Coleman Young was Detroit’s first black mayor, and its longest running, serving from 1974 to 1994. He was a hero in metro Detroit’s African American community when I was growing up there. Young was renowned — or infamous, depending on who described him — for not shying away from public debates, be it on the air with prominent television news anchors like the late Bill Bonds, or at town halls with prominent Republican politicians from neighboring counties, like L. Brooks Patterson.
Boy, we could use a “Coleman Young” on the national stage right now, huh?
Young’s son, Coleman Young II, is a former state representative and is term-limited in the state’s senate in 2018. He announced his mayoral candidacy last week during a Detroit radio broadcast, according to published reports on local TV stations.
Some are questioning whether Young can unseat the city’s incumbent mayor, Mike Duggan, whose chief of staff remains unfazed.
“The mayor’s expected it for a long while, that he was going to be running,” Chief of Staff Alexis Wiley said. “And we expect that he won’t be the only person who gets into the race between now and the filing deadline.”
“…he won’t be the only one who gets into the race…” Just a touch of shade. I love it!
I live thousands of miles away now, but I’ll always be a Detroiter in my heart, so I’ll be watching this race. The filing deadline’s April 25, and the primary will be held August 8, from which two final candidates will emerge and go toe-to-toe in November 7’s election.
This blog was written by freelancer Michael P Coleman. Connect with him at michaelpcoleman.com or on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP.
