Tagged: Mike Duggan

It’s not a surprise, but it is official: Mike Duggan wants to be Detroit’s next mayor.

Duggan was CEO of the Detroit Medical Center until recently. He’s spent the last few months laying the groundwork for a mayoral run.

At an official campaign kickoff Tuesday evening, Duggan touted his credentials as a turnaround artist in both the public and private sectors.

He told the crowd Governor Snyder shouldn’t appoint an emergency manager for Detroit, because that won't solve the city's financial problems.

And he says even if the Governor does appoint one, he'll be ready to challenge the appointment if he's elected mayor.

"We’re going to bring the talents of this community together," Duggan said. "And we’re going to put together such a powerful turnaround team, that we'll go to the Governor in a positive way and say, ‘We don’t need an emergency manager.'"

Duggan has been a longtime player in Detroit politics, though he only moved to the city recently. He’s lined up some influential supporters, including ministers, two former Detroit police chiefs, and business leaders.

Duggan’s run has drawn a lot of attention, in part because he’s the first white candidate for Detroit mayor in decades.

Duggan didn’t address that directly, though he--and some of his African-American supporters--said his candidacy "shouldn't be about color."

Duggan did say that Detroit should be open to anyone who wants to help rebuild the city: “Whether you were born in this city or you were born in another country, if you want to come to Detroit to be part of our future, you are just as welcome as anybody else.”

Despite the likely appointment of an emergency manager--and a very uncertain future for Detroit's elected officials--the mayor's race has gotten rather crowded.

In addition to Duggan, former State Representatives Lisa Howze and Fred Durhal are running, as is former Detroit corporation counsel Krystal Crittendon. Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon is also widely expected to jump in the race.

And Detroit mayor Dave Bing has so far refused to say whether he'll seek re-election.

On today's show, troubling headlines have been coming out of Grand Rapids in recent  months a burst of violent crime. Today we take a look at what can be done to curb the violence.

And we turn an eye to medical care: just how can we fix inequality in access to health care in Michigan.

But to start things off... he has been an assistant Wayne County prosecutor, the deputy Wayne County executive under Edward McNamara. He was the CEO of the Detroit Medical Center.Today, Mike Duggan’s is making it official, he wants to be Detroit’s next mayor.

To take a closer look at the Duggan candidacy, we spoke with Rocelle Riley of the Detroit Free Press.

Michigan in for snow, sleet and rain today

"Snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected across the region today as part of a strong winter storm bearing down on the nation's midsection. It's expected to fall this afternoon and evening, and into tomorrow. More than 6 inches could fall in some places, including southeast Michigan. West Michigan could get 2 to 6 inches," the Associated Press reports.

Lawmakers talk roads funding

"State business leaders say Michigan lawmakers need to boost funding for roads now. The group says the cost of fixing roads only gets higher as time passes and roads get worse. The group says lawmakers should raise the state’s gas tax and vehicle registration fees to boost road funding," Jake Neher reports.

Mike Duggan to announce run for Detroit mayor

The former Detroit Medical Center CEO, Mike Duggan is announcing his run for Detroit mayor today. As the Detroit News reports,

"In an interview Monday, [Duggan] said his candidacy will be defined by the critical need for a strategy to fight violent crime and the case to limit (if not prevent) the tenure of an emergency manager in a long overdue turnaround of the city."

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing is still being coy about whether he’s running for a second term.

Even though the primary election is still just under a year away, the field is already getting crowded. Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan announced he’s strongly considering a run this week.

But Bing is still keeping mum on his plans—at least publicly.

“All I’m interested in right now is getting work done,” Bing said Thursday. “I’m focusing on several things. And you know that our city is…under siege. My focus has to be on the next 15 months.”

Detroit has become a poster child for the struggling Rust Belt city, and its struggles affect both Southeast Michigan  and the entire state.

This is why the possible mayoral candidacy of Mike Duggan is going to be closely watched.

Duggan—former aide to Wayne County Executive Edward McNamara, former Wayne County prosecutor, and now CEO of the Detroit Medical Center (DMC)—has filed the paperwork needed to set up a campaign committee for a possible run to become the next Mayor of Detroit.

Ten years or so ago, I went to talk to the powerful and flamboyant medical malpractice lawyer Geoffrey Fieger, probably best known for successfully defending Dr. Jack Kevorkian in a series of sensational, high-profile assisted suicide trials.

He said he was thinking about running for mayor of Detroit, and wanted my confidential advice. I told him I thought that was a brilliant idea, but that there were only three things wrong with it.