2013 Detroit Mayoral Election - Detroit

The 2013 Detroit Mayoral election will be held on November 5, 2013. The primary election will be held on August 6, 2013. The filing deadline is May 14, 2012.

In the last mayoral election, held in 2009, about 98,000 votes were cast -- 1/7 of the city's population, or about 17% of eligible voters.

August 6 Primary

The August primary election will select the top two mayoral candidates, who will then proceed to the November general election. Preliminary results, prior to the official counting of write-in votes, have Mike Duggan and Benny Napoleon in the lead.

In the 2009 primary, around 92,000 votes were cast, a 14% turnout rate.

Declared Candidates

The filing deadline for the race was May 14, 2013, at 4 p.m. Candidates were required to submit petitions with signatures from 500 registered voters in the city of Detroit to qualify for the August primary ballot. As of May 27, 2013, 15 candidates had officially qualified for the ballot. An October Detroit News poll showed no clear frontrunner, with over 31% of voters undecided.

Tom Barrow

A serial mayoral candidate (he ran in 1985, 1988, and against Bing in 2009), Barrow is a C.P.A. and lifelong Detroiter. He believes the 2009 election was fradulent.

Platform: Strongly against outsourcing or spinning off city services. Believes money is being "siphoned off" in questionable transfers. Plans family, education, and employment-based solutions to crime. More in a 2013 Michigan Citizen interview

Media: @TomBarrow

Krystal Crittendon (website)

Crittendon, the top City of Detroit lawyer ousted in January 2012 by Bing and the City Council, officially became a candidate on January 31, 2013. She announced on January 14 that she's forming a committee to explore running for mayor.

People:

Platform: Focus on collecting owed revenue, respecting charter, democracy; more priorities online. Believes the evaluation leading to an EFM is deeply flawed.

Media: YouTube, @Krystal4Detroit, Facebook

Mike Duggan (website)

Officially announced his candidacy on Tuesday, Feb. 26 2013. Duggan's campaign began in September 2012, when he started a 90-day explorational period, with a goal of securing commitments for $5 million in funding. Various outlets had reported earlier that he had been taking meetings with local leaders to feel out support for a run. On November 8, 2012, Duggan announced that he would leave the Detroit Medical Center on December 31, 2012, to focus on his run for mayor.

People: His exploratory committee is chaired by former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Judge Conrad Mallett. State Senator Tupac Hunter and former chief Warren Evans (source) are also involved.

Platform: A vocal opponent of an EFM. Distancing himself from Bing's policies. See the Mike Duggan page for more. As of November 2012, Duggan had not annouced a platform on his website.

Media: Youtube, @Duggan4Detroit, Facebook

State Representative Fred Durhal Jr. (website)

Durhal announced his candidacy on November 28th at Unity Baptist Church on the west side of Detroit. Durhal has a long history of political involvement Detroit -- he managed a neighborhood city hall for Coleman Young, was an aide to U.S. Representative Barbara Rose Collins and Wayne County Commissioner Bernard Parker, was Political Organizing Director for the Michigan Democratic Party, and more. Durhal has been critical but not overly so towards the Bing administration. Durhal stresses his relationships in Lansing and Washington.

Platform: As of early December, Durhal has not posted his platform.

State Representative Lisa Howze (website)

Liza Howze was the first openly declared candidate for mayor. Howze, a certified public accountant, has been a State Representative for the 2nd District since 2010. She decided not to run for a second term in 2012 to focus on her campaign.

People: Brandon Jessup is the Campaign Director. Retired Fire Deputy Chief Reginald Amos is a Senior Advisor. Former Detroit Police Chief James Barren is advising on crime.

Platform: As of November 2012, her platform listed 10 points from reducing crime to generating revenue and employing youth, but no specifics were provided. She expounded in a December interview.

Media: Youtube, @LisaHowze, Facebook

Mark Murphy (website)

Mark Murphy, a community advocate for the City of Detroit, believes that it is possible to return Detroit to a beautiful, peaceful community. Bearing in mind the neglect in city neighborhoods, he discovered cost-effective solutions to solve several issues facing Detroit. Optimistic of accomplishing more for the people, on January 25, 2013, Mark launched the M3 Campaign, announcing his candidacy for the Office of Mayor representing the citizens of Detroit.

Platform: " The movement to invest in you." Murphy's says his first 500 days will be focused on the safety & security of the citizens of Detroit. Other initiatives include: Streamline city departments & operations, new emergency equipment & street lighting, clean city neighborhoods year-round, board-up, sell or demolish open/abandon structures, implement monthly bulk trash pick-up & recycling programs throughout the city of Detroit.

Sheriff Benny Napoleon (website)

Napoleon has been seriously exploring a bid for mayor of Detroit for several months. On October 23, 2012, Napoleon said that he would make a decision to run within the next month. On December 10, 2012, he announced to 250 people at the Mathis Community Center that he would be exploring a run for mayor by conducting a listening tour around Detroit.

People: Judge Greg Mathis and former state Senator Henry Stallings II supported him at his December 2012 rally; Bishop Charles Ellis III of Greater Grace Temple spoke in his favor.

Platform: Napoleon has not yet posted a platform, but has said that his top issue is crime and detailed other issues in a December Detroit News interview.

Media: Youtube, @BennyNapoleon, Facebook

Declined/Did Not File

Mayor Dave Bing

An unlikely candidate in 2013. Elected in the May 2009 special election to complete the term of Kwame Kilpatrick, Bing later won the November general election to serve a full term as Mayor. Facing enormous challenges, his administration has dealt with bitter legal fights, the possibility of state takeover, corruption, and the departure of a stream of high-level executives. As of November 2012, Bing has not announced if he will campaign for re-election and has said that he is not in campaign mode, but has held political fundraisers. An October Detroit News poll showed that only 13% of respondents believe he deserves re-election.