DPM Interview

Champion: Mayor Mike Duggan

Detroit’s 75th mayor, Mike Duggan, traces his passion for the city to a lifetime spent watching its fortunes rise, fall, and rise again. “Yeah, well, I was born here. My family is from here, and through most of my life, everything was taken away from us—our auto plants, our banks, our movie theaters,” he recalls. “And [in the] last 12 years, it’s great to see people in Detroit who are succeeding, growing. It’s a special time.”

That sense of momentum shapes Duggan’s view of mobility downtown. Asked about the future of local transit, he is succinct but optimistic: “We’re getting there. So the QLine has improved. The People Mover has improved. Now we got to improve DDOT.” His checklist underscores a holistic approach, strengthening each mode so residents and visitors can move seamlessly across the city.

The mayor’s own favorite moment on the People Mover comes just after passing Renaissance Center, where the track sweeps out over the Detroit River. “The place where it curves along the river, right down here. So it’s still a little scary to me to be looking out over the waters. It takes that sharp turn,” he says, grinning at the memory of skyline and shoreline converging.

And if he could share that ride with anyone? The answer arrives without hesitation: “I know exactly who it is. It’s my seven‑year‑old nephew, Zane from Florida, who has to go on the People Mover every time he comes to town—and loves it just as much.”

From treasured family rituals to city-wide infrastructure goals, Mayor Duggan’s Detroit story is rooted in progress and pride—values that make him a fitting Detroit People Mover Champion.