The Detroit Regional Chamber announced last week that it will host a Detroit mayoral debate during the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference. The debate will take place Thursday, May 29, at 5:30 p.m. in the Grand Hotel’s Tea Garden Tent. All Conference registrants and credentialed media are invited. There is no additional cost to attend. The Chamber’s broadcast partner for the Conference, Detroit PBS, will livestream the debate, and it can be viewed on the Chamber’s website. A recording of the debate will be available for viewing after the event. Journalists Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson will serve as moderators.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The Mackinac Policy Conference is a unique opportunity for the candidates for mayor of Michigan’s largest city to present their vision to our state’s premier leaders in the business, philanthropy, education, and civic sectors.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Due to time and space constraints, the Chamber is not able to include all candidates in this event. To narrow the participant field, the Detroit Regional Chamber Political Action Committee (PAC), comprising senior business leaders affiliated with the Chamber, met to evaluate the candidates for consideration. Given the early stage of the campaign, the PAC relied upon a number of factors to determine which candidates to invite. These factors included fundraising, available polling, endorsements, leadership experience, and PAC members’ perspectives of the candidates. There was no singular overriding criterion. Ultimately, the Chamber PAC unanimously selected the following candidates to invite (listed in alphabetical order):
- James Craig
- Fred Durhal III
- Saunteel Jenkins
- Solomon Kinloch Jr.
- Mary Sheffield
Invitations to participate in the debate do not imply an endorsement by the Chamber. The Chamber appreciates all candidates’ willingness to put their name forward for public service. The Chamber will announce its plans regarding an endorsement process later this year.
More updates on the debate format are to come.