We heard a lot about Michigan in the 2016 election season — water problems, policing problems, housing problems. The state’s largest city, Detroit, is often held up as an example of all the things that challenge modern America.

There is a lot to fix in that city. And 22-year-old Myya D. Jones believes she is the woman for the job. She announced her candidacy for mayor this month ahead of the November 7, 2017 election.

Jones became interested in politics after serving as a Congressional intern during the summer of 2016. Working with members of Congress helped her to overcome what she called, “negative stigma around politics in Detroit" in an interview with the Detroit Metro Times.

“We can’t forget about the people who have to live in Detroit,” she said in outlining her platform. She acknowledges the business and tourism benefits of rebuilding the city’s downtown and midtown areas, but feels that there needs to be more focus on the places Detroit’s citizens live in. “I have lots of plans for the neighborhoods. I want people to be able to walk down the street and go to the park. I want to clean up our streets and make sure we have block clubs. I want to make sure people feel a responsibility to their neighborhood.”

Jones currently studies business management at Michigan State University, and has made financial literacy another pillar of her platform, saying, “We have to create more opportunities for people to have jobs, for them to be financially literate.”

As someone with personal experience with bipolar disorder and sexual abuse, Jones has also pledged to better the city’s health and mental health services, youth engagement programs and to work with the police to improve the force.

Jones hopes not just to win the mayoral race in the fall, but to inspire other young people to heed President Obama’s call to “grab a clipboard, get some signatures and run for office.”

If you would like to lend her some support, her campaign website can be found here.

Mayoral Election 2017

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