Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will not run for a fourth term, he announced Wednesday to an auditorium full of city hall employees.

Why it matters: Duggan bowing out comes as little surprise; the 66-year-old Democrat, who has garnered support from both sides of the aisle, is rumored to be a potential candidate to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2026.

• His announcement will also open the path for 2025 mayoral candidates to start campaigning earnestly.

Yes, but: Duggan has not said if he'd run for governor and declined to speak further on his plans Wednesday. He expects to address the issue in the next several weeks or months.

Flashback: Duggan, a former CEO of the Detroit Medical Center, became mayor in January 2014, soon after the city emerged from bankruptcy. He easily won reelection in 2017 and 2021.

What they're saying: In his speech, Duggan said he accomplished his primary goal of growing Detroit's long-declining population. The 2020 Census still showed a 10% decrease, a number the city fought. But this spring, new estimates showed the city growing for the first time since 1957.

• Duggan also spent time looking back at his first campaign, running as a white man to lead a supermajority-Black city with a deep history of discrimination like redlining.
• "The hatred and division (in America) is coming from the fact that we don't take the time to get to know each other, to listen to each other," he said.

Context: Through his decade in office, the mayor steered an administration that righted the city's troubled finances, partnered widely with philanthropy and corporations, and made a goal to destroy blight through demolition.

• He and the city's revitalization made national headlines, and his rapport with national business leaders and the Biden administration helped the city secure anything from COVID-19 testing to federal dollars.

Reality check: The oversimplified "comeback" narrative has also drawn questions from residents and activists about who truly benefits from the new investment in a city with a continuing affordable housing crisis and high poverty.

• His support of billionaires with patchy development histories has drawn criticism for helping corporate interests at the expense of residents in need.

Keep scrolling for more…

While Duggan did not reveal the particulars of his aspirations, he did discuss politics — namely, the future mayor of Detroit and President-elect Trump.

State of play: City Council President Mary Sheffield, council member Fred Durhal III and former council member Saunteel Jenkins are among those who have expressed interest in replacing Duggan as mayor.

"There is talent in this city that can continue the recovery in Detroit and have it extend to more people and be more inclusive," Duggan said during his speech. "I don't have a favorite candidate (for mayor) … I'm going to watch these candidates emerge and see who the right leader is."

• He wants to see someone who can unite people and be honest about what can and can't be accomplished.

The intrigue: Duggan said he's unsure if he will endorse anyone next year.

• He did say James White, Detroit's police chief who recently announced he would leave the city to lead Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, is "one of the great leaders I've ever met in my life." But, he said, White "has decided that taking on the challenge of the mental health system is his life's dream."

What's next: The incoming presidential administration will prove a "challenge," Duggan said, echoing Whitmer in saying he'll be looking for common ground with Trump.

• He said he hopes Trump's priorities will include assistance with affordable housing and combatting violence.

Share this news

📃 Michigan legislative Democrats' top priority around education is charter school transparency. They aim to pass bills requiring charter schools' salary information and financial audit statements to be made public. (Chalkbeat Detroit)

🐔 Detroiters will now be able to keep chickens (not roosters) lawfully, ducks and bees starting in February, per ordinance changes approved by the City Council this week. The number of these animals that can be kept depends on whether the keeper is a resident or an urban farm. (BridgeDetroit)

🥘 A Latin fusion restaurant called Javier's, a sports bar and cigar lounge called Parlay Detroit and Soraya, a Japanese restaurant in the former Maru sushi spot, are all opening downtown this week. (Detroit News)

Election Day may be behind us, but our work isn't done. Your Axios Local reporters will continue to keep our community informed and engaged on what's important over the next four years and beyond.

1 ask: Please support our mission and keep local news free and accessible by becoming a paying member today.

Thank you to all of our existing local members. Quality hyper-local news builds strong communities, and we appreciate your investment in us and your community.

The weather may be taking a turn for the worse, but that doesn't mean your weekend has to!

👟 Watch "Alamo Shoes," a play about a shoe store sales team full of outcasts grappling with a new reality at the Detroit Repertory Theatre.

• Fridays at 8pm, Saturday and 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm, now through Dec. 22.

☕ Always wanted to learn how your barista pours your latte into a heart shape? It's your time to shine at a latte art class at Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters in Ferndale.

Saturday, 12-2pm. $45.

🎤 Join rapper Sada Baby's birthday bash in Belleville with special guest Skilla Baby.

• Saturday, with doors at 8pm. $50.

More ideas, including live storytelling and an orchid festival