The General Assembly of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity unanimously voted to endorse Benny Napoleon for Detroit Mayor.
In March, many of Detroit’s clergy leaders stood with Napoleon as he officially announced his candidacy in front of an audience of more than 2,000 people at the Masonic Temple. According to historic figures, this was likely the largest announcement in Detroit’s history of any one candidate.
During the past few months since his announcement, more than 300 clergy leaders have officially announced their support of Napoleon’s mayoral candidacy.
“After careful consideration and interviewing all of the mayoral candidates individually and having them face our General Assembly, this decision was reached,” said Dr. Deedee Coleman, chair of the political and social action committee of the Council of Baptist Pastors and Vicinity. “Benny Napoleon possesses a vast amount of experience and has proven his support for the city through many decades of service.”
Napoleon is the son of a Baptist pastor, Harry Napoleon, and has been widely known to possess a strong faith, character, morale values, and action-orientated leadership. Clergy in Detroit and throughout Wayne County have partnered with him to root out crime through neighborhood initiatives when he served as Detroit Chief of Police in 1995-2001 and since 2009 where he has served as Wayne County Sheriff.
“Benny was very clear in his presentations and had the best understanding of the problems and possible solutions for our city,” said Dr. Lawrence Glass, first vice chair of the Council, referencing the endorsement interview. “We are interested in a mayor who understands collaboration and working with others. A combative attitude at the juncture of Detroit’s history is counterproductive.”
Napoleon said this about the endorsement, “The Council of Baptist Pastors and Vicinity’s support is as much about my experience and understanding of Detroit’s challenges as it is about the vision I put forth to make our neighborhoods livable, walkable and sustainable. Clergy across this city don’t want to be concerned about the safety and overall welfare of their members.
We have a plan to transform blight into beauty and businesses and reduce crime by 50 percent.”
Napoleon has garnered significant endorsements in the past several weeks that cross many sectors of the community. These include the bus driver union ATU Local 26 and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights.