Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is retaining several high-ranking city officials from the Duggan administration, the mayor's office announced Friday.
Detroit's fire commissioner, Homeland Security director, chief financial officer, Human Resources director and corporation counsel will remain in their roles. The former City Council president already rehired Police Chief Todd Bettison.
"Detroit is at a pivotal moment, and building a strong administration means honoring experience while welcoming new ideas,” Sheffield said in a statement. “I am proud to continue working with proven leaders who bring deep institutional knowledge and a track record of results," she said.
Sheffield won the mayoral race this year with a campaign that emphasized staying the course of Duggan's three terms in office, while pushing forward on other fronts, including getting outlying neighborhoods to share in the gains made in downtown and Midtown. The former mayor had an approval rating of 82% among likely voters according to an Oct. 16-18 Detroit News/WDIV-TV (Channel 4) poll, which had a margin of error of plus-minus 4.4 percentage points.
Chuck Simms will stay as the fire commissioner, the mayor's office said, a position he has held since he was named interim commissioner in December 2021. Simms has served in the Detroit Fire Department since 1986 as a firefighter, investigator, and the chief of arson and fire investigations.
Hilton Kincaid will move into the director's role in the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Kincaid has been the deputy director since 2014 and was a Detroit police officer for more than 30 years before that.
During his time with the department, Kincaid helped plan for major events in the city, including the NFL Draft in 2024.
Tanya Stoudemire will remain as the CFO, a post she has held since May, when the City Council led by Sheffield voted to confirm her. Duggan appointed her as interim CFO to replace Jay Rising, who retired.
Stoudemire has spent 30 years in city government in the Budget Department and the office of the CFO. She was the deputy CFO and budget director for six years.
Conrad Mallet will stay on as corporation counsel, the city's top lawyer.
Mallet served as deputy mayor and counsel under Duggan after a long career as an administrator at Detroit Medical Center and an eight-year tenure on the Michigan Supreme Court, including two years as the chief justice. He became corporation counsel in 2022, after two years as deputy mayor, during which he played a role in the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duggan initially withdrew his appointment of Mallet as counsel in early 2022 after the council members raised concerns about his close relationship with the former mayor. After several months of searching for a new candidate, the City Council ultimately confirmed Mallet.
The final holdover announced Friday is Denise Starr, who will remain the director of Human Resources, an office she has held since 2015. Starr has led the city's contract negotiations with employee unions, including the firefighter and police unions.
bwarren@detroitnews.com