The votes are in and Mary Sheffield will be Detroit's next mayor! She becomes the first woman mayor in the city's history and the first City Council President elected to the office.

Khary Frazier of Detroit is Different and Malachi Barrett of BridgeDetroit breakdown what Detroiters can expect to see during the transition period before she takes office.

"When I was out at the polls talking to folks, they felt that (Sheffield's) experience on the council really mattered. They thought it was really important that she's been leading the City Council and been involved in a lot of the success of the city. She also had a pretty sober look at what's wrong with Detroit. She wasn't out there saying that everything's gravy, everything's fixed. Her message was really focused on continuing what's worked, but make sure it goes deeper into the neighborhoods, bring new investment into the neighborhoods." - Malachi Barrett

Check out the full episode of Detroit Next. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

Rev. Solomon Kinloch wants voters to know ahead of the November general election that his administration would be focused on making sure the residents always have a seat at the table.

"We have to do a better job of making sure that citizens in this city don't feel like an afterthought, but they feel like, when we are sitting at the table, that they are the primary thought." - Solomon Kinloch

Check out the full interview from Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

Malachi Barrett and Khary Frazier are back for the last Detroit Next episode before Election Day, Rev. Solomon Kinloch gives his last pitch to Detroiters, once again emphasizing the city's neighborhoods.

"We are not suggesting that good things have not happened in the city of Detroit. What we're saying is, is that when you ask the citizens in this city, they're not good enough, although we've come a long ways, we've made tremendous progress, but that progress has to be more inclusive, so that people in the inner city can feel the renaissance and the revitalization that we say is taking place." - Solomon Kinloch.

Check out the full episode and full interview from Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

Detroit City Councilmember Mary Waters joins Detroit Next to chat about running for re-election in the At-Large race and some of the difficulties facing City Council. One big issue is property taxes in the City of Detroit are too high.

"Where will the revenues come from? That has been our struggle. Even if we are able to lower property taxes by a mill or two, we can't go too far beyond that unless we identify other revenue streams, and we have not been able to do that." - Mary Waters

Check out the full interview on Detroit Next. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

What will Detroiters see from the mayor's office if Mary Sheffield is elected in November? That's exactly what Malachi Barrett spoke to City Council President Sheffield about for Detroit Next this week.

"We always take into consideration comments and concerns that were raised during our forums to go back and add that into our policy, some of our 100 day goals, whether it's in housing or education or public safety, the community knows best what is needed in their neighborhoods. And so yes, we've made a lot of adjustments, and we're always reminded that there's so much work to do in Detroit, but I'm very encouraged to have partnerships, and the collaboration that I believe is going to be needed to help ensure that we get those issues addressed." Mary Sheffield

Check out the full episode from Detroit Next. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

State Rep. and City Council Candidate Tyrone Carter speaks with Bryce Huffman of BridgeDetroit about how hi experience in the state legislature will be helpful for Detroit, and District 6 specifically, if he is elected next month.

"We're going to have a new mayor for the first time in 12 years, and at least two new city council people. So there's going to be a transition, and we have to look at it. I can take a step back and look at it from the state level, all the monies that we've sent to the city, all the federal monies that have been sent to the city to do projects it's pretty much gone, and also the relationship. So I think that the new mayor will have an opportunity to focus on more community issues, neighborhoods that have been, you know, saying, hey, the two Detroit thing, but if there's no downtown, there's no Detroit. Let's be clear about that. If your heart's not strong, the rest of the body is going to wither away. So downtown is a strong heart now. So I think this gives the opportunity to, you know, do pilot programs in different neighborhoods to see what and meet with the district reps to say, Okay, what do your neighborhoods want? And where can we start this project?" - Tyrone Carter

Check out the full interview from Detroit Next. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett and Detroit is Different's Khary Frazier talk about small business development in the city of Detroit. Guests Charity Dean, President and CEO of the Michigan Black Business Alliance, and Jennyfer Crawford, Founder of All Things Detroit, talk about what can be done to help small businesses in the city from the next mayoral and City Council administrations.

"I definitely think that so many of the discussions about those third spaces come into play, and people saying that I want to be in my neighborhood and go to businesses that I enjoy. Communities always talk about the restaurants they want, places like that coffee shop they want, places that they can enjoy and buy the things that they love. The business owners are like, it's sometimes tough to connect to that." - Khary Frazier

Check out the full episode of Detroit Next, which is a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

City Councilmember and Candidate Gabriela Santiago-Romero represents District 6. She tells Bryce Huffman about her plans for a second term if she wins re-election in November.

"I want to continue to co-govern with our residents today really are the ones that guide our platform, our agenda, and what I'm hearing is that people just want us to double down on making sure that we are making a city that is safe and accessible." - Gabriela Santiago-Romero

Check out the full interview from Detroit Next. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

District 7 City Council candidate Denzel McCampbell says he would prioritize youth programs, affordable housing, and public safety if elected in November.

"Public safety is a concern across the city, and we have been fortunate to have been impacted by community violence intervention groups. We've seen the data that has led to a drop in and harm and violence here in District 7 and across the city. So I'll be looking to make sure that that is funded, but also that if somebody needs housing to get out of violence situation, that we're able to help provide that, transportation, jobs, skilled trade training, and really taking care of mental health issues that we have in the city, with more programs for mental health and breaking down the stigma as well." - Denzel McCampbell

Check out the full interview from Detroit Next. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now. 

At-Large City Council candidate and former Councilmember Janeé Ayers spoke to Bryce Huffman about running for City Council At-Large after being voted out of office in 2021.

"I've been leading things for our kids, for our seniors, and just for the community at whole so I had to talk about all the things, and I've talked about policy and all of that over the last four years. So it's really not new to get back in front of voters." - Janeé Ayers

Check out the full interview from Detroit Next. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch full episodes and interviews now.