Created Equal: Defining Mike Duggan’s legacy in Detroit

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced last week that he will not seek reelection in 2025, ending a 12-year run that saw Detroit exit bankruptcy and begin the climb back to stability.

Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City, joins Created Equal along with journalists John Gallagher and Darren Nichols to discuss what has happened over the last decade of Duggan’s leadership and what awaits the city’s next leader. 

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Goss discussed how Detroit’s rate of Black homeownership has increased to its highest level since the housing crisis and the percentage of vacant land in the city has decreased over Duggan’s mayorship. However, she says there are still large income gaps within Detroit’s middle class, rates of educational attainment continue to decrease, and the city is facing the loss of the Black middle class to the suburbs.   

Gallagher pointed out that although Duggan’s leadership has correlated with an improvement in the city’s economy, there were many local grassroots efforts in place to promote economic recovery prior to Duggan’s first term. Gallagher also discussed how the economic improvements were often focused on Detroit’s downtown and Midtown areas rather than Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Nichols discussed how last year’s NFL Draft in Detroit was a culmination of the good press and excitement Duggan had built around the city. Nichols suggested that some of Duggan’s success could be attributed to his skills as a campaigner who spoke directly to city residents and presented himself as a fresh voice for change. He believes that the next mayor will have to similarly humble themselves and address the whole city. 

Nichols also said he believes housing and poverty rates will be the most pressing issues for the city’s next leader to address.  

“We can build affordable housing, but do those people have the finances to be able to do that? Do they have the credit to be able to do that? We have to keep in mind our realism as to what Detroit’s poverty rate means for affordable housing,” he said. 

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation. 

Guests: 

• Anika Goss is the CEO at Detroit Future City.
• John Gallagher is a journalist, senior business columnist for the Detroit Free Press, and author of the book, “Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City.”
• Darren Nichols is a journalist and contributing columnist at the Detroit Free Press 

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.