It's Official: Duggan Running For Mayor Of Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) - It was a festive mood at the Samaritan Center Tuesday night as Mike Duggan made it official -- he's running for mayor of Detroit.

Duggan said he's running for the office to reduce crime and bring strong financial management to the city. Also on his "to-do" list, fix broken streetlights, and bring more people into Detroit's vacant but habitable homes.

"We're going to make a commitment to an administration - where ever neighborhood has a future," announced Duggan. "As as I have gone from place to place - I'm not meeting people beaten down or people looking for a handout."

Duggan said he has two approaches to the threat of an emergency manager: "I am continuing to make the case to the governor that there is no evidence that the emergency manager's in other cities have been successfully turned them around and ended the emergency manager's tenure - I think Detroit will be more complicated," Duggan said.

"I think you could get further working in partnership and by allowing the voters of Detroit to pick the next mayor in November."

Duggan noted that Ecorse and Benton Harbor have been under a financial emergency manager for several years and are still struggling.

Duggan, the former CEO of the Detroit Medical Center, joins four others who have declared their candidacy for mayor.