(CBS DETROIT) – Detroit is on a rebound following years of turmoil. With a mayoral election set for next year, what will the city look like in the future?

Detroit will soon kick off a mayoral election, and a new face will lead the city after Mayor Mike Duggan announced he was not going to seek a reelection. It comes as the city emerges from its troubled past.

“We were the only major market city that filed Chapter 11. We lost our mayor, we lost our police chief, we had no city council,” said community activist Pastor Mo.

From focusing on lowering crime to boosting downtown opportunities, Pastor Mo is proud of Duggan’s work. He hopes whoever becomes Detroit’s next mayor is for the people and can help improve the public school system, among other things.

“Bring more big businesses here and make sure Detroiters are getting those jobs and those contracts,” Pastor Mo told CBS News Detroit.

The job of a mayor can be a busy one, especially in a large city like Detroit. As the city continues to make strides in improving the quality of life for residents, some hope the community will continue to be included in those decisions.

“Let people be a part of the planning and developing. Some things you will have to make a decision on, but let the people be a part of it,” Pastor Mo said. “They could come in here and really take it off, or they can come in here and fumble the ball, the City of Detroit is looking like the Lions and Tigers.”

The Detroit Regional Chamber issued the following statement after Duggan’s announcement:

“Mayor Duggan’s administration has been marked by productive collaboration with residents, business, government, and community leaders. The Chamber hopes his successor will carry this dynamic forward. Someone attentive to Detroiters’ needs and concerns will ensure the progress made by Mayor Duggan continues.”  

Detroit — Want to help those in need of necessities such as a new car seat, a first-aid kit or a warm shower? Now there’s a new way in downtown Detroit to provide those and other goods and services to the less fortunate: reverse vending machines.

Thursday morning, officials from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints turned on two Giving Machines in Campus Martius, where passersby can buy items and services that range from blankets and boots to meals and hygiene products.

The tall red machines drew curious onlookers who snapped photos and checked out the donation options. Donna Orlando, 58, of Metamora, noticed the “warm boots” option and said the device should be available all the time.

“It gives people the opportunity to give whatever they can,” Orlando said. “I think it should be here all the time, not just for the holidays, because people could always use that kind of stuff.”

Until Dec. 8, donors can donate from $5 to $250 for items and services that include safe births, educational supplies, emergency shelter, beehives and goats that will be supplied via local and global charities. ​When a giver makes a purchase, a card for that good or service drops to the bottom of the machine, which dispenses a receipt.

La’Chelle Phillips, 35, of Detroit, said the machines are perfectly positioned to attract donations ahead of downtown Detroit’s holiday tree lighting Friday, Nov. 22. Phillips is a community activist with her mom on Detroit’s east side and said it’s “nice and convenient” for people to be able to donate for items and services in the downtown area.

“Bus passes: those are things people need. On my street (Park Grove), my mom started a block club and those are things we would give,” Phillips said.

“We are called to care for those in need and to be a light to the world,” said Jeff Day, a stake president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the release. “We strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ by loving others as He loves each of us. We’re excited to come together with diverse faith communities to demonstrate this love.” 

During the 2023 holiday season, about 600,000 people visited giving machines in Australia, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States and purchased a total of $10.4 million in donations, according to the release. Since the machines were launched in 2017, more than $32 million has been collected.

The impact: 2 million meals for the hungry; 11,000 backpacks or boxes of school supplies; and 17,000 goats, 125,000 chickens, 2,100 beehives, 1,500 pigs and 1,400 sheep providing families with long-term nutrition and income potential.

The Detroit-area nonprofit beneficiaries are the Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, Zaman International, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County, Focus: HOPE and the Pope Francis Center.

Donations can also be made online, with 100% of proceeds going directly to the participating charities.​

mjohnson@detroitnews.com

@_myeshajohnson

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The Detroit Pistons City Edition released their 2024-25 City Edition uniform that has the influence of the “Bad Boys” Pistons all over it.

This year’s uniforms are colored in “bone,” paying homage to the team’s Bad Boy mentality and the club’s second title team in 1990. 

The Pistons wordmark script is featured across the chest with vintage-inspired orange jersey numbers. The orange stripe down the side of the uniform is embossed with a repeating ’89-90 monochromatic number design.

In a nod to legendary Pistons coach Chuck Daly, who led the Bad Boys to five straight Eastern Conference Finals, three straight NBA Finals and won two back-to-back NBA titles solidifying their championship reputation, the jersey jock tag features a ‘Back-2-Back’ tag with Daly’s signature.