Detroit, MI
Whitmer on the Dem ticket could knock over political dominoes from Lansing to Detroit
Big Gretch could cause a big mess in Michigan if the Democrats win with her on the ticket or recruit her for a cabinet post. Ambitious Dems from Lansing to Detroit may secretly hope she stays put.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer consistently and insistently says she does not intend to run for president. Just about the only elected official I can think of who has been equally unwavering in their public pledges about their political ambitions is Joe Biden, who said he would never stop running for president.
Uh-oh …
Biden’s historic reversal Sunday changes the dynamic in the presidential race in a way we’ve never seen before. And even if Whitmer remains steadfast in her declaration that she won’t run for the top office in America — and, arguably, the world — she has not so far said whether she would consider joining the Democratic ticket as vice president; or as a member of a Democratic administration, if whoever winds up on the ticket beats Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Vice president is the job infamously described as “not worth a pitcher of warm piss,” by John Nance Garner, who said that after serving two terms as VP to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It’s the job virtually every politician says they don’t want — until it’s offered to them. Then they gratefully accept it as if their dearest dream has just come true.
To speculate on such matters in a situation as fluid as this is like trying to build a house of cards in a whitewater raft. It is, candidly, a columnist’s nightmare.
This much I say with confidence: If the new Democratic ticket wins with Big Gretch as president, vice president, or a top choice for a primo cabinet position, it will upend Michigan’s political landscape in a way no living person in Michigan has seen before.
Domino effect
Whitmer leaving Lansing before her term ends on Jan. 1, 2027, would make Garlin Gilchrist governor. Gilchrist, the lieutenant governor and a Detroit Democrat, currently is an ambitious politician looking for something to run for, but finding no easy path.
Being elevated to governor would make Gilchrist the de facto incumbent and front-runner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2026. The last time something like this happened, Lt. Gov. William Milliken succeeded Gov. George Romney when he joined Richard Nixon’s administration in 1969. Milliken, a Republican, finished out Romney’s term and was reelected three times.
I can think of two people who are dreading such a scenario, and a gaggle more who could be equally unhappy.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are expected to compete for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2026, a race that would be dramatically complicated by a sitting Democratic governor. Duggan, a white man who lived most of his pre-mayoral life in the suburbs, is likely not eager to face a Black man from Detroit. And Benson, a white woman from Detroit, would likely not relish the competition for Michigan’s progressive votes.
The row of falling dominoes will run all the way down Interstate 96 to Detroit, where establishment and business-types worried about City Councilwoman Mary Sheffield succeeding Duggan as mayor may try to talk Hizzoner into running for a fourth term. They have been persuasive before, convincing Duggan to run as a write-in back in 2013, after he was resigned to spending more time at his cottage after getting kicked off the ballot on a technicality.
Duggan, the master strategist, hasn’t said yet whether he’ll run for a fourth term, run for governor, or finally get to spend some time in that cottage rocking chair watching his beloved Michigan Wolverines battle in a newly-reconstituted BiG Ten. So, he wouldn’t even seem like a flip-flopper (or chicken) if he declares his heart was always set on extending Detroit’s resurgence from downtown to its neighborhoods.
Potential disarray in Detroit politics
The gaggle whose ambitions could be thwarted by a Whitmer-to-Washington and Duggan-in-Detroit scenario begins in Detroit City Hall.
The challenge that Duggan running again poses for Sheffield, speaks for itself.
The ripples would likely also rock the boats of At-Large City Councilman Coleman Young Jr. and District 7 Councilman Fred Durhal, who are said to be weighing mayoral candidacies. At-Large Councilwoman Mary Waters who, if she is unsuccessful in her bid to unseat 13th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, may use the team she’s building to try and move into the Manoogian Mansion. I’m sure her partner, Sam Riddle, who currently gets his exercise jogging, would love a chance to move his workouts to the pool between the mayoral manse and its boathouse.
Other mayoral aspirants could find their road to the mayor’s office blocked, too.
Saunteel Jenkins, CEO of the Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW), would likely see her support in the business community dry up. Some have suggested that Hill Harper, if he fails to win the Democratic nomination to run for U.S. Senate seat opened by Debbie Stabenow’s retirement, should run for mayor next. Adam Hollier, whose congressional campaign was derailed by fraudulent petitions, may aim high for his next race, though some supporters are still upset with him for blowing his chance to take out Thanedar. Then there’s Thanedar himself, who might consider a four-year mayoral term more comfortable than running every two years against a phalanx of candidates vowing to run him out of Washington so Detroit can restore its legacy of Black representation in the House of Representatives. And, since the mayor’s race is in 2025, Thanedar could run without giving up his congressional seat.
Then there are all the people who might run for Detroit City Council if some incumbents get in the mayoral race.
