Copyright WDIV ClickOnDetroit
DETROIT – From unreliable bus service to public safety concerns, Detroit residents are voicing their priorities as they prepare to choose between Mary Sheffield and Solomon Kinloch Jr in Tuesday’s mayoral election. Along the city’s Avenue of Fashion, business owners and residents alike share their hopes for Detroit’s future leadership. “Some of everything is over here now, a person really don’t have to go to the mall,” says Wallace Bell, owner of The Broadway, a clothing store that has helped Detroiters “dress to impress” for nearly four decades. Bell hopes the next mayor will strengthen support for commercial districts like the one along Livernois Avenue. Transportation remains a critical issue for many residents. At a DDOT bus stop near Bell’s shop, riders express frustration with the city’s public transit system. “It’s real hard trying to make it on time,” says James McDowell, a student who relies on the bus service. Kelly, a 20-year veteran bus rider, is more direct in her assessment: “Livernois bus is the worst bus in the city of Detroit, this is worse than Gratiot.” Beyond transit, residents cite affordable housing and public safety as key concerns. As Sheffield and Kinloch make their final appeals to voters, community leaders are working to boost voter participation. “We’re in a time in city of Detroit where voter turnout is not where it needs to be,” says Al “BJ” Williams, director of Lift Every Voice & Vote Detroit. Turnout in the primary in Detroit was 17%. Polls are open Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m
