DETROIT (WXYZ) — On Tuesday, Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield officially announced her candidacy for the mayor of city of Detroit.
At a packed union hall Tuesday, Sheffield, who has been on the Detroit City Council since 2014 representing District 5, made her candidacy for mayor official with musical performances and speeches from city and faith leaders including Judge Greg Mathis and Detroit vs. Everybody founder Tommey Walker.
If elected, Sheffield would be the first woman to represent the city as mayor. It's something some Detroiters are excited about.
Watch Mary Sheffield's full speech below:
"It doesn’t matter male or female, Mayor Sheffield, she has the skill set, she has the tools," We Run 313 co-founder Lance Woods said.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made the announcement last week that he is running for governor of Michigan as an independent. Last month, he said he is not seeking reelection for mayor after serving three terms.
We asked Sheffield how she plans to pave her own path after working with Duggan for years.
"I think that a lot of people know that my work is my work," she said. "The affordable housing that I've done, the responsible contracting, the neighborhood improvement fund were all initiatives that I was passionate about and I was able to approve."
VIDEO: Mary Sheffield speaks one-one-one with us after announcing her run for Detroit mayor
Sheffield wouldn't say if Duggan has endorsed her. We reached out to his team but haven't heard back as of Tuesday evening.
When asked what advice the current mayor gave her, Sheffield said Duggan told her to keep doing what she's been doing.
VIDEO: Mike Duggan talks with Carolyn Clifford hours after announcing he would be running for Michigan governor
A growing list of candidates have formed candidate committees for the mayoral position or have expressed interest including Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate, former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit Councilman Fred Durhal III and businessman Joel Haashiim.
