By Terry E. Whitfield, 2026 DPSCD School Board Candidate
What 36,359 votes, a 56-vote defeat, and my first campaign for public office taught me about leadership, accountability, and Detroit’s future.
36,359 votes. That’s how many Detroiters entrusted me with their vote in my first campaign for public office.
My goal was 50,000.
I confidently shared that number despite having little understanding of what earning 50,000 votes would require of a political newcomer.
I knew how to cultivate relationships, organize communities, and advocate for children and families. What I didn’t fully understand was how to translate those experiences into votes across Detroit.
And yet, 36,359 people believed in me. For that, I am profoundly grateful. But gratitude doesn’t erase disappointment.
Especially when you lose by 56 votes. Fifty-six. Let that marinate.
The beautifully painful experience of losing
Running for public office is unlike anything I’ve experienced. Humbling. Invigorating. Exhausting. Revealing. Beautifully painful.
It forced me to confront what I believed, how effectively I communicated, and what I was willing to become in pursuit of something greater than myself.
I became a better candidate. I learned to ask harder questions, challenge assumptions, and appreciate the complexity of governing a district serving nearly 50,000 students.
And I learned that conviction alone isn’t enough.
Wanting something badly enough is not the same as preparing adequately to achieve it. That’s a lesson I’ll carry forward.
Winning elections and earning public trust
As the results became clear, my disappointment gave way to deeper questions about how we choose the people entrusted with our children’s education.
Throughout this campaign, I attended forums, completed questionnaires, participated in interviews, and subjected my ideas to public examination.
Those experiences made me better. Every candidate deserves that opportunity, and every voter deserves access to that information.
Outlier Media reported that some Detroit voters struggled to identify candidates among the 34 names on the ballot.
Meanwhile, three candidates who publicly indicated they were no longer running received a combined 23,657 votes.
Nearly 24,000 votes were cast for candidates who were no longer actively seeking office. Those votes belonged to the people who cast them. No other candidate was entitled to receive them. Still, what does that tell us about how effectively we’re informing voters?
Winning an election gives someone the authority to govern. It does not automatically demonstrate their readiness to govern well. That distinction matters.
The work continues
DPSCD approaches its tenth anniversary having made meaningful progress restoring systems and rebuilding public confidence.
Yet too many students struggle with literacy, chronic absenteeism, and barriers rooted in poverty, housing instability, and unequal access to opportunity.
Our children deserve leaders willing to confront these challenges with humility, curiosity, and accountability.
Accountability isn’t simply identifying who failed. It’s determining whether the institution is designed, resourced, supported, and managed to succeed. I don’t know exactly what my immediate future holds.
I know I love my wife, my son, both my dogs (most of the time), and this city. And I know my commitment to Detroit’s children was never contingent upon winning an election. I will remain engaged, asking one central question of every decision, policy, contract, and partnership: How does this move DPSCD closer to becoming the best school district in the country?
To the 36,359 Detroiters who voted for me: Thank you.
To Team Terry, who volunteered, donated, knocked on doors, opened their homes, shared their networks, and believed in this campaign: You made every one of those votes possible.
To those who voted for someone else: I respect your decision. My commitment to your children is no different.
And to those elected: I genuinely hope you succeed. Our children’s futures depend on it. This election has ended. The work has not. I received 36,359 votes. I lost by 56. But I did not lose my purpose.
Let’s be better, Detroit. Our children deserve it.
Terry E. Whitfield, Principal Consultant of TEWday Strategies, LLC. “Together Everyone Wins the Day.”