(WXYZ) — Ahead of the 2025 primary in the Detroit Mayoral Election, 7 News Detroit Anchor Carolyn Clifford is speaking to Solomon Kinloch, one of nine people who are running to be the next mayor.
Related: See interviews with all 9 Detroit mayoral candidates here
Watch our full interview with Solomon Kinloch in the video below
Born and raised in Detroit, Pastor Solomon Kinloch began pastoring at Triumph Church in 1998 at the age of 24.
"In 27 years, the church has grown from less than 100 people to more than 40,000 families," he said.
Now he is stepping from behind the pulpit in hopes of leading a city on the rise.
"I am at the altar on a weekly basis and I'm able to hear the deep concerns of people that they may not address in an open forum or open town hall meeting," he said.
I asked Kinloch what the biggest difference Detroiters will see compared to the current mayor, Mike Duggan.
"Well, Mayor Duggan has done a tremendous job," he said. "I believe that a Kinloch administration will give the assurance to people and the confidence to people that we're not just concerned about downtown."
When it comes to corruption, I asked what systems he would put in place to ensure transparency.
"One of the things I would immediately do is put a chief compliance officer on the 11th floor of city hall," he said.
Kinloch also says we have not done enough to curb violence in the city and we need more jobs for Detroiters.
"Our educational system has to become the pipeline to fuel our young people into these jobs," he said. "Why are we waiting so late to train individuals to take those qualitative jobs? We have to make sure we have programs in our school system to fuel our young people into those high-paying, quality jobs."
For struggling parents in the city who can barely make ends meet, he said, "I know what it's like to not know what you're going to eat that evening, to go to school with holes in the soles of your shoes, and barely have decent clothes to put on."
I also asked the one thing to define his legacy in the first year, if he is elected.
"To make sure we are putting our residents on a path of generational wealth," he said.
His final word to the voters?
"I've rocked with the residents of the city. "I'm asking them to give me one more chance and rock with me," he said.
