Did you know there's a mayoral election coming up in Detroit? If you live someplace where the lawn signs dotting the city's neighborhoods are out of view, this honestly may be the first you're hearing of it.

The low-key, high-price race is between Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who has been at the helm for the city's post-bankruptcy resurgence, and state Sen. Coleman Young Jr., the son of the city's first African-American mayor, Coleman A. Young.

Young Jr. has argued longtime city residents are being left behind in the turnaround led by Duggan, and he's been making that case at community town hall events leading up to the election. Duggan has avoided these events, opting to more subtly make his case for re-election through the work he's putting in on the job — cutting ribbons at newly improved parks and putting golden shovels in dirt at the site of coming apartment and retail developments. At least one new jobs training programs has made its way into the action.
Tomorrow night, Duggan will face his challenger head on during a prime-time debate, and you can expect Young to dig in on the mayor's priorities. According to WDIV, whose Devin Scillian will moderate the debate, Detroit residents want to hear the candidates address violent crime, neighborhood revitalization, taxes, auto insurance, jobs, education, and housing.

Panelists will include WDIV anchor Kimberly Gill, Bridge magazine reporter Chastity Pratt Dawsey, and Detroit News City Hall reporter Christine Ferretti.



Below are a list of six questions WDIV says may be asked of both candidates, based on reader submissions. Readers also submitted some questions for Duggan and Young, specifically.

"Downtown is looking nice but how are you going to make it affordable for the current residents of Detroit?"

"Detroit has become a city that seems to be pushing people of color out or making them subject to living in neighborhoods that are below standard. What will you do to make sure that neighborhoods such as Downtown and Midtown represent not just white people but all people of Detroit? Because as of now people from Detroit cannot afford to live in either of these places."

"Do you have plans to increase the revitalization of Detroit in ways that benefit ALL of its residents. And if so, please share several."

"What are (or would be) your top 3 biggest issues you would address as mayor?"

"What are your plans to entice Amazon to build their 2HQ here in Detroit?"

"Has there been any success with the 20 Minute Neighborhoods program?"

For Sen. Young: "With the city on the rise and major tech companies coming to Downtown Detroit, what will you do differently to attract other companies to bring their business to the city of Detroit? Also, how do you think your relationship would be with Dan Gilbert if elected mayor, with Mr. Gilbert trying to build a soccer stadium in the heart of Downtown?"

For Sen. Young: "How do you plan to keep the city of Detroit moving positivity forward and making it affordable for all people to enjoy our improvements that exist now?"

For Sen. Young: "Name some ways your Senate office has directly served individual Detroit residents."

For Sen. Young: "What grade would you give Mayor Duggan for the term he has completed as mayor and why? What do you think you would do differently as mayor?"

For Sen. Young: "What is your specific plan to extend the growth of the Downtown area to the neighborhoods?"

For Mayor Duggan: "What can be done to improve education and activities for early childhood?"

For Mayor Duggan: "What grade would you give yourself for the term you have completed as mayor and why? What do you think you need to personally work on as the mayor based on your previous term?"

For Mayor Duggan: "What is the plan for bringing more jobs to Detroit, and what is the plan for getting rid of more of the vacant housing?"

For Mayor Duggan: "How can the neighborhood streets be cleared faster after heavy snow storms?

For Mayor Duggan: "What do you view as your administrations achievements during your first term, and what do you plan to achieve during your second term, if re-elected?"

You can watch the debate on WDIV or DPTV at 8 p.m.