Feb 12, 2025
The Detroit City Council president submitted 1,200 signatures to the city's Department of Elections in Detroit, Michigan on February 12, 2025.
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield didn't let an impending snowstorm get in the way of her bid to become the city's next mayor.
Sheffield on Wednesday became the first mayoral candidate to file her signature petitions, submitting more than 1,200 signatures to the city's elections office. That's more than double the required 500.
The elections office will only accept 1,000 but Sheffield said she wanted to go "above and beyond" because that's what she'll do for the city of Detroit.
"We need a mayor that will go above and beyond for Detroit," she said.
Sheffield is one of at least three candidates who've officially thrown their hats in the ring to become Detroit's next mayor, succeeding Mike Duggan, who is not running for a fourth term.
Along with Sheffield, former City Council President Saunteel Jenkins is running as is Detroit City Councilman Fred Durhall II.
Several others have formed committees exploring mayoral runs, which allow them to begin fundraising and hiring staff, including Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate, businessman Joel Haashiim, Detroit attorney Todd Perkins, and entrepreneur Jonathan Barlow.
Dennis Archer Jr., a high-profile Detroit entrepreneur and the son of former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, is also considering running for mayor but has not made a decision or formed an exploratory committee, he told The Detroit News in January.
Sheffield said she collected the signatures for her petitions herself, along with a few members of her staff.
"One because I know the issues I’ve seen in the past where people do mess up petitions," she said. "But two, because I want to engage with residents. I think this is one way for people to see me and see how serious I am about this race."
Sheffield said being the first candidate to file signatures is a way for her again to show how serious she is about the race. She highlighted several potential needs for Detroit, including more affordable housing, especially after the tragic deaths Monday of two children in a Greektown casino parking structure who appear to have died of hypothermia.
"We all saw what recently happened to the family in Greektown and we're all devastated by that," she said. "It sheds light on the need for more access to quality, safe, affordable housing."