Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield names affordability, expansion as goals in her first State of the City address
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield on Tuesday delivered her first State of the City address on Tuesday evening.
Sheffield spoke at Mumford High School in Detroit, a location that her administration said was selected to showcase Sheffield's commitment to Detroit's neighborhoods and youth.
"It is an honor to stand before you tonight as the 76th and first woman mayor of the great city of Detroit," she said.
It has been three months since Sheffield took office, and at her first State of the City address, the former Detroit City Council president made many promises to the city's more than 600,000 residents.
"We are fixing sidewalks and lighting up neighborhoods. We are raising wages and expanding opportunity. We are cutting red tape and building homes. We are protecting our elders and investing in our children. We are honoring our workers and welcoming innovators," she said.
Sheffield focused on the steps her administration plans to work on to make life more affordable, safer and connected in every neighborhood.
"But now is the opportunity to show that Detroit's future is not only defined by a few square miles of Downtown. This administration will ensure Detroit's future is built block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood," she said.
Some of the programs Sheffield touched on include a financial incentive to move to the city, a living wage for city employees, free bus rides for students, the RX Kids program to help with prescription costs and her Brighten up the Block initiative.
Her most prominent remarks, arguably, were those related to slashing property taxes and creating affordable housing.
"In just about every conversation I have across this city, I hear someone say, 'Mayor, we need more affordable housing.' And they're absolutely right," Sheffield said.
CBS News Detroit heard from many of the mayor's supporters following the 50-minute speech, including the man she succeeded, former three-time Mayor Mike Duggan.
"You want your successor to do bigger things and take it farther, and I'm really pleased about how much farther she's taken the progress," Duggan said.
Others said they're confident Sheffield will do just that.
"She touched on everything from housing to innovation to new business," Rumia Ambrose-Burbank said.
Harper Woods, Michigan, Mayor Valerie Kindle said, "Just the innovative ideas she's coming up with is just so inspiring, very inspiring."
Sheffield presented a budget proposal for the city on March 9 that included a new living wage standard for all full-time city employees, along with expanding youth and senior services. The Detroit City Council will hold a series of budget hearings before officially adopting the budget.
