Detroit lagged 80% of cities in electing a woman mayor. What gives?

City Council President Mary Sheffield’s Nov. 4 election win to become Detroit’s first woman mayor marks the culmination of decades of women’s political influence in the city — and brings Detroit in line with most other major U.S. cities that already have elected women mayors.

Sheffield, 38, is seen by close watchers of local politics as a fitting first. In her 12 years on the city council, the fourth-generation Detroiter has focused on issues like affordable housing and water, as well as providing city residents more work opportunities — developing a reputation as a fighter for the poor and working class, much like the women who rose to power in civic affairs before her.