The City of Port Huron has a rich history, which includes milestones such as being the childhood home of Thomas A. Edison, the first city in Michigan to have commercial petroleum production in 1886, and the first city in the world to have the first international under-water railroad tunnel which was built in 1890.
With the conclusion of the 2024 general election on November 5, history was made yet again with Port Huron electing its first-ever African-American mayor. Anita R. Ashford, former City Councilwoman/Mayor Pro Tem for Port Huron will fill the new role of mayor formerly held for 15 years by Pauline Repp. Mayor Ashford won the votes by a large margin of 6,005-4,965, over Repp.
Her new role as mayor comes with new responsibilities and plans to see the city flourish and grow.
“As Mayor of the City of Port Huron, I am the Chief Executive Officer and face of the City Council. I also Chair our meetings and serve as Ambassador for the city,” Ashford says. “ I’d like to see more creative ways to challenge the housing issue we are facing in this country which includes better housing conditions for our residents. We currently have several developments in progress on the South end of town along with new subdivisions being built on the North end. I’d also like to see an increase in our population which will see growth as we improve our schools, safety, sense of belonging, and our overall care of the city and its infrastructure.”
About Mayor Anita Ashford
Ashford has lived in Port Huron her whole life. She has raised children, impacted the political landscape, and inspired residents. Born the seventh of eight children, she began getting involved in the local community during her teen years.
“I got started out in the community as a volunteer doing organizing work with children and other local events. I’ve had many mentors along the way who helped to guide and cultivate my passion with community involvement,” Ashford says.
The late Michigan State Senator Jackie Vaughn and former president of the Detroit City Council Maryann Mahaffey were instrumental in assisting Ashford in one of her first historical endeavors in Port Huron. During a time when racial tensions were still high between black and white residents, Ashford longed to make a difference in her community.
“I have always had this yearning to bring people together. As a child, I knew we (Blacks) were treated differently, but instead of being angry about it I always looked for a way to make a difference,” says Ashford. “So I, along with members of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) were possibly the first community organization in the City of Port Huron to acknowledge and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the purpose of honoring Dr. King’s legacy along with unifying local residents.”
The start of Mayor Ashford’s political journey began unexpectedly during her participation at a local rally on the south end of the city after she was called up to speak to the crowd. Noted for her powerful and commanding presence, Ashford willingly took to the stage, and as they say, the rest is history.
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Mayor Anita Ashford.
“At the start of my political journey, the late Maryann Mahaffey was my mentor and very influential in assisting and investing in me,” she says. “There weren’t very many people of color involved in the Port Huron area’s political scene at the time so I was honored to be recognized and taken under her wing in that aspect.” Ashford says. “With the help of Mahaffey I went on to work with many other influential individuals in the Detroit area including Mayors Coleman A. Young and Dennis Archer to name a few.”
An interesting fact about Ashford is that she was once a National Security Officer for the NAACP, protecting high-profile individuals like Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey.
“Sometime back in the late 1990s as a former NAACP Youth Delegate, I was attending an NAACP convention in Denver Colorado when I happened to stumble upon a group of out of control young people as I was checking into my hotel. The staff involved seemed to be having a difficult time calming the crowd so I decided to help them out with the situation. Amidst the chaos I stepped into the room, put my back to the wall, and in a commanding voice ordered the crowd to settle down bringing order to the situation. The Director of the NAACP’s Security Team just so happened to be there at the time, so after I left and went back to Michigan I received a call from the Michigan President of the NAACP with word that they were looking for me to hire me as part of their security team.” Ashford says.
On her journey to her current role as Mayor of Port Huron, Ashford has always been a voice for the voiceless and a champion of human rights. She has had almost 20 years of experience in city government, along with countless awards such as the Jim Sinclair Exceptional Service Award for her time as former Michigan Municipal League (MML) Vice President in which she was the first African-American female to hold the position.
Her recognition and prestige also include being a member of the National Association of Regional Councils Board of Directors, involved with the Michigan Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, leader of Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), and one of the lead organizers involved with having the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial placed in Fort Gratiot near the Blue Water Bridge.
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