Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield has selected Brian White, her longtime chief of staff, to serve as Detroit Deputy Mayor and senior advisor.
Typically deputy mayors perform key administrative work. In Detroit, deputy mayor’s have lent their hand to broad range of municipal activities.
In a press release Monday, Sheffield’s transition team said that White will support an incoming administration that is focused on community-centered and transparent government.
White will serve as a senior advisor to the incoming mayor. As Deputy Mayor, White will oversee Sheffield’s state and federal policy agenda, labor relations and the operational function of city government, a release said.
White has worked with Sheffield as her chief of staff for more than a decade. He led her team when she was first elected to the city council and later as Detroit City Council president.
“White played a pivotal role in Sheffield’s mission to challenge the status quo and advocate for Detroit’s marginalized communities, helping to deliver wins on: affordable housing, economic development, property tax reform, ethics and transparency efforts, and for workers and organized labor,” a spokesperson for Sheffield’s Rise Higher transition effort said.
White’s background includes roles shaping government, policy and community. He served as state director for the Michigan Election Protection initiative during the 2004 presidential election, as political director for America Votes Michigan, and held the role of Michigan local advocate for the Advancement Project, a Washington D.C.—based voting and civil rights policy organization.
White studied economics and African American studies at his alma mater, the University of Michigan.
“Brian has been my chief of staff for more than a decade and I’ve seen firsthand his unwavering commitment to the people of Detroit,” Sheffield said in a statement. “He understands that the work of governing is about the people and he shares my vision for an administration that listens, learns and leads with compassion. As Deputy Mayor, he will play a crucial role in helping lead this city forward by assisting me with executing the rigorous and transformative policy agenda I set forth during this past election cycle.”
White has long been a Detroit resident, where he raises his family; his wife Toi and their three children, Brian, Jr., Nala and Jaden.
“I am deeply honored to continue serving the people of Detroit in this new role,” said White. “For more than a decade, I’ve worked alongside Mayor-elect Sheffield as we pushed for a city government that listens to its residents and fights for fairness, opportunity and dignity for all. I believe wholeheartedly in her vision for an administration rooted in transparency, community partnership and equitable progress. I am eager to continue the work we started to deliver on the Mayor-elect’s people-centered and pro-growth policy agenda which will help Detroit’s progress reach more Detroiters and deeper into the neighborhoods.”
