All right.

We are back now with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.

Right That's it.

Running for governor.

Do you want eliminate all of the property tax?

You know, this is what I don't get.

The property tax pays for the schools.

It pays for your police.

It pays for your prosecutor, pays for your firefighters.

And I haven't found anybod wants to eliminate those things.

Well, if this puppy's on th ballot, you're a no vote then?

For sure.

Again, you got to hav some element of responsibility.

Now, property taxes are too high.

And the issues that people have raised on the pop up, you've been in your house 23 years, you go to sell and the buyer has to pay an astronomical increase.

There's no place that's more true than in Detroit, and it's something we need to deal with.

I tried to deal with it in a different way in a land value tax.

I think we've got to address the property tax problems.

But I'm not in favor of laying off all the police and fire in the state.

Another thing that we kno will be on the ballot, in fact, it will be proposal on is a constitutional convention.

Do you think I mean, what are your thought about the possibility of voters approving a constitutional convention?

There is an enormous opportunity for mischief in a constitutional convention.

You will see the special interests pour massive amounts of money into that, and I'll be voting no on it.

I don't think the problem is with the Constitution.

Let me ask you, Ed McNamara, former Wayne County executive, you were his chief aide.

What would Ed McNamara think about the political climate today in Lansing and what's going on here?

He once ran for lieutenant governor.

He did.

He lost.

He ran with Sandy Levin and lost a very close race to Bill Milliken.

Ed McNamara, you know, was a Democrat who ran for mayor of Livonia when it was almost entirely Republican.

And the first time I asked him, how do you handle this?

He says, I don't I just don't let him know that was the way he did it.

But you know how he was.

I mean, he had the ability to pull people together from th business side, the labor side.

You know, how we got Metro Airport built, how we got Comerica Park in Ford Field, built in partnership with Dennis Archer.

And I think he would be like, I think my father, who passed a few years ago, proud Reagan Republican, appointed by President Reagan to the federal bench.

Was just horrified.

He thought that the way that you won elections was get more votes, not go redistrict your state.

And I think we need to get back to the fact we should compete for people support, not be trying to play games.

And you know, the election some people say really depends on the street ticket voting.

If all those Democrats, Republicans, a bunch of them, but you're toast, right?

No, of course.

And this is, S the straight ticket helps you?

The straight ticket doesn't matter.

And this is.

Well then why are you going to make a special attention to explain to people how to do it?

Because it doesn't matter if they do it now, You had to explain how people ran in 2013 and it worked.

But but you tell your viewers who don't understand this, in a November election, you can vote straight ticket Democratic vote.

Mike Duggan for independent, they all count.

You can vote straight ticket Republican vote Mike Duggan for independent.

They all count.

Do you think the people know that?

They don't know that because you never had an independent.

But Bill's point is right.

In 2013, I ran for mayor of Detroit as a write in, and I had to explain to people something they never seen before.

But last time I checked there's a few more people in the rest of the state than in Detroit, sir.

And and there's and the people in the state ar fed up with politics as usual.

They'll figure it out.

But you will see people voting straight ticket Democratic and voting for me.

You're already seeing the early polling in Detroit.

A lot more people know how to do that.

Then you think right now.

And they will even more will vote October 26.

I don't have an expectation that you're going to make this announcement around this table.

If you would like to, though.

I think the option is there.

Are we out of time?

LG Right, suddenly wrap it up.

An LG candidate, right?

Yeah, You want it, You know, I mean, unless you want to get name names, but I am curious about what yo are thinking in terms of an LG.

Is it someone from business?

Is it need to be someone who is from Lansin in the legislature, or female?

So this is interesting and I had to look up the process.

But an independent doesn't have a convention.

I have to file a piece of paper with the Secretary of State around the 1st of September 2026.

And so for the next year, I'm just going to evaluate the talent and I'm going to pick the most talented person.

And at this point, I don't hav a particular candidate in mind, but I'm meeting people every day in different parts of the state.

And I'm confident some people.

Wait until almost the end.

September against the point a which I know I'll announce it.

But it's been remarkable.

People are calling or saying they're interested.

I am curious from your brain, when you say talent, what are those attributes?

What does that mean and look like to you?

Somebody who is honest, who is competent, who says what they mean, commands, respect, has an a has an accomplishment in life that people can say, yeah, this we are going to end politics as usual.

And I truly don't have a person right now.

I am extremely surprised some of the phone calls I've gotten.

But it's I got another year to evaluate talent.

I'm affraid folks are calling you already.

I haven't called.