Again, it’s too early to rule anything out for Whitmer.
It’s not too early to say there are plenty of Democrats who love “Big Gretch,” but are secretly hoping she stays right where she is.
M.L. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and host of the ML’s Soul of Detroit podcast. Contact him at mlelrick@freepress.com or follow him on X at @elrick, Facebook at ML Elrick and Instagram at ml_elrick.
(FOX 2) – More than 60 Michigan schools will be released from state oversight after meeting graduation and performance-based benchmarks set by the education department.
Included in the list of 68 schools that no longer need help from the state are 24 Detroit schools, according to a news release from the Michigan Department of Education.
Big picture view:
Schools in Detroit, Warren, Melvindale, Oak Park, Highland Park, and Madison Heights make up just some of the Southeast Michigan school districts no longer in need of oversight and support from the state.
The release from state monitoring includes 23 schools under the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Another six Detroit schools will also no longer be identified for specialized targeted support.
In total, there are 68 schools that will be released from oversight. There are still 113 schools that will fall under the umbrella for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI).
Michigan Oversight Eligibility
Schools are identified as needing Comprehensive Support and Improvement when they meet one of the following criteria:
- The school is in the bottom 5% of schools in Michigan
- Is a high school with a four-year graduation rate of 67% or less
- The school was in a CSI cohort but did not meet CSI exit criteria
- The school was in an ATS cohort but did not meet ATS exit criteria and so supports are elevated to CSI
There is another category for state support called Targeted Support and Improvement. The eligibility criteria for that program includes:
- Schools having at least one student group (such as a racial group, economically disadvantaged students, or students with disabilities) performing in the bottom 25% of each of the school’s components on the Michigan School Index.
- Identified annually
The backstory:
Schools are determined to need state support through the Michigan School Index, which is a requirement from the federal government that states maintain some sort of school accountability system.
The program is used to identify schools that are in need of additional support to help students perform better. Academic outcomes, attendance, and graduation rates are some of the parameters the state measures for signs of improvement.
Schools may leave the state program if they no longer meet the criteria that made them eligible in the first place, like math and English proficiency over two years.
Catching up:
According to the 2023-24 results, there were slight gains among Michigan’s schools.
Of the 3,324 public schools in Michigan, 113 were identified for state support – about 3.4% of all schools in the state. That includes 57 districts entering partnership agreements with MDE, which means they will get specialized support.
“I am very pleased to see that 68 schools—including 33 out of 98 schools that were in partnership agreements with MDE—no longer require additional supports from the department because of the hard work by local district and intermediate school district staff, children, parents, community members and MDE employees,” said Interim State Superintendent Dr. Sue C. Carnell.
Schools no longer under oversight
There are 68 schools that will no longer use the CSI program for state help:
- Academy for Business and Technology High School, Melvindale
- Academy of Warren
- Barack Obama Leadership Academy, Detroit
- Beecher High School (Beecher Community School District)
- Fair Plain East Elementary School (Benton Harbor Area Schools)
- Buchanan Virtual Academy (Buchanan Community Schools)
- Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Detroit Leadership Academy K-8 (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Ann Arbor Trail Magnet School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Blackwell Institute (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Bunche Preparatory Academy (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Burns Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Carver STEM Academy (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Central High School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Cooke STEM Academy (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Davis Aerospace Technical High School at Golightly (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Garvey Academy (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Henderson Academy (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Mackenzie Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Marquette Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Noble Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Nolan Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Palmer Park Preparatory Academy (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Priest Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Pulaski Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Wayne Elementary School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Oak Park Service Learning Academy
- Pleasantview Elementary School (East Pointe Community Schools)
- FlexTech High School, Brighton
- Eisenhower School (Flint Community Schools)
- George Washington Carver Elementary School, Highland Park
- Ottawa Hills High School (Grand Rapids Public Schools)
- Dickinson West Elementary School (Hamtramck Public Schools)
- International Academy of Flint
- John R. Lewis Elementary School (Jackson Public Schools)
- Joy Preparatory Academy, Detroit
- Washington Writers’ Academy (Kalamazoo Public Schools)
- KEYS Grace Academy, Madison Heights
- Gardner International Magnet School (Lansing School District)
- Lyons School (Lansing School District)
- Mt. Hope School (Lansing School District)
- Wexford Montessori Academy (Lansing School District)
- Mildred C. Wells Academy, Benton Harbor
- Multicultural Academy, Ann Arbor
- Oakland FlexTech High School, Farmington Hills
- Woodrow Wilson Elementary School (Port Huron Area School District)
- Saginaw Preparatory Academy
- Arthur Eddy Academy (Saginaw Public Schools)
- Jessie Loomis School (Saginaw Public Schools)
- Westfield Preparatory High School, Redford
There are also schools that will exit additional targeted support:
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Bow Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Detroit International Academy for Young Women (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Munger Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Spain Elementary-Middle School (Detroit Public Schools Community District)
- Dove Academy of Detroit
- Hamilton Virtual School (Hamilton Community Schools)
- Tyrone Elementary School (Harper Woods School District)
- Holt Junior High School (Holt Public Schools)
- Michigan Collegiate Middle/High School, Roseville
- New Paradigm College Prep, Detroit
- Parchment Middle School (Parchment School District)
- Beech Elementary School (Redford Union Schools)
- Grogan Elementary School (Southgate Community Schools)
- Clarence Randall Elementary School (Taylor School District)
The Source: A news release from the Michigan Department of Education.
