Triumph Church pastor Rev. Solomon Kinloch said he wouldn’t run a negative campaign, but his statements about his opponent in the last few weeks have been anything but positive.
On Monday, in response to reporting from the Detroit Free Press that questions whether city council president Mary Sheffield broke city ethics rules by requesting and accepting six Jeezy tickets from Comerica Bank. The city charter strictly prohibits elected officials from taking gifts.
Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallet said Monday there was no ethics violation. Mallet is a longtime ally of Mayor Mike Duggan, who has endorsed Sheffield.
“Detroiters still carry the scars of systemic corruption,” Kinloch said in a press release Monday. “That culture of corruption bankrupted our city and destroyed public trust. We rewrote the charter in 2012 to stop it. But here we are again, watching leaders trade their public office for personal perks.”
Robin Kinloch, the wife of the pastor, also received free tickets from Comerica Bank, the Free Press reports.
Kinloch’s campaign outlined in a press release what it says is a pattern of corruption from Sheffield.
Kinloch also pointed to Sheffield’s role on the Riverfront Conservancy Board during the $40 million embezzlement which she has said wasn’t the fault of board members.
Sheffield’s campaign responded the accusations saying Sheffield’s actions didn’t violate the ethics code in the city’s charter, which bans “public servants” from accepting anything of value from any person or company doing business or seeking to do business with the city.
“Comerica has, on occasion, offered me tickets to events they believed I might be interested in attending,” Sheffield told the Free Press. “In this instance, I inquired about tickets after receiving several requests from community members and supporters of our neighborhood events. I did not use the tickets myself — they were given to two community members with a history of giving back to Detroit and its residents.”
Comerica Bank is not currently in business with the city of Detroit, though it has been in the past.
“Our opponent is coming to the realization that he has a fledgling campaign with no record of which to run on,” Sheffield’s campaign manager Chris Scott said in a statement to Michigan Chronicle. “As a result, he has unfortunately chosen to sow doubt through misinformation and misrepresentations in an effort to dishonestly sway voters. We’re 100% confident that Detroiters will see right through these tired old political tactics and choose real leadership on Election Day.”
Kinloch, the UAW backed pastor that made it through the primary with 17%, compared to Sheffield’s near 51% finish in the Aug. 5 primary election. Facing an uphill battle, Kinloch hired new campaign staff, nabbing a longtime local political operator Greg Bowens and an outsider campaign manager Lindsey McAdory, who had worked previously worked on a mayoral campaign in Birmingham, Alabama.
Bowens previously worked on Saunteel Jenkins’ campaign before Kinloch defeated her in the primary election by 1% of the vote.
McAdory suggested on the press call that Sheffield was responsible for 500 deaths in Detroit over the last two years because of her opposition to ShotSpotter and cut money for public safety — two proposals that happened anyway despite Sheffield’s no votes. It appeared unclear on the call whether McAdory knew those plans had actually been approved despite Sheffield’s opposition.
Bowens walked back McAdory’s politically charged suggestion with reporters shortly after the press call.
McAdory told reporters Kinloch would take a tougher approach toward his opponent, saying he’s a “fighter,” though Kinloch reiterated his desire to continue running on the platform that pushed him through the primary. Kinloch has said he wants to build 10,000 affordable housing units, provide low interest loans and grants for home repair and restore neighborhood pride.
“We’re nice guys,” Bowens said on the call.
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