In a move that appears to only guarantee his own salary, Mayor Dave Bing jumped on the emergency financial manager (EFM) bandwagon within days of Gov. Rick Snyder’s March 1 proclamation that Detroit is in a financial crisis. His first decision, as he tries to move the city down the EFM path, was the announcement that Jones Day, the Cleveland-based mega law firm, will provide legal services for the city’s re ...

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Mind snacking over a small oatmeal in a large Clique bowl, I was wondering just how the already tabloid-trending Detroit media would sensationalize the Kilpatrick verdict. Rev. Charles Williams II, president of the Michigan National Action Network and a confidant of the erstwhile Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of NAN, was fooling around with one of those dumb azz smart phones streaming the breaking news on a rea ...

A plan to create a regional authority that would absorb the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) has been proposed. The plan could save the city of Detroit $50 million annually, based on lower interest rates, drafters say. ...

The crisis in Detroit is not economic. It is a crisis in democracy. The contours of this crisis are becoming clearer with each passing day. On March 7, Mayor Bing called a press conference to announce that even though he disputed the “facts” of the rationale provided to the governor to appoint an emergency manager, he would not challenge the findings. “We need to end the drama and infighting and understand ...

Mike Duggan says he is the turnaround candidate in Detroit’s mayoral race. He believes his experience at Wayne County, the SMART bus system and, most recently, the Detroit Medical Center, has prepared him for the challenges of running the city. Throughout the interview, Duggan talked about self-determination and the need for city control of assets and resources. The former Wayne County Prosecutor promises h ...

On March 4, days after Gov. Rick Snyder declared a financial emergency in the city of Detroit, Michigan State Treasurer Andy Dillon, acting on behalf of Gov. Snyder, summoned each member of the Detroit City Council to one-on-one private meetings. Councilmember JoAnn Watson enlisted Citizens for Detroit’s Future President Tom Barrow, CPA, to accompany her. ...

Sitting in the Detroit One Coney Island on Woodward, mind snacking over black coffee and tuna (passing on the Coneys), I marvel at the intersecting life patterns of Rev. Al Sharpton, community activist Agnes Hitchcock and myself. In years bygone, I had conflict with both. ...

The DPS board held a special planning meeting Feb. 21 at Spain Middle School after receiving court rulings that legitimized and clarified their roles—if only for a few weeks. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge John Gillis dismissed Attorney General Bill Schuette’s suit that claimed the board members elected by district were holding their seats unlawfully. Schuette argued that due to a decline in student enrol ...

If Gov. Rick Snyder had any sense, he would find a way to back off from the decision to appoint an emergency financial manager for the city of Detroit. This is a manufactured financial emergency, created to justify seizing control of the city’s assets, breaking the power of democratic constituents and blunting the newly revised Detroit City Charter. It is based on bogus figures. ...