Ingrid LaFleur to announce mayoral bid

etroit curator and businesswoman Ingrid LaFleur plans to announce her candidacy Detroit mayor tomorrow at an event entitled Detroit Is The Future, fueling an increasingly hot race to the city’s top spot.

“Now, more than ever, we have a chance to lead the way forward by re-imagining the way government works so that it protects its citizens, creates educational and economic systems that serve all communities, and lays the groundwork for the future of Detroit by investing in our youth,” LaFleur says in a press release.

“It’s time to work together to ensure that every Detroiter is provided for, that no one feels they should turn to crime to survive, or leave the city because there aren’t enough jobs. Detroit as a vibrant 21st century city for all is our destiny.”

LaFleur has long been an advocate for establishing a cultural affairs department in Detroit, one of few large cities without one. Other issues LaFleur plans to focus on include ending water shut-offs, stopping city foreclosures, revitalizing and beautifying neighborhoods and building a working economy to eradicate poverty.

LaFleur will be joining fellow candidates Myya Jones, Coleman Young Jr., Ken Snapp and Jeffery Robinson in the race to unseat current mayor Mike Duggan.

LaFleur was recently featured in BLAC’s style section this month for her stand out style. She was also a guest at our State of Black Arts event at the Urban Consulate last year where she spoke about Detroit’s lack of a Cultural Affairs Department.

“That is, to me, embarrassing because every time I say that to people they are shocked because we’re supposed to be this major city and we don’t have a cultural affairs department,” LaFleur mentioned last year during the State of Black Arts event. “When Mayor Young was in office, we had this amazing cultural affairs department and I love revisiting that history because of course I was too young to really experience all of it. We had a quarterly, we gave the key to the city to Sun Ra, we brought in Nina Simone, we had professional workshops, we made sure kids had access to the arts, the list goes on and on.”

The Detroit Is The Future event will take place at 8 p.m. February 28 at O.N.E. Mile in Detroit and will include DJ sets by Stacey Hotwaxx, Mother Cyborg and Monty Luke. More information on Facebook.