Monday’s political round-up

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick had the misfortune of following Dennis Archer, a serious and effective mayor for 8 years (and a former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and a former President of the American Bar Association), who himself took over after 20 years of the mostly ineffective and at times corrupt Coleman Young administration. Complicating things for Kilpatrick was his youth — he was only 29 when elected — and his family name, as his mother was a long-time and well-respected U.S. Congresswoman. Expectations were very high for him to keep the ball rolling when taking over from Archer, who started and deveeloped a good cooperative strategy with the suburban cities surrounding Detroit. Kilpatrick’s lack of experience, his youth and his ego, unfortunately, led to serious ethical breaches that he addressed with the George W. Bush tactics of excuse and ignore, and instead attacked the accusers instead. This combined with ineffective and inexperienced Department heads led to poor city services being provided, and disillusionment has again set in regarding too much of the City’s resources and infrastructure.

With the successful staging of the Major Leage All-Star Game and its related festivities, I do have to applaud the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau and, by extension, the Mayor’s office. I hope that the same successful efforts and outcome can occur with Super Bowl XL next February, and again help Detroit continue to overcome the now unfair national caricature the media holds regarding the City. Even the Pistons’ playoff successes in the past several years, without any rioting or civil disturbances experienced by other athletic teams’ host cities — despite the November 19 brawl with the Indiana Pacers — has contributed to some erosion of the negative image.

I don’t know much about Freman Hendrix, but he has been out in the communities to find out the types and extent of the problems citizens face, something Kilpatrick still declines to do on any consistent, committed basis. With his long record of commitment to and accomplishments on behalf of the City, I fail to see how Hendrix can do any worse than Kilpatrick and his cronies– and I use that “cronies” word with its full import — have done in the 3 1/2 years since they assumed office. In fact, I expect the City to give Hendrix the chance to re-energize Motown into a modern and successful city, as it once was 40 years ago! Any Detroit native — or even someone in the outlying areas — will tell you that no city in America has more collective “heart” and “moxie,” and when the proper leadership and economic conditions are combined, there is no limit to what can be accomplished there!!

Thanks, CB, for keeping us up to date in ongoing political developments around the country that we otherwise might miss or ignore!