Mary Sheffield has already made history during her career in public service, and will set another benchmark as the first woman to serve as Detroit's mayor. 

Sheffield will take office Jan. 1, having won her seat resoundingly both during the August primary and Tuesday's general election. 

"In this administration, everyone will have a seat at the table," Sheffield said during her victory speech Tuesday night. "Because guess what? This city belongs to all of us." 

Sheffield first announced her campaign for mayor in December 2024, at the time saying, "Together we will build a brighter future."

Her election victory speech included references to the city's history as a place for families to find middle-class jobs, the role that local residents played in the civil rights movement and its legacy in the Motown music scene. Her campaign team wore shirts that said "Mary for Everybody," a riff on the locally popular "Detroit vs. Everybody" slogan. 

A native Detroiter with a family history of involvement in social justice and civil rights, she earned a public affairs degree from Wayne State University in 2008. She worked as a disciplinary hearing officer before working for the city council.

In November 2013, Sheffield was the youngest person ever elected to the Detroit City Council at 26 years old, representing the city's fifth district. She was then the youngest person to serve as Detroit's City Council President, winning that role in 2022. 

During her time on the Detroit City Council, Sheffield worked on projects and assignments such as the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the General Retirement System Board. Legislation that she worked on included property tax reform, neighborhood beautification and inclusionary housing. 

She will be the first Black woman to lead the city that first saw a Black man, Coleman Young, take the mayor's office in 1974. More specifically, she will be the first female mayor of the city. 

"It's not really about gender. It's about the ability to lead in such a time as this," she told CBS News Detroit during the campaign. 

But Tuesday night, she acknowledged the historic moment of being the first woman elected to the role. 

"Now I have the awesome responsibility; I will not be the last," Sheffield said. 

Her 100-day plan details gun violence prevention, helping entrepreneurs with the launch and growth of their businesses, and leading conversations about regional transportation issues. She also plans to partner with local libraries and schools to support local youth. 

"We will invest in every corner of the city. Every family will feel supported," she said. "I am here to listen to you, to fight for you and serve you. We all want the same thing – a Detroit that works for everyone." 

Endorsements during the campaign included outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan, who is leaving office to seek the Michigan governor's seat in the 2026 election.  

"Our city's progress is in very good hands and I know she and her team will make sure it not only continues, but expands," Duggan said about the current council president.