Mama Shu Harris Takes Highland Park Mayoral Race by 27 Votes
Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris won Highland Park’s mayoral race on November 3, defeating incumbent Glenda McDonald by 27 votes. Harris, a community organizer who established and leads the nonprofit Avalon Village, has said she is not a career politician. Her commitment to service was shaped in part by the loss of her three sons.
For nearly two decades, Harris has worked to transform Avalon Street through Avalon Village, which she built as a source of resources and opportunity. She said she hopes to use the connections and experience developed there to help improve and heal the city. Her daughters are taking over Avalon Village’s operations as she turns her attention to the mayor’s office.
Harris said she is forming a transition team focused on residents’ concerns, including roads, water bills, street lighting and housing. Her proposed Five-Star Harris Plan includes better communication with residents and a task force to address blight. She also wants City Hall to feel more welcoming, with improvements to the building and a stronger culture of service.
McDonald had not submitted a formal recount request, the city clerk said. McDonald said she would make a statement if she decides to file one.
Highland Park Chooses Community Organizer to Lead City Hall
Highland Park voters chose Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris, a longtime community organizer, over incumbent Mayor Glenda McDonald by 27 votes on November 3. Harris’s win brings to City Hall a leader whose work has centered on building resources and opportunity in her own community, rather than a career in politics.
For nearly two decades, Harris has worked to transform Avalon Street through Avalon Village, the nonprofit she founded and leads. She said the skills and connections behind that work can help the city heal and improve. After losing three sons, Harris became a committed advocate for her community; now her daughters are taking over Avalon Village’s operations as she focuses on Highland Park.
Harris says residents want attention to basic concerns, including roads, water bills, lighting and housing. Her Five-Star Harris Plan calls for improved communication and a task force to turn blighted areas around. She also wants residents to encounter a more welcoming City Hall and a stronger culture of service.
The close result leaves the mayoral transition in focus: the city clerk said McDonald had not filed a formal recount request. Harris is assembling a transition team to focus on residents’ needs.
Harris Wins Narrowly, Pledges Practical Focus for Highland Park
Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris won Highland Park’s mayoral election by 27 votes on November 3, narrowly defeating incumbent Glenda McDonald. Harris has said she is not a career politician, and her immediate challenge is to turn a close victory into steady, practical city leadership.
Harris built her community profile through Avalon Village, the nonprofit she founded and leads, and nearly two decades of work transforming Avalon Street. She says she intends to apply that experience to the wider city. Her daughters are taking over Avalon Village’s operations while she prepares to focus on the mayor’s office.
Residents have voiced worries about road conditions, water bills, street illumination and housing, Harris said. Her proposed Five-Star Harris Plan includes better communication and a task force aimed at blight. She also wants to make City Hall more welcoming and improve how residents are served—an emphasis on visible, everyday improvements as she begins her term.
Harris is assembling a transition team around those priorities. The election’s narrow margin also leaves open the possibility of a recount request: the city clerk said McDonald had not formally requested one, and McDonald said she would comment if she does.
Reported by CBS Detroit, ClickOnDetroit WDIV.
