Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield Hosts “Organizing to Rise Higher” Community Engagement Event
Sheffield engages Detroiters to help shape priorities for the incoming administration
DETROIT— Today, Mayor-Elect Mary Sheffield continues to build the most open, people-powered transition in Detroit’s history by bringing Detroiters together at the Marygrove Conservancy for an in-person community engagement event focused on shaping the city’s future.
The “Organizing to Rise Higher” event is engaging more than one hundred Detroiters through a hands-on working session designed to uplift community voices and ensure residents play an active role in informing the administration’s early priorities. The event provides residents with an opportunity to learn more about the Mayor-elect’s priorities and share their ideas and visions for Detroit’s future. Feedback from the event will shape the Transition Action Plan and the administration’s 100-day agenda.
“This transition is about listening, learning and building together,” said Mayor-Elect Mary Sheffield. “Detroiters deserve to see their own priorities reflected in their government and today’s conversation again showed how powerful our community is when we come together.”
This event brought Detroiters together to:
Hear directly from the Mayor-Elect as she prepares to take office
Share their ideas, concerns, and hopes for Detroit’s future
Participate in a collaborative session to help shape the Administration’s 100-Day Action Plan
Add their voice to key policy priorities emerging from Detroit residents across all seven Council districts
Mayor-Elect Sheffield is committed to building an administration shaped with Detroiters — not for them. These perspectives will help define early policy actions and ensure our collective momentum continues through inauguration and beyond.
Beginning in early 2026, Rise Higher Detroit will also launch a citywide community survey and a series of larger community engagement events to reach thousands of Detroiters across the city. In the meantime, residents who were not able to attend the “Organizing to Rise Higher” event can share their ideas virtually by visiting the “Your Voice, Your Ideas” page on the Rise Higher Detroit website. Detroiters interested in learning about open positions can do so by visiting “Job Opportunities.”
About Rise Higher Detroit
Rise Higher Detroit, the official transition initiative of Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield, aims to be the boldest and most inclusive engagement effort in Detroit’s history. The transition will help develop an official Transition Action Plan—a roadmap that reflects the voices, values, and aspirations of Detroiters. Together, we will help Mayor-Elect Sheffield realize her vision of an administration built on the voices and priorities of the people.
No public or campaign dollars are being used to fund the activities of the Rise Higher Detroit transition committee. The Mayor-elect and Detroit’s philanthropic community have collaborated to create a fund, established at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and supported by a variety of foundations and other civic institutions, to fund transition efforts, including community engagement and talent acquisition.