Latest news with #MikeDuggan
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Duggan, Dems spar with competing ad campaigns during Mackinac Policy Conference
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivers a keynote address during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says a new attack ad launched by the party he was a member of until last year is an example of the type of political system he's campaigning against in his independent bid for governor. The Democratic Governors Association launched a digital ad Thursday accusing Duggan of a 'long, corruption-riddled history.' A press release from the group points to federal agents saying in 2022 that they had linked Duggan to a chain of events that ultimately outed a confidential FBI informant, alerting a target of an ongoing investigation of bribery, extortion and fraud. 'As Mayor, Mike Duggan put himself and his corrupt insiders first, including apparently trying to undermine a federal investigation into one of his closest political allies who went to prison for accepting bribes,' said DGA Communications Director Sam Newton. During his keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday, Duggan railed against attack ads used by both Democrats and Republicans. He pointed to an ad the campaign of Curtis Hertel ran accusing Tom Barrett of writing a bill that put women and doctors in jail, and Barrett's campaign countering with an ad accusing Hertel of working for the Chinese Communist Party. 'How did we get here, to the point where fighting for our state is not as important as being angry with the other party,' Duggan said. Duggan added that Republicans are already running attack ads against U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) despite not having a candidate in the 2026 race yet. 'They have no idea who their candidate is. But they know if there's only two choices … if we just make the Democrat terrible, we can win,' Duggan said. 'We are not going to be living in a state where you only have these ads two or three months a year. We're heading to a state where 12 months a year, year in, year out, we're going to have toxic ads.' The mayor said in an interview with the Michigan Advance on Thursday that the new DGA ad demonstrates his point. 'The Democrats are nothing if not predictable. They only know one thing: Tear down their opponents,' Duggan said. 'I said yesterday that Democrats only united on two principles: They hate Republicans in general, and they hate Donald Trump in particular. But today, I've gotten them to broaden their platform; now they hate me, too.' Duggan, for his part, is also running ads, though they are focused on his own campaign: Billboards along I-75 in northern Michigan declares Nov. 3, 2026, 'Independent's Day.' He told reporters Wednesday that the series of billboards were meant to welcome people back as they drove up for the Mackinac Policy Conference. Other candidates in the race to succeed the term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer include Democrats; Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Republicans; U.S. Rep. John James, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former Attorney General Mike Cox and former congressional nominee Anthony Hudson. Polling commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber and released on the first day of the conference shows Duggan's campaign could pull votes from both Democrats and Republicans. Duggan said during the keynote that his inclusion in the race makes it more difficult for either party to win by simply attacking the other side. 'If I come along, and there's a third choice, you can't just kill one party and automatically win,' Duggan said. 'You have to actually say what you're for.' He told the Michigan Advance that Democrats are 'making it really easy for people to make a choice.' 'But just once, wouldn't you like to see the Democrats put up a billboard that says, here's our housing policy? They don't have it in them,' Duggan said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Duggan proposes $4.5B school funding plan, says failing principals should be fired
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivers a keynote address during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says he would propose investing $4.5 billion in Michigan's schools if elected governor. But he warned that investment would come with 'punishment' for school administrators who fail to show progress toward education goals. 'If we're going to pour $4.5 billion into our schools, the people who run the schools need to have some skin in the game,' Duggan said of his proposal, which he said was likely to 'piss people off.' Duggan gives a keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference every year as Detroit's mayor, offering him a platform to tout his independent campaign in a way that his opponents in the Democratic and Republican primaries could not. He said he decided to run for governor as an independent because of a 'broken system' that has failed the state's residents, as evidenced by population loss and low fourth-grade reading scores. 'I look at the trends of young people leaving across a whole bunch of governors. I look at the trend of the kids reading scores declining across a whole bunch of governors. And I thought, somebody has to say, the problem isn't the governor, the problem's the system,' Duggan said. Other than suggesting the additional funding would come from reallocating existing state revenues and unspecified federal funds, Duggan provided no additional financial details. Duggan pointed to shifting policies under Republican and Democratic governors as an example, including an A-F grading system for school performances that was created, replaced and saw its replacement get replaced before it was created again and then repealed again, all in the span of about 10 years. 'There's no central vision that says, here's what we're going to do for the kids,' Duggan said. 'It's 'what can I do to pass a bill that will give me a partisan advantage in the next election?'' He said he would collaborate with educator groups to create some form of school grading plan – whether it be an A-F scale, based on percentages, or some other format that is easy for parents to understand – and place a five-year moratorium on changes to the grading system to allow results to be measured over time. Results would be measured over five years, the same amount of time the $4.5 billion would be invested over to train more teachers and literacy instructors, as well as rebuilding career technical education programs offered in high schools. If a school is failing in the first year, they would be required to submit an improvement plan. If they fail to improve by year two, the state would offer a support team to help turn things around. By the third year, if there is still no improvement, the principal would be fired and a new leadership team would be put in place. 'If you were in business and your business declined three years in a row, you either get rid of the leader or you go out of business,' Duggan said. 'Only in public education can the principal fail year after year, and you send the next group of kids.' If there is still no improvement by year five, Duggan said the district's superintendent would be fired as well. He said selecting replacement principals and superintendents would be left up to the local school boards. Duggan said Michigan residents are 'losing confidence in what's happening in the schools,' citing the number of local millages that failed to pass in May special elections. Polling commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber shows that Duggan pulls voters equally from Democrats and Republicans and is the only candidate with favorable views from both liberals and conservatives. Other candidates for governor include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary, as well as U.S. Rep. John James, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former Attorney General Mike Cox and former congressional nominee Anthony Hudson in the Republican primary. Duggan chastised Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel for criticizing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's appearances with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office and at Selfridge Air Force Base. 'This chaos became a national embarrassment,' Duggan said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Detroit Mayor Duggan talks Michigan's political and educational systems at Mackinac Policy Conference
