JACKSON, Mich — As his final term winds down, Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney stood before neighbors Wednesday night at the City Center Kitchen with a message equal parts celebration and challenge.
- Mahoney delivered his final State of the City address, highlighting a "renaissance" of growth and renewal in Jackson.
- Mahoney highlighted a drop in crime numbers, with Jackson Police statistics showing overall crime is down 14%.
- Mahoney, whose third term ends in December, said last fall he would not seek re-election in order to spend more time with family.
WATCH: JACKSON MAYOR DANIEL MAHONEY DELIVERS FINAL STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
Mahoney wasted no time making clear where his head is at heading into the final stretch of his tenure.
"My focus right now is to keep running plays until the clock runs out," Mahoney said.
The mayor used much of his address to reflect on what he called a "renaissance" in Jackson, a period of renewed investment, growth and community belief that he argued has reshaped the city during his time in office.
"Renaissance gave us renewed belief in ourselves," Mahoney said. "But every community that grows eventually reaches a moment where it must honestly look at itself."
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That honest look, Mahoney argued, shows real progress.
On housing, he pointed to new home construction underway on the city's south side. On economic development, he said the city has injected nearly $1.5 million into businesses along the MLK Corridor.
Public safety was another centerpiece of his address. According to Jackson Police statistics, overall crime in the city is down 14%. Mahoney drilled down further, noting that shots fired are down 20% and bullets to body are down 18%.
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Despite the progress, Mahoney was careful not to frame Wednesday night as a victory lap. He called this moment in Jackson's history a "reckoning" and made clear that what happens next falls on the community.
"A reckoning is not just about what we've done, it's about what we choose to do next," Mahoney said. "It will be decided by the choices we continue to make as a community."
Mahoney was first elected in 2021, becoming Jackson's first Black mayor. He won re-election in 2023. Last fall, he announced he would not seek another term, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
His final term is set to wrap up at the end of December.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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