Mike Duggan, Detroit's 75th mayor, visited Central Michigan University Monday for a Q&A with students. Duggan has been Detroit's mayor since 2014; in December 2024, he announced his candidacy for governor, as an Independent.

Students gathered at the Bovee University Center Rotunda to bring their concerns to light. During the Q&A, Duggan asked students what they would do if they were governor. Many brought up their concerns about healthcare, education, the economy, career opportunities and equality.

Duggan answered the questions by what he has done in Detroit as well as what he would do if elected as governor. During the event, Duggan said he has worked to improve the city's crime rates, transportation, job access and health care.

For example, on the topic of health care, he expressed how important it is to be insured.

"Work on primary care and outreach," Duggan said. "Get folks in to see a doctor, get those clinics established. It is amazing how much better health is if you have primary care."

"If you are uninsured, you live sicker, you suffer more and you die quicker. That's the truth," Duggan said.

Education

During the event, Duggan said that Michigan is ranked 44th in reading in America.

"I'm going to deal with K-12 education," he said. "The fact that our children cannot read is an embarrassment. We need to put more resources into the schools. I think that's why we need to do it. It's going to be a big change."

Another statistic that Duggan told to the students was that 40% of children in the state of Michigan cannot read above the fourth-grade level. He also said students did not get the same education support during and post-pandemic compared to prior.

Makayla Herrick

Central Michigan University student asks Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan a question as a part of Q&A at the Bovee University Center Rotunda on Feb. 24, 2025.

Economy

Duggan said he believes that there should be more funding for school systems and public safety.

He also said that everyone deserves a chance to live comfortably.

"I'm going to figure out how to create an economy where the most talented people say 'I want to be in Michigan in five to 10 years because the opportunities are here,'" Duggan said. "We have 180 businesses open in Detroit with 1,800 employees. They're bridal shops, they're gyms, they're clothing stores, everything you can imagine."

For example, Duggan said he put money into the Riverfront Park in Detroit to "see tens of thousands of people in one unified place."

Opportunities

Duggan said he is passionate about bringing job opportunities to the youth in Michigan.

"I wanted to create a space where young people would want to live and work because Michigan's greatest export is not our cars, it's our young people," he said.

Later in the event, a student brought up that they're worried they cannot see themselves in Michigan in the future because of the lack of opportunities, especially new technology careers.

Duggan said he wants to keep our talent in Michigan.

"The amount of economic development in this country because of the innovation of immigrants is enormous," he said. "And so we got to make sure we keep our talent."

Duggan said that a lot of future jobs will be driven by Artificial Intelligence because technology is becoming more intelligent, and there will be technology job opportunities in AI warehouses.

"Everybody has to be respected and their opportunities need to be protected," Duggan said. "Trump's DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies don't affect me. Every one of my priorities is based on geographic. I give you preference on homes if you live in Detroit, I give you preference on jobs.

"You can do it based on age, you can do it based on income; there are lots of ways that you can create opportunities that don't have to be explicitly on race."

Duggan said he believes that everyone should be treated equally in any circumstance and that he wants to get rid of the "toxic nation" through his independent candidacy. In other words, he wants to remove the division of the state based on political party as much as possible.

"Democrats and Republicans can ... disagree and still get things done," Duggan said. "I'm not going to tear everyone else down. I'll talk about what I'll do for the state."