Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield credits the Rev. JoAnn Watson for shaping her future in city government.
The city’s first woman mayor said her initial run for public office in 2013 would have pit her against Watson in a district race for City Council – if Watson hadn’t stepped aside that cycle. If Watson hadn’t made that choice, Sheffield believes she might not have prevailed in her bid to step up and serve.
“The entire trajectory of my life has changed because of that one run in 2013,” said Sheffield, who made history at 26 as the youngest City Council member elected in Detroit’s history. “I know that I wouldn’t be here if it had not been her sacrificing her service.”
Sheffield shared the sentiments Friday during a two-hour ceremony culminating in the unveiling of a secondary street sign in Watson’s name that Sheffield co-sponsored while president of the Detroit City Council…