Detroit City Council members have stayed quiet about their colleagues on the nine-member body running for mayor.
While Detroit City Council president Mary Sheffield and Triumph Church pastor Solomon Kinloch are touting endorsements from a range of current and former elected officials, they haven’t received public support from anyone on council.
Latisha Johnson (District 4) and Gabriela Santiago-Romero (District 6) have indicated they plan to endorse a candidate, but it’s still unclear who that candidate will be.
Santiago-Romero told Michigan Chronicle at an event in Corktown last week that she does plan to endorse a candidate, but declined to share who that candidate would be when asked.
Johnson in June told Michigan Chronicle she plans to endorse a candidate after the Aug. 5 primary.
Sheffield became city council president in 2022 after a 7-2 vote by her council colleagues. Mary Waters (At-large) and Angela Whitfield Calloway (District 2) were the only members to vote against Sheffield, voting instead for Waters.
“As we navigate through COVID- just bear with me, but I’m looking forward to the conversations and also want to thank the citizens of Detroit for electing me for another term to serve,” Sheffield said at the time. “We may not always agree, but I can guarantee each and every one of you that there will always be a line of communication and that our No. 1 goal is that we continue to move the city forward.”
Council Pro-Tem James Tate (District 1) nominated Sheffield to the position of president, while Sheffield nominated Tate to serve as pro-tem. However, campaign finance records reveal Tate donated $1,000 to Kinloch’s campaign, Sheffield’s opponent in the general election.
Tate didn’t respond to an email requesting comment on his donation or whether he would be publicly endorsing a candidate for mayor.
Neither did any of his council colleagues.
“Don’t tell me their not thinking about who their endorsing,” political strategist Adolph Mongo told Michigan Chronicle Thursday. “You can’t sit on the sidelines and say, ‘I’ll just wait and see who gets elected. If Mary is the person you want, endorse her. If Rev. Kinloch is who you want, stand with him publicly — don’t hide.”
Mongo said an endorsement from a respected council member like Tate could boost Kinloch in the general, who finished second behind Sheffield with 17% of the vote, compared to Sheffield’s 52% in the Aug. 5 primary election.
“That would help Kinloch immensely over in Tate’s district,” Mongo said. “But sometimes people like to play both sides of the aisle.”
Mongo said council members are likely weighing a number of factors while deciding whether to endorse, such as polling, media narratives and their personal relationships with each candidate. He said council members shouldn’t be afraid to be punished if their preferred candidate loses.
“I think people respect you more when you take a stand. They might not agree with you, or they just might,” Mongo said.
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