Even with all of the bright spots in Detroit—all the redevelopment projects, all the stories of new businesses and residents relocating back downtown—there’s a one large, continually growing cloud hanging over the city.

Detroit is almost out money.

And the man I thought would be able to get the city through this mess, along with a newly elected City Council I had so much faith in, seem to be letting me down—letting this city down.

At its core, the mayor’s emergency restructuring plan aims to cut spending $102 million over the next six months and avert a cash-flow crisis. To get there, Bing says, he would lay off 1,000 city employees and the unions would need to agree — by as early as next week — to reopen contracts and accede to 10-percent cuts in pay, a 30 percent employee share on health care premiums, pension restructuring, work rule changes and reduced overtime.

Today’s Detroit News reporting that now Bing has said he’s “ready to go to war” with City Council in order to implement his sweeping cuts and layoffs. Is this the kind of rhetoric though that’s really going to get things done? Has it really come to this?

How can the Mayor and the City Council be so desperately unwilling to work together?

“There’s a big difference intellectually between my staff and them; there’s a big difference operationally between my staff and them,” he continued. “They haven’t run anything. I am open and willing to work with them, but I am not taking direction from them. We’ve got to get away from politics.”

Read the full story here.

Photo by John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

The ongoing challenge to shrink the city of Detroit continues to move forward as highlighted in today’s Free Press interview with Mayor Bing.

Bing said he’s been working to encourage residents to relocate to more densely populated areas but made a point to clarify that no one will be forced to move. Though one would have to ask why anyone wouldn’t leap at the opportunity to move themselves or their family to a better, safer, more aptly served neighborhood if given the chance. The good news though is that so far it appears that a majority of Detroiters are ready to jump at the opportunity and get on board with the plan.

“We’re going to be encouraging them to move and put themselves in a better situation. … They are much better off moving into a more dense area so that we can provide them with the services they need: that would be water, sewer, lighting, public safety — all of that,” Bing said. “We think that getting our city to be more dense with its population is the right route.”

The interview also delves into Bing’s reign so far as mayor and how the outcome, or at least development, of the right-sizing plan could be the ultimate defining factor of Dave Bing’s term.

The plan could become a political lightning rod for Bing, who also said Tuesday he will seek a second term.

“I can’t fix the problems that the city has in one term,” he said. “I’ve been here in this office almost 18 months, and we’ve fixed and improved a lot of areas, but there’s so much more work to do. …

Read the complete article here.

Pictures courtesy of Detroit Free Press

Nolan Finley of the Detroit News had great column Sunday discussing the possibilities of an alliance between Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Michigan’s Governor-elect Rick Snyder in the wake of a congratulatory letter Bing recently sent to Snyder.

Going forward, Finley cites that a partnership between these two men is something that can only help bridge the divisive divide that has, for too long, separated the city of Detroit from the rest of the state.

Bing has said several times over that Michigan will not succeed unless Detroit succeeds. During his gubernatorial campaign Snyder shared similar sentiments about the city and what it’s future success would mean to the entire state.

Bing says of Snyder, “I expect us to be partners in turning around the state. And the state won’t get better without Detroit.”

In the letter, Bing approaches Snyder as a partner, not a supplicant, offering his help in applying “business principles to the operations of city and state government.”

Nowhere in the note does Bing ask for a hand-out.

I’m extremely optimistic (what else is new), but for good reason. Rick Snyder and Dave Bing represent what I truly believe to be post-partisan politics. Snyder, who is a moderate and Bing, who has very little if any ties or loyalties to the Democrats are Michigan and Detroit’s best bet going forward. 

I’ll be anxiously watching and waiting and hoping. Read the entire column here.

Michigan Governor-elect Rick Snyder                          Detroit Mayor Dave Bing