In recent years, Detroit has been talked about a lot in national and international news, and often it has not been positive. But after a successful NFL Draft Earlier this year and the Reopening of Michigan Central Stationthe headlines are changing.

Mayor of Detroit Mike Duggan joined Michigan Public’s It’s just politics Host Zoe Clark from Chicago, where he is attending the Democratic National Convention this week. Zoe first asked Duggan about the new National team Headlines and what lies behind this dynamic.

Mike Duggan: I just have so much compassion for the people of Detroit because when I first started as mayor and I went to these events, everyone told me how much they felt sorry for us. Now it’s exciting and there’s a lot of enthusiasm and interest in Detroit.

Zoe Clark: You travel around to these national conferences, you’re at the DNC this week, you’re meeting with mayors from all over the country. When they look to you for an answer (about Detroit)… what do you tell them?

Managing Director: I tell them that something has changed in the city, and that is that we have stopped the “us versus them” politics. Before I was elected, the mayor was constantly arguing with the unions, arguing with the city council, arguing with Lansing, and everything was “us versus them.”

If you look at our success, you’ll see that it was essentially a team effort between the City Council and myself. I tell everyone, “You want business to invest? You don’t want to go where there’s turmoil and chaos.” That was a big reason why some CEOs in Silicon Valley invited me to spend time with them. They were fascinated by how the business community, the philanthropic community and elected officials came together in Detroit to drive this recovery, and they’re very interested in how to do that in San Francisco.

ZC: We’ve talked about business leaders and city leaders, but we can never stop talking about Detroiters. We’ve been talking for years about how the people who live in Detroit fit into the recovery, especially when they do not see themselves in a recovery.

Managing Director: I think if you look at what happened last year, Detroit surpassed Miami and San Diego for the largest increase in property values ​​in America. We had a $3 billion increase in black homeowner wealth. And people who might have felt left out a few years ago now have significant advantages as homeowners. And for the vast majority of Detroiters, their home is their primary source of wealth. It creates something that you can pass on to the next generation. But when you see two thousand people working at the new Amazon facility… when you see five thousand working at the Jeep plant and almost all Detroiters, we say the people who stay are the ones who benefit the most. And I’m very pleased.

ZC: Let’s move from Detroit to Chicago, where you are currently at the Democratic National Convention. Let’s first talk about current President Joe Biden. The two of you have a very close relationship. You recently said the relationship between a president and a mayor is “one in a million.” Did you want Joe Biden to resign?

Managing Director: You know, the president did the right thing for the country. He and I have been close since my first month in office in 2014, when the city was bankrupt and he came to the auto show and called me and said, “I want to invite you to dinner.” We sat there for three and a half hours. And he invited me to his Christmas party at the vice president’s residence at Christmas, and I got there thinking it was a political event. Basically, it was just me, his staff and his friends from Delaware. I mean, it was such a close, personal relationship, and Detroit certainly benefited tremendously from it, but he did the right thing for the country. He’s getting a hero’s welcome. And I guess he deserves it.

ZC: (Vice President) Kamala Harris takes office. How do you view her relationship with your city?

Managing Director: She’ll be great for any city in the country. But she made Detroit’s $25,000 down payment assistance program the cornerstone of her national housing program from the beginning…And that’s why I think we’re going to continue to see a good relationship. Nothing is as good as a personal relationship. The truth is, presidents don’t make new friends. They’re too surrounded and isolated by others. But I think Kamala Harris will be very good for Detroit. I think she’ll be very good for the country.

ZC: What would you like to hear from her on Thursday evening?

Managing Director: I think what we’ve heard over the last three weeks is that I thought she was a good candidate. I never thought she would start so strong. But this country, you can feel it, is so tired of the anger and the division. And I keep saying this: Our polls show that almost 75 percent of Detroiters think the city is moving in the right direction, but only 35 percent think the country is moving in the right direction. And it’s this terrible division in Washington and the way she and Tim Walz came out and talked about unity and joy and working together. I think the country has been waiting for this for a long time.

ZC: Finally, on Monday, at a press conference, another mayor introduced you and said he had heard you could be a good governor. You jokingly said, “Thanks for helping to announce (my) campaign a little early.” But seriously, your name keeps coming up as a top candidate for the next Michigan gubernatorial election. What do you think about this campaign and your role in it?

Managing Director: So, this is Andy Ginther. He’s the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and these guys from Ohio are always trying to stir up trouble… So I haven’t taken it too seriously, but I’m going to be totally focused on the presidential campaign for the next two and a half months. There’s too much at stake, and then I’ll have to make a decision about whether I’m going to run for mayor again and then what I’m going to do next. And I’ll talk about that after the election in November.

ZC: Mr. Mayor, thank you as always.

Managing Director: Nice to speak with you, Zoe.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.