Mary Sheffield (born 1987 or 1988) is an American serving as a member of the
Detroit City Council
The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a locatio ...
since 2018. A member of the
Democratic Party, she has been the president of City Council since 2022, as the youngest person ever to hold that office. She is currently a candidate in the
2025 Detroit mayoral election.
Early life and career
Sheffield grew up on the west side of Detroit.
She is the daughter of
Horace Sheffield III, a civil rights activist and pastor at New Destiny Christian Fellowship Church.
Sheffield earned a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in public affairs from
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...
in 2008. She earned a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in public administration from
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...
.
While she attended college, Sheffield met
Benny Napoleon, the sheriff of
Wayne County. He recruited her to work in the county jail system as a disciplinary hearing officer.
In 2010, Sheffield ran in the election to represent the
fourth district in the
Michigan House of Representatives
The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...
, where
Coleman Young II was not seeking reelection. In the
Democratic Party primary election, Sheffield lost to
Maureen Stapleton
Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades becoming one of the few actors to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award ...
. By 2013, Sheffield was the co-pastor of New Destiny Christian Fellowship Church.
Detroit City Council
In 2013, she ran for the
Detroit City Council
The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a locatio ...
seat for the fifth district. She defeated
Adam Hollier
Adam Hollier is an American politician who was the director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Hollier served in the Michigan Senate, representing the 2nd Senate district, serving Wayne County includ ...
in the non-partisan November general election. At age 26, Sheffield became the youngest Detroit council member in history. She won reelection in 2017 against Jewel Ware, a Wayne County
commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...
, and was reelected in 2021 without opposition.
In January 2022, the members of the council elected Sheffield to serve as council president over
Mary D. Waters, succeeding
Brenda Jones. She became the youngest president of the council. In August 2023, Sheffield set up an
exploratory committee
In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to candidates for pre ...
for a candidacy for
mayor of Detroit
This is a list of mayors of Detroit, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014.
History of Detroit's executive authority
During the earliest part of its history, Detroit was a ...
in the
2025 election, hiring
Nick Rathod as an advisor. Following the decision of
Mike Duggan
Michael Edward Duggan (born July 15, 1958) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician serving as the List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan, 75th mayor of Detroit, Michigan since 2014. An Independent politician, Independent, Duggan previo ...
, the incumbent mayor, to not seek another term, Sheffield announced her candidacy to succeed him in December 2024.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield, Mary
1980s births
21st-century African-American women politicians
21st-century African-American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century Michigan politicians
Clergy from Detroit
Central Michigan University alumni
Detroit City Council members
Living people
Michigan Democrats
Wayne State University alumni