Detroit City Council President looks forward to working with mayor on poverty and transit issues

June 2, 2026

James Tate spoke with WDET’s Jerome Vaughn about his new role as city council president and what he hopes to accomplish working with Mayor Mary Sheffield.

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James Tate was elected City Council President on Jan. 5, 2026.

James Tate is the latest in a long line of Detroit city council presidents as of January.  He attended the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island last week and sat down to speak with WDET’s Jerome Vaughn.  

Listen: Detroit City Council President James Tate speaks with Jerome Vaughn at the Mackinac Policy Conference

Tate has been on the city council for years, but now he’s learning how to perform in his new role as president. He’s had conversations with current Mayor Mary Sheffield about her transition from council member to council president.

The city council president says he looks forward to working closely with Sheffield on an issue that he sees as Detroit’s biggest challenge: poverty.  Tate hopes potential opportunities posed by transit could help ease some of the effects of Detroit’s income gap.

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Author

  • Jerome Vaughn is News Director at 101.9 WDET. His interest in news reporting began when he was five years old, after his mom bought him a yellow Panasonic ball and chain radio.

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