Detroit, the 'Region' - and the State

There's no doubt in my mind that a strong, vibrant Detroit is needed for the growth of SE and South Central Michigan - or for the State as a whole, for that matter. 

In the 'old days', it made sense for some municipalities to provide a lot of services themselves - lighting, water, transportation.  I remember a time when Wyandotte did its own lighting (or electricity), too.  But that model doesn't work any more.

As a Detroit-born and raised guy, it pains me to see the problems of my 'home town'.  Government is needed, but politics often is used for petty, personal and unscrupulous reasons that tears down the good aspects of government.

The historic demise of Detroit Public Schools is a great example of how a large organization infiltrated by cronyism and nepotism can destroy a valuable asset.  Decades of unchecked malfeasance and inefficiency took them into receivership.  Now the City is there,too.  Except that the City representatives are fighting more earnestly.  And I don't think that's a good thing.

A former Mayor on trial right now (after a conviction and served time on other counts), appointees  convicted or on trial, a former Councilperson in jail - where does it end? 

The 'local control' issue is a smokescreen for not giving up power.  If I lose power, it's a 'power grab' by the other side, some City officials seem to think.  Or maybe they don't.  Maybe they just see the loss of their personal power.  A couple of points to show that Detroit losing some of it's 'power' isn't all that bad for the residents.

First, DDOT, the transportation system. In Janury 2012 they were privatized and since then ridership has increased, they've retired some older buses which allows them to concentrate on keep the rest of the buses in service, and they've added GPS to most of the vehicles in service.

The "415" plan gets buses running every 15 minutes on the City's four busiest routes, but it was also criticized at first.  When a something is as broken as Detroit's transportation system was, nothing can happen quick enough, but this is a privatization success.  The real solution is a regional sytem, as long as this dysfunctional municipality doesn't have veto or controlling power over it.

The Belle Isle initiative proposed by the state would require a long term lease for its operation, but again, City Council balks under the premise of 'losing local control'.  Guess what?  The City has mismanaged, neglected and ignored this resource for (again) decades.  That is it's sad history, and the sad history of City governance.  Restore this almost 1000 acres to something that the City and the State can be proud of.  Get the lights back on for the residents and provide basic police and fire protection.  Einstein famously said that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity.  Apparently, Detroit's leaders are insane.