Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Kyle Davidson
On the porch of the Grand Hotel on Thursday, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced his endorsement of Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters ahead of the Democratic primary in November.
Waters, a former state lawmaker, and attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins are challenging the 13th Congressional District’s current officeholder, U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit) in the August primary. Republican Martell Bivings, who opposed Thanedar in the 2022 election, is the sole Republican seeking the primary.
Former State Sen. Adam Hollier also sought to challenge Thanedar, but was disqualified from the ballot after Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett determined Hollier failed to submit enough valid signatures to make the ballot, as Garrett found a number of signatures submitted by the campaign were fraudulently written by the same person.
During the announcement, Duggan said he didn’t feel Detroit was getting any help from Thanedar.
“He’s not a bad person; he’s just not helping,” he said.
“We can’t afford to carry a congressperson who isn’t responsive,” Duggan said.
Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Kyle Davidson
Flanked by other members of the Detroit City Council and Democratic state Reps. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit), Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe) and Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn), Waters voiced her commitment to supporting each community within the 13th Congressional District, saying the district had been neglected.
“We’ve got to have somebody who understand[s] what the issues are, what people’s concerns are. We’ve got to have somebody that has the compassion, not just spending millions of dollars saying, ‘Look at me; vote for me,’ Waters said.
“Do the work and show people that you deserve their support, and it has not happened. There’s been neglect in the 13th Congressional District. But not anymore. Not anymore,” Waters said.
Thanedar told the Advance in a text message that he’s “proud of the work I’ve done for Detroiters” and said he’s delivered over $6.6 million in community project funding for critical areas like revitalizing our neighborhoods, protecting our water, replacing lead lines and more.
“My office provides top-notch constituent services to Detroiters, as people can reach me 24/7 on my website and someone always picks up the phone during the day,” Thanedar continued. “While Mayor Duggan is interested in playing political games, I am focused on continuing to deliver for the people of Detroit and am confident they will send me back to Washington for another term.”
Rep. Shri Thanedar | Andrew Roth
Thanedar also said that he’s “honored” to have won the Detroit vote in every election he’s run in.
“… Detroit has always stood with me and I remember that everyday in Congress. I’m confident that the people will choose me again to represent them in Washington and I will be honored to continue to fight for them,” he said.
There are two congressional districts that include Detroit, the nation’s largest African-American city, but neither has a Black representative. Thanedar immigrated from India and the 12th District seat is held by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), who is Palestinian-American.
In an interview after the press conference, the Michigan Advance asked Waters how important representation for African-Americans is in the congressional seats that cover Detroit.
“Well, it is because when it’s all said and done, we’ve got to have somebody there who understands the unique needs of African Americans. Because we do have some unique needs — some of the things that we should be fighting for, when it comes to voting rights, for example,” Waters said.
Advance Editor Susan J. Demas contributed to this story.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The post Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan endorses Detroit Councilwoman Mary Waters for Congress appeared first on Michigan Advance.