The Invincible Mayor Duggan

Despite the undisputable turmoil of the American political climate, something miraculous is taking place in the Motor City—government is functioning and the people are supporting it!

Detroit was once a wasteland. A glance over the skyline would give you chills, as the view replicated scenes in post-apocalyptic movies with its empty, abandoned skyscrapers, crumbling buildings, and vacant transportation stations.

The city was facing ruin. Bankrupt, the leading officials of the city were forced to consider selling off their own historic art museums simply to pay the bills.

Then, came a hero in a business suit: Mayor Mike Duggan.

Once elected, Mayor Duggan found himself facing an outrageous situation. How does one pull a city back from the brink of extinction? It seemed an impossible task—to everyone except him, that is.

“I was appalled at so many things,” Mayor Mike Duggan told POLITICO’s Off Message podcast. “That the buses just weren’t running and people stood out on the corners in the winter for hours at a time. That every vacant building in the city was covered with graffiti and nobody cared. The lack of anybody caring was heartbreaking.”

Four years later, Mayor Duggan seemed to have waved a magic wand, revitalizing the area and breathing life back into the Motor City.

Mayor Duggan was an underdog from the get-go. In the 2013 election, Duggan’s name was removed from the ballot. Continuing to campaign despite the hurdle, Duggan miraculously won by a 20%-point lead through an unprecedented write-in vote. A mere four years later, Duggan’s name took 69% of the votes against seven other candidates in the first round during the recent election campaign.

He was reelected by a landslide.

The choices Mayor Duggan has made on his path to revitalizing Detroit have been unconventional to say the least, but clearly the city appreciates his efforts. Currently taking home the title of 4th Hottest Housing Market in the US, Detroit is definitely on the come-back.

News & Image Source: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/29/how-detroits-mayor-became-unbeatable-215548