September 23, 2025
FOX 2’s Charlie Langton said he would be a little surprised if an investigation took place for something so minor as Sheffield’s campaign continues to thrive.
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, who is also a frontrunner for the office of mayor, may be facing an ethics investigation after a concert shout-out from hip-hop icon Jeezy prompted accusations of her receiving complimentary tickets to his concert, Click On Detroit reported.
Jeezy took time during his Sept. 12 performance at the Fox Theatre to acknowledge Sheffield’s mayoral campaign from the stage, and it was later shared on her Instagram page. The rapper can be heard saying “Shoutout to Mary Sheffield, congratulations already!” in the Instagram post as the candidate posted it with the caption, “Detroit, let’s finish the work!! Thank you, @jeezy.”
The tickets were given to her by Comerica Bank, which is where the accusations of ethics violations arise. According to Fox 2 Detroit, Detroit’s Code of Ethics Ordinance on gifts states, “a public servant shall not accept gifts, gratuities, honoraria, or other things of value from any person or company doing business or seeking to do business with the city.”
Sheffield’s opponent, Reverend Solomon Kinloch, condemned the tickets, opening up wounds in the Motor City’s reputation of corruption. “Detroiters still carry the scars of systemic corruption. That culture of corruption bankrupted our city and destroyed public trust,” he said in a statement.
“Watching leaders trade their public office for personal perks, Detroit cannot go back.”
However, the Sheffield campaign argues that there was no violation, citing a specific clause in the ordinance. “Section 2-106.4 of the ethics ordinance specifically prohibits a public servant from accepting gifts, gratuities, or honoraria from any entity or person seeking official action from the city of Detroit,” spokesperson Brittni Brown explained.
“This is not applicable with respect to Comerica Bank because they are not a business partner with the city of Detroit.”
FOX 2‘s Charlie Langton seemed to agree, saying he would be a little surprised if an investigation took place for something so minor. “Just because the building that Comerica Bank happens to be in Detroit, I don’t think that precludes the powers that be from giving her a couple of concert tickets. I don’t think concert tickets are going to raise the ethical question of Mary Sheffield and the ethics policy,” the media personality said.
“I’d be shocked if there were a real investigation.”
Especially since her campaign continues to thrive ahead of the Nov. 5 election, former mayoral candidate and city council member Fred Durhal III endorsed Sheffield Sept. 22 during an event on Detroit’s west side. While he didn’t focus on the accusations, Durhal did emphasize the importance of ethics training in the political limelight.
“Ethics are important. We go through our ethical classes with the Board of Ethics and training,” Durhal said.
Executive Director of the Detroit Board of Ethics, which handles ethics investigations and provides training for public officials, Christal Phillips, announced plans to review the issue during the next meeting, scheduled for Oct. 15.
RELATED CONTENT: LET’S GET IT! JEEZY’S ELECTRIFYING ‘TM:101’ TOUR FINALE IN DETROIT ENDS WITH UPCOMING ALBUM & LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY ANNOUNCEMENT
