Former Detroit council president Saunteel Jenkins announces run for mayor

The announcement was made on Tuesday by the former head of THAW and Detroit councilwoman.

DETROIT (FOX 2):Saunteel Jenkins has entered the campaign to be the mayor of Detroit.

Election Day in November is the finish line in the race to replace outgoing Mayor Mike Duggan. When his third term in office comes to a close, Duggan will step down.

Jenkins is a former council president and member of the city council. On Tuesday, she announced her candidacy inside the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Center, which is located close to W. Chicago and the Southfield Freeway.

She claimed to have grown up on the west side of the city, surrounded by family, friends, and both present and previous coworkers.

The backstory

She finds significance in that specific community center since it was there that her brother was shot and killed in the early 1990s. He had just finished playing basketball there and was going at the age of 14.

She claimed that it had a significant influence on her outlook on life and her resolve to change things.

Jenkins claims to have experience in public service, having served as the director of a Detroit men’s homeless shelter before being elected to the city council in 2009, while the city was in bankruptcy.

But most recently, she was appointed CEO of the city’s The Heat And Warmth Fund program, which helps people who are having financial difficulties pay their bills by keeping the heat and electricity on.

She claims that she has special qualifications to serve as mayor.

“We really are at the crossroads, and I think the next mayor will determine the trajectory of this City for decades to come,” Jenkins stated. “So it’s important that we have a mayor that has the experience, that has the understanding of the community, and who’s been through what Detroiters have been through.”

She was questioned about if she wants to forge her own route in this area or if she intends to capitalize on the momentum that has been building.

Jenkins mentioned a little bit of both, adding that she wants to concentrate on early education, public transportation, and crime prevention strategies.

The Source: Saunteel Jenkins was interviewed and spoke during a news conference.

Jenkins, Saunteel