Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says he visited with residents at the Goei Center in Grand Rapids to hear firsthand what issues matter most to students, community leaders, neighborhood advocates and small business owners.
“People will see Detroit’s story can relate to their own communities.”
As Detroit’s leader for 12 years, Duggan touted his involvement in growing the city’s population, driving its crime rate down and investing $1 billion in affordable housing – a model he says he plans to take statewide.
“If you can do it in a place that was as far down as Detroit, we can do it anywhere in Michigan.”
Duggan broke with the Democratic Party to run for governor as an independent, insisting he can build relationships with what he calls the “reasonables” in both parties
“There’s going to be issues like abortion the parties are never going to agree on, and that’s fine. But whether third graders can read? That’s not a partisan issue. We should all agree on a strategy.”
Duggan is running against four other candidates so far: three Democrats and one Republican.