Detroit City Council President and Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield told the Free Press for a story in October that she would have more to say about the shiny, oval-cut diamond engagement ring she wears on her left hand after the election.
While she hasn’t confirmed any details, many signs suggest that the nuptials were celebrated privately Sunday, Dec. 7, at The Godfrey in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.
Throughout the weekend social media was buzzing and the city’s movers-and-shakers were giddy about Sheffield’s pending nuptials. Deadline Detroit reported the news Saturday afternoon, and “The Cook uP Show Podcast” posted to their Instagram page Sunday: “Detroit’s future First Couple! Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield will marry Rickey Jackson Jr. — community leader, former Adrian College baller, and brother of WNBA star Rickea Jackson. Sending big congratulations to the happy couple!” The post also featured a photo of the pair.
An IG user with the handle hsheff3, the blue-check verified page of Mary Sheffield’s father, the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, commented: “Soon my son and daughter” to the podcast’s post.
IG user ceo-syl-via, the page IG page of Sylvia Crawford, responded to Horace Sheffield’s post: “@hsheff3 we got excited by this post but just in case thanks for the confirmation pops Sheffield.”
Several other users also sent their congratulations to Sheffield on the post.
The Free Press reached out to Sheffield’s team several times leading up to the weekend, but did not get a comment.
On Sunday afternoon, there wasn’t much noticeable activity outside The Godfrey, but vendors unloaded hundreds of red roses toward the back of the building. Horace Sheffield and Mary Sheffield’s Chief of Staff Brian White also were spotted late Sunday afternoon entering the hotel stylishly dressed.
Sources told the Free Press that thrice Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter-producer Kem would be a special musical guest and performer at the intimate gathering.
Jackson works for the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan as the program manager of Project Play, which builds a community around providing sports and recreational access for children, according to their website. He also is the brother to Detroit-born Rickea Jackson, WNBA forward for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Several people familiar with Sheffield’s wedding plans, but said they didn’t attend the celebration, shared that it was a small event for those closest to the families, and that it was a no-phones event.
Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.
M.L. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter, director of student investigative reporting program Eye On Michigan, and host of the ML’s Soul of Detroit podcast. Click here or visit https://www.patronicity.com/project/eye_on_michigan_watchdog_u_3#!/ to support Eye On Michigan. Contact Elrick at mlelrick@freepress.com or follow him on X at @elrick, Facebook at ML Elrick and Instagram at ml_elrick.
Free Press photography intern Finn Gomez contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Did Detroit Mayor-elect get married this weekend?
Reporting by Dana Afana, M.L. Elrick and Finn Gomez, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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