DETROIT – After 12 years of leading the city of Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan announced during a press conference Wednesday that he will not seek a fourth four-year term in next year’s municipal election. However, he did not specify his future political plans following the conclusion of his term at the end of 2025. Speculation has already arisen about his potential candidacy for governor of Michigan in 2026, as Democratic Governor Whitmer is term-limited.

“The story of Detroit’s comeback is the story of Detroit’s residents who never gave up on their city,” said Duggan, who spearheaded Detroit’s revival after decades of decline.

He expressed pride in the honor of serving the city over the past 12 years and added, “I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together – from emerging from bankruptcy to becoming a vibrant and healthy city and a model of resilience and transformation.”

Speaking before hundreds of attendees at City Hall, Duggan, 66, extended his gratitude to City Council members and all employees who continued to serve Detroit residents despite the challenges they faced. He also thanked the hundreds of businesses that relocated to Detroit during his tenure and the supportive and kind residents who re-elected him in 2017 and 2021 after his initial election in 2013.

In a subsequent statement, the city administration outlined Duggan’s key achievements, including improving police, fire and EMS response times, reducing violent crime, revitalizing neighborhoods, demolishing tens of thousands of blighted and abandoned homes, attracting new businesses and stabilizing the city’s finances after steering it away from bankruptcy.

“Today, Detroit provides a roadmap for cities across the country as an example of what can be achieved when leaders prioritize people over politics and build bridges instead of sowing division,” the statement added.

Duggan’s decision not to run for re-election opens the door to a wide-open race among potential candidates vying to succeed him in the 2025 election. Current names being floated include City Council President Mary Sheffield, Councilman Fred Durhal III, former Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig.

“What I know for sure about this city is that the next mayor will inherit a much better place,” Duggan said. “There are no longer 47,000 abandoned homes in Detroit, no billions of dollars in debt and no risk of bankruptcy.”

He noted that his administration managed to pass 10 consecutive balanced budgets, which helped improve the city’s credit rating and is projected to leave a financial surplus of about $500 million in the city’s cash reserve and pension funds.