Detroit Next
Detroit Next is a podcast and content channel brought to you by BridgeDetroit in collaboration with Detroit is Different. Stephen Henderson and Malachi Barrett will breakdown everything you need to know about the upcoming elections in Detroit this year.
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This is Detroit Next
Welcome to Detroit Next, the one-stop-shop for all things related to the 2025 municipal elections in Detroit. This is a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson and BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett host in-depth conversations around politics, city government and all the issues that will play a factor for the voters in Detroit during the August primary and the November general election.
Henderson, who co-founded BridgeDetroit, has decades of experience covering elections in Detroit and beyond. Barrett covered state politics in Michigan for years before coming to Detroit where he covers city government.
You can watch full episodes and interviews on YouTube. Make sure to subscribe to the channel for the latest content. Stay up to date with us by following BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different on your favorite social media platforms.
Subscribe to BridgeDetroit's free newsletters to stay up to date on news, arts and culture in Detroit.
Let us know what questions you have about city government, the candidates or the issues in Detroit that matter most to you.
Give us a call at (313) 284-6407 and leave a voicemail with your thoughts. We will be playing some of those messages on the show, so do your best to keep them short and clear.
This is a community-led project, so we can't do this work without you. You can donate to Detroit Next by giving to BridgeDetroit.
Episodes
Wednesday May 14, 2025
Wednesday May 14, 2025
Mary Sheffield, current City Council President and mayoral frontrunner in Detroit, talks about years of experience and how that would shape her administration if she is elected with BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett.
Malachi and Stephen Henderson also talk about the sometimes complicated relationship between City Council and the mayor, and the difficult path from Council to being elected mayor. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch the full episode now.
This is Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different.
Friday May 09, 2025
Friday May 09, 2025
Mayoral candidate and former Detroit City Council member Saunteel Jenkins talks to BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett about the different ways she is qualified to be the city's next mayor.
Jenkins spent a decade running The Heating and Warmth Fund (THAW) as its CEO, and she believes that executive experience has prepared her to deal with the various city departments and $3 billion dollar city budget she would be in charge of if elected.
This interview was done for the Detroit Next podcast, which is a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different.
Friday May 09, 2025
Friday May 09, 2025
Detroit developer Chase Cantrell, Executive Director of Building Community Value, discusses educating new developers in the city with BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett.
Cantrell focuses a lot of his attention on educating new and inexperienced developers, mostly on how to develop properties in their communities. He wants people who are thinking about becoming developers, regardless of the scale of the projects, to understand the costs that go into it.
This is a clip from the fourth episode of Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different.
Friday May 09, 2025
Friday May 09, 2025
Detroit developer Sonya Mays, President and CEO of Develop Detroit, discusses barriers and reasons for optimism regarding housing developments in the city with BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett.
Mays shares her experience working with Detroiters to talk about why there is some reason for optimism heading into the 2025 election. She also talks about the need to reframe conversations around "affordable housing" to instead focus on increasing the wages of regular Detroiters.
This is a clip from the fourth episode of Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different.
Friday May 09, 2025
Friday May 09, 2025
Detroit developer Richard Hosey discusses barriers to development in the city with BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett.
Hosey is the founder of Hosey Development LLC and has worked on large scale development projects in Detroit such as Six55 Willis and the Fisher Body 21. His decades in the development space give him a unique perspective on how he sees the city heading into the 2025 election season.
This is a clip from the fourth episode of Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different.
Friday May 09, 2025
Friday May 09, 2025
Detroit City Councilman and mayoral candidate Fred Durhal III talks to BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett about his plans to continue the momentum of development in the city if he's elected mayor, and more heading into the election.
Durhal is a former state legislator and he currently represents the city's 7th City Council district. He wants to make Detroit "a city for families again" while boosting investment in small business development that is centered in the neighborhoods.
This interview was used, in part, on the Detroit Next podcast.
Friday May 09, 2025
Friday May 09, 2025
Detroit mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch talks to BridgeDetroit's Malachi Barrett about growing up in poverty, how he plans to address the affordable housing crisis if he's elected mayor, and more heading into the election.
Pastor Kinloch is mostly known in the city as the leader of Triumph Church and its 40,000 member congregation, with branches that stretch from Detroit to Flint. Kinloch
This interview was used, in part, on the Detroit Next podcast.
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Wednesday Apr 30, 2025
Saunteel Jenkins, mayoral candidate and former Detroit City Council member, joins Detroit Next to share why she believes her time running The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) and more have prepared her to be the city's next mayor.
This is the fifth episode of Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch the full episode now.
Wednesday Apr 16, 2025
Wednesday Apr 16, 2025
Black Detroit developers Richard Hosey, Sonya Mays and Chase Cantrell discuss barriers to development in the city, along with some opportunities with BridgeDetroit's Stephen Henderson and Malachi Barrett.
This is the fourth episode of Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch the full episode now.
Wednesday Apr 02, 2025
Wednesday Apr 02, 2025
Detroit City Councilman and mayoral candidate Fred Durhal III talks about his plans to continue pushing for development in the city with BridgeDetroit's Stephen Henderson and Malachi Barrett.
This is the third episode of Detroit Next, a collaboration between BridgeDetroit and Detroit is Different. Head to BridgeDetroit's YouTube page to watch the full episode now.