With less than a week until Detroit’s mayoral primary election, I am confident that the majority of Detroit voters out there have already decided which candidate will receive their vote. After all, if you live in Detroit by choice, I am guessing that you have a vested interest in who will be running the city for the next four years. I know I do.

For all of you procrastinators out there: while I whole-heartedly commend you for your ability to operate in such an anxiety-provoking, last-minute fashion – which would most likely be the death of me – please consider the advice of a die-hard Detroiter when I politely point out that waiting to the last minute to decide which candidate to vote for may not be the best idea in this situation.

With a mere six days before the polls open, you better believe that the Detroit atmosphere is about to become inundated with campaign advertisements – complete with inflated promises and negative attacks. You know, the typical political race.

So, instead of falling prey to the emotional and psychological commercials and lawn signs that continually increase the week before the election, why not do the research now while you can still think straight?

Although it is extremely difficult to find unbiased information on the candidates, this link to the Politics page of the online edition of the Detroit Free Press is a good place to start. Here you’ll find straight-forward information on each of the candidate’s viewpoints on five city-related items; basic background information on the candidates; and, portions of individual Q&A sessions the Freep conducted with each. You may also want to check out this recent article on Crain’s Detroit, which is also an individual Q&A session with each candidate, but asks questions more focused on Detroit’s business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Good luck on your research and hope to see you at the polls!