Mike Duggan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Duggan
Duggan in 2022
75th Mayor of Detroit
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2014
Preceded by	Dave Bing
Prosecutor of Wayne County
In office July 11, 2001 – July 16, 2004
Preceded by	John O'Hair
Succeeded by	Kym Worthy
Personal details
Born	Michael Edward Duggan (1958-07-15) July 15, 1958 (age 66) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Independent (2024–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 2024)
Spouses	Sonia Hassan (m. 2021) Lori Maher (div. 2019)
Children	4
Parent	Patrick Duggan (father)
Education	University of Michigan (BA, JD)

Michael Edward Duggan (born July 15, 1958) is an American politician. He has been the 75th mayor of Detroit, Michigan since 2014. As mayor, he leads the city government and works to improve life for its residents.

Before becoming mayor, Duggan worked in other important roles. He was the chief prosecutor for Wayne County, Michigan from 2001 to 2004. He also served as the deputy county executive for Wayne County from 1987 to 2001.

Duggan earned two degrees from the University of Michigan. He received a bachelor's degree in 1980 and a law degree in 1983. He became well-known after his election in 2013. He was the first white mayor of Detroit, a city with a majority Black population, since the early 1970s. Duggan was re-elected mayor in 2017 and again in 2021. In 2020, many people approved of his work as mayor.

In November 2024, Duggan announced he would not run for mayor again. The next month, he shared that he would run for governor of Michigan as an independent candidate.

Early Life and Education

Mike Duggan was born in Detroit on July 15, 1958. His father was Patrick J. Duggan and his mother was Joan Colosimo. His family has roots in Ireland and Germany.

He lived in Detroit for his first six years. Then, his family moved to Livonia, Michigan in 1963. He went to Detroit Catholic Central High School. After high school, he attended the University of Michigan. He earned his first degree in 1980 and his law degree in 1983.

Early Career Roles

Duggan began his career as a Democrat. He held several government jobs in Wayne County, Michigan. In 1986, he started as an assistant lawyer for Wayne County. From 1987 to 2001, he was the deputy county executive. This meant he helped lead the county government.

He was also elected as the county's chief prosecutor in 2000. For a few years, from 1992 to 1996, he also managed SMART. This is the public transportation system for the Detroit area.

Starting in 2004, Duggan became the president and CEO of the Detroit Medical Center. This is a large group of hospitals. He was in charge when the medical center changed from a nonprofit to a publicly owned company in 2010.

Mayor of Detroit

2013 Election Campaign

In 2012, Duggan left his job at the Detroit Medical Center. He moved from Livonia back to the city of Detroit. He planned to run for mayor the next year. However, he faced a challenge. He filed his paperwork too soon after moving to the city. This meant he did not officially qualify to be on the ballot.

So, he decided to run as a write-in candidate. This means voters had to write his name on their ballots. In the August primary election, he received 52% of the votes. This was a big success for a write-in campaign.

Detroit uses a special election system. The top two candidates from the primary election run against each other in the general election. Duggan ran against Benny Napoleon, who came in second. Duggan's campaign slogan was "Every neighborhood has a future." He promised to improve the city's money situation, reduce crime, and help the economy grow. In November, he won the general election with 55% of the votes. He became the first white mayor of Detroit since the 1970s.

First Term as Mayor

During his first term, Mayor Duggan focused on several key areas. He worked to make emergency services faster. He also improved bus services for residents. A big project was tearing down old, abandoned buildings. This program was ambitious, but it also caused some discussion.

Duggan also worked to turn the city's streetlights back on. Many lights had been out for a long time. He made great progress on this, building on efforts started by the previous mayor.

He had promised to create a city-owned insurance company called "D Insurance." He pushed for a law to create this in 2015, but it did not pass.

The mayor's office reported that the number of parks getting regular care increased a lot. It went from 25 parks in 2013 to 275 by 2017.

Towards the end of his first term, Duggan created Detroit's first office of sustainability. This office works to create green spaces and prepare the city for climate change. In 2019, they released Detroit's first plan for sustainability.