For one of the last times as Detroit mayor, Mike Duggan took the stand at the Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday afternoon. In a speech that could be considered a test run for a campaign rally, Duggan told the crowd he knows how to recognize a bad system. It's why he said he is calling for a change in Michigan politics, and is proposing a $4.5 billion plan to overhaul the state's education system. Duggan gave a stern message about what needs to change to drive the state forward. He says one of the main stumbling blocks is the state of politics in Michigan, which requires a significant turnaround. "I'm not talking about a turnaround from the current governor, who has had a great deal of success with her leadership. I am talking about a turnaround from the political system in the state," Duggan said. Last December, the longtime Democrat announced plans to run as an independent for governor in 2026. During his speech on Wednesday, Duggan used examples of how he and his team turned things around for the city of Detroit, from housing to development. "I decided I am going to campaign by going into everyone's living room and just talk to them about why we have to give up the us vs them politics. We talked about the abandoned houses. We talked about the parks, but mostly what I said is, we have got to change the narrative." The gubernatorial candidate also proposed a strict school accountability system to ensure students have the best opportunities for a prosperous future. "We need to build an educator-driven plan," Duggan said. "We need to have a grading system." "There's got to be consequences if we are going to put 4.5 billion into our schools. The people running the schools need to have some skin in the game," Duggan added. "So here's what I think. First year at your school, if you're failing, you give us an improvement plan. We will help you, too, if you are failing. As a principal, you're our last chance. I will give you more help, but in the third year, if you're still failing, the principal and the team, you're fired." "I said when I stood here 10 years ago, Detroit's turnaround is not as far away as it appears ... I will say this to you, Michigan's turnaround is not as far away as it appears, but we've got to change the political system. "
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Small business red tape in Detroit would get slashed with new Duggan proposal
The Brief Small businesses will be receiving a boost if a new proposal by Mayor Mike Duggan is adopted. The plan removes red tape that entrepreneurs say plague both established and new businesses alike. DETROIT (FOX 2) - For many entrepreneurs, starting and even maintaining a business in the City of Detroit can be extremely challenging, but now a new plan has been proposed to change all that. Big picture view "After 15 years, I too, have still been going through the challenges of the rollercoaster ride of getting my license, renewing my license," said Alicia George, Motor City Java House Owner. "Fill this out. Pay this. I feel like I should get a degree, or diploma, or something." A proposed plan by the Duggan administration is working to make it easier for small businesses in a plan presented before city council. "Let's send you two ordinances, one of which will eliminate the business license fee for restaurants altogether, and rely on the state process," said Mayor Mike Duggan. "And the second for all other businesses will take you from a license that lasts for one year to a license that lasts for two years." Council President Mary Sheffield says she got on board and decided to sponsor it. "Making Detroit the best city in America to grow and start a small business," she said. The highlight of the plan will remove licensing requirements that do not deal with protecting health and safety. "So for restaurants, we are eliminating the city licensing requirement and sticking with the health department license as the primary insurance of health and safety," said Marcus Von Kapff, Detroit CEO. This will eliminate about 60 days from the process to start a new restaurant in the city. "That's not sacrificing anything else around building quality, fire, all of that will happen," said Von Kapff. For all other businesses seeking a license, the new system is expected to ease the process. "We're going to move to a two-year term as opposed to a one-year term, and then align that renewal against the building certificate of compliance process," said Von Kapff. There will also be improvements to the process that includes upgrades in technology to speed up the approval process and help for business owners. After city officials did months of analysis and engagement with business leaders, entrepreneurs say they finally feel seen and heard. "This had to happen for existing businesses. It's been like pulling our hair out (with) the process every year, to new businesses coming in, so this is great," said Grace Keros, American Coney Island. And the mayor wants council to act fast. "We're going to be asking council to move relatively quickly," Duggan said. If approved, this proposal should be in place by the end of the year. The Source Information for this report came from a press conference held in Detroit Wednesday.
Axios
20-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Detroit sees biggest population growth in Michigan
After decades of population loss, Detroit is now the Michigan city seeing the biggest growth. The big picture: Mayor Mike Duggan and other leaders on Thursday attributed the growth to more people moving into neighborhoods outside downtown, new residential developments, crime reductions and the city's entertainment scene, among other things. Plus, the U.S. Census Bureau is now accounting for newly occupied renovated older homes in its figures — a win for city leaders who challenged counting methods that they said didn't accurately reflect Detroit's growth. The latest: Detroit's resident count grew 1.1% in 2024 — beating the U.S. rate of 0.98% — to 645,700, per the latest Census Bureau estimates. Detroit's nearly 6,800-person increase is more than triple Grand Rapids' 1,800. Plus, we passed the size of Portland, Oregon, and became the U.S.'s 26th biggest city, behind Boston. Between the lines: Detroit challenged the Census Bureau in recent years over its counting methods. Now, the bureau has revised its past population estimates, adding nearly 5,700 residents that the bureau says it undercounted between 2021 and 2023. In a press conference Thursday, Duggan attributed the undercount to the bureau including demolitions as population loss, and not counting reoccupied older homes that had previously been vacant but have been scooped up in the city's recent rehab boom. The intrigue: The third-term mayor staked his success in office on growing the city's population, but then the 2020 Census showed Detroit lost residents.