Recent revelations that the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, which has been one of the city’s premier jewels, is making major changes, after a massive corruption scandal that took its former chief financial officer William Smith to jail for embezzling $44.3 million is good news.
The internal financial controls the conservancy is putting in place, including periodic independent audits, is necessary, considering this public body has been the recipient of millions of dollars in taxpayer money as well as private funding over the years.
No one should provide an excuse for how the conservancy was running its finances under Smith. Yes, Smith was the culprit but the blame should also be placed on everyone who had collective and overall fiduciary responsibility of the organization. The nonprofit should recognize they dropped the ball as a whole and then move forward in a way that instills public trust so it continues to draw support to beautify the riverfront.
The reduction of its board seat to 30 members from 50 is a good sign. Organizations with that many board members sometimes are bogged down in unnecessary bureaucracy which slows swift decision-making and can lead to less engagement from those who oversee the agency. Some members may feel sidelined because the major decisions often are made by an executive committee.
In the wake of the riverfront conservancy scandal, some board members reached out to me privately about their own take of events that led to how they believed Smith was running a fraudulent scheme that siphoned millions of dollars, the largest in the region’s history of public corruption scandals.
For example, one particular board member during a Saturday breakfast meeting told me he was actually not surprised about what happened with Smith because some of them were hardly engaged with the internal activities, especially the financial direction of the group. It was known to most members that only a few people were running the conservancy and that some board members felt like their role was simply ceremonial.
It looked good on a professional resume to be a member of the board of directors of the conservancy. Some of the individuals who were chosen for the board reveled only in the association instead of the responsibilities that came with the title. They knew that being on the board gave them some social capital and allowed them to be in the company of some of the region’s most influential individuals.
The group must also rethink how it selects board members as well. Simply choosing who has a bigger title in this town should no longer be the qualifier. It should be made up individuals with a deep and profound commitment to the concept and mission of making the riverfront one of the best in the nation.
The new leadership of the conservancy under CEO Ryan Sullivan has a lot to prove over the next couple of years beyond the issuance of press releases that promise strong changes and a new direction. People want to see that change is not only promised but is self-evident and that this much celebrated institution will continue to serve Detroiters and the region.
The financial scandal was not only a black eye on the organization itself, but also the city. Organizations like the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy must be exemplary in their conduct and this corruption saga must never happen again.
X (formerly Twitter): @BankoleDetNews
bankole@bankolethompson.com
Bankole Thompson’s columns appear on Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.
Detroit, MI
Tensions rise as anti-Islam protestors clash with Muslim community activists in Dearborn
Anti-Islam demonstrators clashed with counter-protestors on Tuesday in Dearborn as a group of a few dozen marched toward city hall, shouting Islamophobic rhetoric.
“How are they coming to us and saying we’re all about division and all about Sharia Law. They’re coming here and giving us nothing but hatred,” said Ali Aljahmi, from Dearborn.
CBS News Detroit was at the scene along Michigan Avenue, where the dueling demonstrations stemmed from when Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Anthony Hudson falsely claimed that there was Sharia Law in Dearborn. He later walked back those statements.
“If we’re going to bring these people together, then we’re going to lead by example and come down here, put boots on the ground and walk with these people and show that we can come together,” Hudson told CBS Detroit.
Hudson led a march with supporters of his advocating for his slogan ‘Fix Michigan,” but it was another group of demonstrators, not condoned by Hudson, on that same route that stirred the pot.” Other people in the crowd included Jake Lang, a Republican who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida. Lang was charged with assaulting an officer, civil disorder and other crimes in connection with the Jan. 6 riot before he was pardoned by President Trump.
CBS News Detroit was at the scene when Lang threatened to burn a Quran and taunt counter-protestors with bacon.
Dearborn police kept an eye on the protests and urged people to engage with demonstrators. One person was seen being led away in handcuffs. It’s unknown if that person will face charges.
Some protestors said they hope what happened on Tuesday sheds some light on what they call hateful demonstrations from people outside of Dearborn who are mischaracterizing the city.
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