By 2017, Detroit's unemployment rate dropped to 7.5%. This was the lowest it had been since 2000. Duggan helped create "Detroit at Work." This is an online tool that connects people looking for jobs with employers. It also helps people find job training. He also started the "Grow Detroit’s Young Talent" program. This program gives summer jobs to thousands of young people.

In 2017, the city began giving out Detroit ID cards. These municipal identification cards help residents without a social security number. They can use the cards to get city services and access some banks.

During his first term, the city's government had limited power. This was because of state oversight. An emergency manager oversaw the city's money during its bankruptcy. Duggan gained a reputation as a skilled leader who focused on practical solutions.

His administration also took a stronger stand against graffiti. By 2017, over 50 arrests were made, and more than $1.2 million in fines were given. Shop owners could be fined if graffiti was not removed quickly. However, his administration supported murals as public art. They required murals to be registered with the city. He also worked with local artists on public art projects.

Second Term as Mayor

In the 2017 Detroit mayoral election, Duggan was re-elected by a large margin. He received 72% of the votes.

In the spring of 2018, the city of Detroit was no longer under state oversight. This meant the city government had full control over its operations. This was the first time in 40 years.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Duggan was praised for his efforts. He helped set up mass testing in the city. In March 2021, he initially hesitated to order some COVID-19 vaccines. He thought other vaccines were better. After some discussion, he changed his mind and ordered the vaccine.

Duggan spent much of early 2021 managing the city’s vaccine rollout. Access to the vaccine was expanded. He also addressed concerns about the vaccine from the city's majority Black population. When asked about problems with the vaccine rollout, Duggan mostly blamed the federal government. In February 2021, he met with President Joe Biden to discuss pandemic responses.

In December 2021, Duggan led efforts to tear down the old American Motors Headquarters building. The land is planned for a new development project. This project aims to help the local economy grow.

Third Term as Mayor

Duggan was re-elected for his third term in the 2021 Detroit mayoral election.

In the first few months of his third term, Duggan presented a new city budget. The city council later approved this budget.

Earlier, in 2019, the Detroit waste incinerator was shut down. This incinerator had been built in 1989. It caused many health problems in nearby areas and polluted the air. In its last years, its pollution was much higher than allowed. On May 24, 2022, Duggan announced that the incinerator would be torn down. The company doing the demolition expected to make money from selling salvaged metals.

In November 2022, Duggan announced changes to important staff members in his administration.

One of Duggan's main goals is to provide affordable housing. He and other city council members created a $203 million plan. This plan aims to help Detroit residents find affordable places to live. The money is used for programs like helping homeowners and fixing up apartment buildings. The goal is to turn empty apartment buildings into rental homes. It also aims to make it easier to approve affordable housing projects. Duggan believes this plan is "one of the most comprehensive strategies for providing affordable housing." This $203 million was for 2022 only, not an annual amount.

There is also the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund (DHFF). This fund works to keep existing housing affordable. In January 2022, the fund received a $10 million donation. The goal is to raise $75 million, and they have reached $65 million of that goal. In October, the DHFF finished its second project. This project involved renovating an old apartment building in Midtown.

To further help residents, Duggan's team named April Faith-Slaker to lead the city's Office of Eviction Defense. This new office helps residents facing eviction by providing them with legal advice.

In 2023, Duggan suggested a new tax idea called a land value tax. This tax would make the tax rate on empty land higher. The money from this would then be used to lower taxes on homes, businesses, and other properties. This idea needs to be approved by the Michigan state legislature first. If approved by the state, Detroit voters would then vote on it.

In 2023, Detroit saw its population grow for the first time since 1957. When Duggan first ran for mayor, he promised to stop the city's population loss. For several years before this, Duggan had argued that the United States Census Bureau was wrong. He believed the city's population was already growing. He even filed lawsuits, saying the bureau had undercounted the city's population.

Personal Life

Mike Duggan and Sonia Hassan, his wife

Mike Duggan was married to Mary Loretto "Lori" Maher. In May 2019, they announced they were ending their marriage. Their divorce was finalized in September 2019.

On June 29, 2021, Duggan announced his engagement to Dr. Sonia Hassan. They were married in 2021.

See also

In Spanish: Mike Duggan para niños

• List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States