JUST WHO IS RUNNING DETROIT?
That Bing needs management assistance is akin to saying that Bing has no clue how to manage his own office, much less his own city (not really his--remember, he was moved into Detroit to barely and technically meet the filing requirements to run for mayor).
Remember all that hype about how Bing the businessman was not Bing the politician? His "supporters" got together a top notch public relations team that hijacked local media to shaped an image of Bing as some form of an "altruistic" politician...sort of like a "nerd" of a different color. Detroit may actually have been a dry run or laboratory for Snyder's gubernatorial campaign theme. It just sounds all too familiar now.
Well, apparently Detroit's emperor has clothes even the Salvation Army won't accept, no coherent strategy to lead or cohesive leadership team, a bully-like temperament (my way or no way---as evidenced by his negotiating style with the unions and Detroit's City Council), and no inclination to deep-six an aide who most around Bing consider a pretty power hungry poison within his inner circle.
No matter what magic may have befallen a mayor who be be smitten in other respects, the fact that the governor's office is stepping into Bing's office should alarm everyone.
Is it not remarkable that the business community is now prepared to thrown some money on the table to rent Bing expertise his transition team was supposed to already have? Let's see...where have we seen that before? Oh, yes, can anyone spell DPS?
There is a difference between keeping your eye on the prize and keeping one eye on your co-workers to make sure you you have a job tomorrow. Bing's job today is to run the city...not to allow Governor Snyder to execute an administrative drive-by on the city's residents and assets.
In that context, just what does "home rule" really mean when you need and allow yourself to be propped up by a business community that has successfully framed every working Joe and Jane as greedy, lazy, incompetent and too expensive to pay a decent wage?
"The matter has caught the attention of Gov. Rick Snyder, who has offered the mayor management assistance from his team. Business leaders have been meeting with Bing for several weeks to try to help him stabilize his operation"
Now, that quote can mean a great many things, but one interpretation is clear:
It seems that the Bing administration is falling apart at the seams, and Bing's sub-urban benefactors are scrambling to keep the facade from disintegrating altogether.
That Bing needs management assistance is akin to saying that Bing has no clue how to manage his own office, much less his own city (not really his--remember, he was moved into Detroit to barely and technically meet the filing requirements to run for mayor).
Remember all that hype about how Bing the businessman was not Bing the politician? His "supporters" got together a top notch public relations team that hijacked local media to shaped an image of Bing as some form of an "altruistic" politician...sort of like a "nerd" of a different color. Detroit may actually have been a dry run or laboratory for Snyder's gubernatorial campaign theme. It just sounds all too familiar now.
Well, apparently Detroit's emperor has clothes even the Salvation Army won't accept, no coherent strategy to lead or cohesive leadership team, a bully-like temperament (my way or no way---as evidenced by his negotiating style with the unions and Detroit's City Council), and no inclination to deep-six an aide who most around Bing consider a pretty power hungry poison within his inner circle.
No matter what magic may have befallen a mayor who be be smitten in other respects, the fact that the governor's office is stepping into Bing's office should alarm everyone.
Is it not remarkable that the business community is now prepared to thrown some money on the table to rent Bing expertise his transition team was supposed to already have? Let's see...where have we seen that before? Oh, yes, can anyone spell DPS?
There is a difference between keeping your eye on the prize and keeping one eye on your co-workers to make sure you you have a job tomorrow. Bing's job today is to run the city...not to allow Governor Snyder to execute an administrative drive-by on the city's residents and assets.
In that context, just what does "home rule" really mean when you need and allow yourself to be propped up by a business community that has successfully framed every working Joe and Jane as greedy, lazy, incompetent and too expensive to pay a decent wage?
The air is rare on Mackinaw Island this week. This is a place where Michigan's "royals" meet to determine the fate of urban commoners. The real shocker may be that perhaps the hidden agenda of this so-called "Leadership Conference" may be to start the process of selecting Bing's successor.
How many wheels does the bus have, anyway?
How many wheels does the bus have, anyway?
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