For about a year, Mayor Mary Sheffield seemed to be riding high. To get elected, she mounted an impressive campaign, taking 77% of the vote. Many have commented on her leadership skills, balancing confidence and intellect with openness, and a willingness to listen.

Now, the mayor’s office is under scrutiny. Sheffield’s ex-boyfriend, Marvin Walker, says when she was council president, she took $200,000 in kickbacks from city real estate deals. She denies that. Walker also had private photographs of the two of them. Detroit activist Jahdante Smith posted them on Facebook. Sheffield calls it harassment. 

Then Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison called the two men and asked them to take the photos down. Weeks later, police seized Smith's phone during an allegedly unrelated arrest. The city's Inspector General is now investigating Bettison. There's a lot of speculation surrounding these events...so what do we actually know? 

Detroit Free Press investigative reporter Violet Ikonomova has been looking into this. She spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.