Entering the fray for Detroit's top job, former Detroit City Council President Saunteel Jenkins announced her bid for the mayor's office yesterday. According to CBS News Detroit, Jenkins, who served on the council from 2010 to 2014, launched her campaign with a promise to be "the Mayor for ALL Detroiters."
Speaking at the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Center, Jenkins outlined a vision for Detroit that focuses on afterschool programs, a master plan for each district, and addressing violent crimes. With her declaration, made special significance to which her brother was shot and killed in 1991 at the same center she now stood in, Jenkins joins City Council President Mary Sheffield in the race to replace the outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan. "That day a light went out in this world. But in its place, a fire was ignited in me," she said in an interview, as reported by The Detroit News.
Moving past her tenure in office, Jenkins headed the nonprofit The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW), which provides utility assistance to needy families. Her campaign comes when Mayor Duggan has opted not to seek reelection, turning his sights toward Michigan's 2026 gubernatorial race as an independent candidate. "Detroit, I have walked that walk. I have the experience…I have the strength…I have the grit," Jenkins stated, as per CBS News Detroit.
Jenkins' campaign brings not only her political acumen but her personal story as a Stage 3 breast cancer survivor into the foreground, stated The Detroit News. Her family roots, often mentioned in her speeches, trace back to Detroit's Westside. Jenkins and her husband reportedly own a home in Atlanta, Georgia, that overlooks a private golf course while living in Detroit, as detailed by a campaign official according to The Detroit News.
