DETROIT, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Mike Duggan, a former prosecutor and hospital chief executive, became the first white to win a Detroit mayoral race Tuesday since 1970.
Duggan defeated Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon in the non-partisan contest, the Detroit Free Press reported. He will succeed Mayor Dave Bing, who has been almost powerless since Gov. Rick Snyder appointed an emergency manager who has taken the city into bankruptcy proceedings.
Steve Hood, a political analyst, said Duggan's resume was a big help in the troubled city. Duggan brought the Detroit Medical Center back from the financial brink.
"His message of change resonated across racial lines, much the same as President Barack Obama did," Hood said.
Andre Moore, a photographer, appeared to have gotten the message.
"I feel he's the best candidate because of what he did at the Detroit Medical Center," Moore told the Free Press. "Napoleon is more a police officer, and that's not what Detroit needs -- black, white, purple, whatever. The city's in financial ruin. You need a person with business sense to come in and fix it."