I haven't called anybody since.

Right.

How many?

Six or eight, Most of whom are names you recognize.

Pretty funny.

Well, this is Off the Record I mean, this is true.

I'm not talking.

We're done with this conversation.

I don't want to rat people out who are calling, but I literally am ten months away from zeroing in on that.

Another question about let's say you become governor, what would you want the legislature to look like?

You certainly are not goin to have independent majorities in the House and the Senate.

I'm curious about your thoughts.

Does divided government help in some ways?

Would you want some kind of, you know, Democratic control, Republican control?

What's your...

This is exactly the right question.

And people have been trying to understand wh I'm running as an independent.

I will not engage between the Democrats and Republicans in any state rep or state Senate race just as I am not engaged in city council races.

I will work with who gets it because I don't want to create enemies coming in, as the Democrats do now by opposing all the the Republicans or or vice versa.

And I'm going to work.

If you give me a Democratic House and Senate, it'll be one strategy.

Give me split leadership.

It'll be another strategy.

Every Republican House and Senate, it will be another strategy.

But my coalition is business and labor.

It is going to be before we're done a range of people from all over the state.

And what I'm going to do is bring in the coalition that helped elect me and say, let's sit down with the leadership in the legislature together.

What are your priorities?

What are our priorities?

There's no reason fourth grade reading is part of it.

There's no reason why a tech economy to keep our young people in state is partizan.

People are looking for this partizan stuf to raise money off the division, but most people just want to solve problem and I'm looking forward to it.. Is one of the reasons that you're getting along so well with the council, there's less acrimony today between the Mayor and council every year to me is that they're nonpartisan.

They're not all I mean, they may be secretly all Democrats, but, you know.

Did you see the four years before I got elected to the council that day, big where they were all partisan, It was showtime every night it's different because I went in, I sat and had lunch with each one of them.

Every one of them has got my cell phone number.

Any one of them can drop into my office and say, Hey, I don't like the way you're doing this.

But if you if you added this thing to reach some more neighborhoods, I'll sign on.

It's been a great relationship and when we disagree, you'v never once seen as name calling.

We're disagreeing on substance.

And the thing was, what counse found was the public loved it.

They all got reelected in landslides when we were working together, accomplishing things.

I think I can show the legislature life is better when you're not fighting all the time.

Mr. Mayo you left the Democratic Party.

But between the Republicans and Democratic Party, which party is closest to the values that you hold near and dear to your heart?

You know, I think there are pieces of both sides that are where they I haven't changed anything.

And so I'm no going to antagonize either side, but I am who I am I haven't changed my position.

Well what do you like abou the Republicans in one sentence.

You know, the commitment to bringing jobs to the to the state is always been a strength of the Republican Party.

And the strength of the Democratic Party?

I think the Democratic Party has historically fought fo for the rights of everybody to have a fair chance.

Now, the working class and the farmers don't feel reciprocal about that.

But the Democratic Party that I joined was a party of union workers and farmers and young kids starting out and seniors.

And it was a party where you could have a wide diversity of opinion, but everybody was was was going to get a chance.

All right.

I promise to get yo out the door by 8:30.

Quick one.

Quick question.

Back to auto insurance real quickly, you welcomed in Detroit Cure Auto Insurance.

This company has now rocketed up to number two in total complaints.

Have you been getting complaints?

Is your office been getting complaints about the compan and what have you done about it?

Yeah.

Again, the question is, what is the stat Office of Insurance Regulation doing about it?

And so I've heard the complaints just in conversations with people in the city and in the suburbs.

And I think there's a real issue, a relative to the handling of claims.

That's what this is for.

You're supposed to be making sure the insurance companies deliver.

And again, my questio is, what's the state insurance regulator doing about it?

Well, what would you d to add some teeth to that tiger?

I would demand accountabilit from the insurance commissioner.

Now, what's the chances for the next time we interview on Off the Record you'll be governor of Michigan?

Are you interviewing m before January 1, 27 or after?

Pick your poison.

I'm not in the prediction business.

I just work really hard and people have been great to me.

I think you're a student of the game.

Yeah, right?

If you guys when I announced that was an independent in Decembe and some of you guys were like, Yeah, right an independent can't win.

He'll never raise any money the party infrastructure he doesn't have.

It's better than 50-50 you'll be governor.

You know if the momentum we've had the last eight months continues I'm confident it's going to be successful.

Would you agree with that 50-50 analysis?

I'm not I don't put odds on things, I just work hard.

All right.

Good to see you.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, appreciate it.