new stadiums that glisten with life and bright lights. That energy will move into the neighborhoods during his second term, he says.

"In the next four years, we’re going to continue to build on that success," Duggan said last week during a debate with his opponent, State Senator Coleman Young II.

Young, the son of Mayor Coleman Young, who served from 1974 to 1994, has not been shy in his attacks on Duggan. During the campaign, he has criticized for Duggan not paying enough attention to the city’s neighborhoods, in favor of its downtown. During the candidates only fall election debate, Young lobbed unsubstantiated allegations of corruption and mismanagement against his opponent.

Duggan "needs to step aside and let an honest young man get the job done for all Detroiters." Young has been critical of the mayor for not distributing the city’s recent flairs of prosperity and success with all its people.

The incumbent mayor has taken some shots at his challenger, too. While Young has called on the city to push for a $15 minimum wage, Duggan pointed out that the state legislature has passed a law making that impossible and that Young, who is a state senator representing Detroit in Lansing, should not have allowed that law to pass. Duggan also argued that Young has been absent for votes in the statehouse.

The Detroit Free Press has endorsed Duggan for a second term, noting that it has been a lopsided campaign, and chastised Young for “man-child daffiness” that have hurt his candidacy. “Detroit’s progress,” wrote the Free Press editors, "... would be threatened by [Young’s] leadership."

Watch the debate between Mayor Mike Duggan and challenger Coleman Young II

In addition to the mayor’s election, Detroit voters also will be voting on city council members, city clerk and police commissioner. To see a sample ballot for your ward or find out the address of your polling place, visit the state of Michigan’s Voter Information web site.

Image: Patch graphic