In his first exclusive sit-down interview of 2010, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, who will be inaugurated Jan. 8, tells Michigan Chronicle senior editor Bankole Thompson that he is optimistic about the future of the city, touting neighborhood development, light rail and the coming North American International Auto Show, and insists that he will fight to avoid bankruptcy or receivership under his watch.
Bing also lambastes AFSCME leadership for forestalling contract negotiations, noting it’s costing the city thousands a week, says he wants to see the next governor of Michigan commit to helping Detroit, and lashes out at his former opponent, Tom Barrow, who is calling for investigations into the last election, claiming ballot irregularities. Excerpts follow.
MICHIGAN CHRONICLE: What is Mayor Bing’s New Year resolution?
DAVE BING: Stay alive. (laughs)
MC: Stay alive?
DB: I don’t really have a resolution. I think as far as this city is concerned and my position with the city is to put the city on a firm financial footing. And there are some outstanding issues that need to be resolved before we do that. There is the Deficit Elimination Bond that has to be finalized. We’re getting close to that. That’s a $250 million that would give us some needed cash flow. I think the other big issue is finalizing the negotiations with the unions. And then there are some issues probably even before either one of them. In less than two weeks we have the auto show. So I want to make sure as we are on the global scene we are seen in a positive light with the change of administration, changes at City Council, that are all positive.
MC: On the deficit, how soon will the city be on the road to financial sanity?
DB: I wish I could give you a time and be very direct with you on that. I do think in the next 30 to 45 days we would have that bill passed. And once that happens there are some other things we think we can do for cash flow. Our collections are going very well, better than we expected. But that doesn’t mean we are out of the woods. This year it’s going to be very difficult to balance the budget. As we look at the 2010-2011 budget that’s going to be just as tough. Because I don’t see a new revenue stream coming in and we’ve got to start thinking beyond month to month, quarter to quarter, year to year. We’ve got to start looking further out, I think.
MC: So the auditor general’s report will be indicting?
DB: I don’t that it will be indicting. I don’t think it’s going to be any different from anything that we know now and that we’ve been talking about. I’m hopeful that we don’t add substantially to the deficit based on what’s going on right now.There are some things that we are doing from an implementation standpoint I think is going to be positive. I do think 2010 will be a difficult year, but it will be one that I think we can manage, too.
MC: Has the city started implementing any of the recommendations from the Turnaround Team?
DB: Oh, some of those recommendations were implemented before the report came out because they were things we were already working on. A lot of the recommendations in that report our staff gave to the Turnaround Team. They prioritized some of them. We are well on our way to implementation of a lot of the 24 items we looked at for the next 12 months.
MC: Much of what you’ll do will depend on how willing the new Detroit City Council will be to work with you. What kind of relationship do you expect?
DB: Very positive. I’ve met with all of them, all of the new ones. I was meeting with them all along. And I’ve got good relationships, I think, with all of them. They truly understand the difficultly the city is in. I think I’m making them totally aware of how bad the situation is. So I think we are on the same page in terms of the things that we need to do to stop the bleeding and try to get us on a corrective path.
MC: What has changed so far since you’ve been in office?
DB: Telling the truth. Having factual data without trying to sanitize it for anybody. I think that’s been the most important thing that we’ve brought to the table. I do think if that were the case, Detroit would be looked upon worse than even we are today and so would the state of Michigan.
MC: So bankruptcy, receivership not under your watch?
DB: I don’t want it to happen under my watch. I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. And that is not only managing the resources we have here today but also going out to establish meaningful relationships with the surrounding counties, with the capital and with Washington, D.C. And those things I do think will pay dividends.
MC: As far as your administration is concerned, what should residents expect this year and in this decade on neighborhood development?
DB: That will be a focus. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight. I think one of the things that I really want to focus on is the housing stock here in the city. There is a lot of demolition that needs to take place and that’s where I’m going to need federal support. Because it’s job creation and getting rid of a lot of the blight that we have right now that puts us in a position to make strategic decisions going forward. The city has to be downsized. But it all has to start with cleanup, demolition.
There are a lot of opportunities, I think, to make some improvements in some of the housing stock we have here. We don’t have to tear down everything, but we have to be very expeditious, and what kind of funding we’re going to have and where that funding is going to be dedicated to get the best results. There are some neighborhoods that traditionally have been strong neighborhoods that are on the downside right now. And we’ve got to make sure we don’t forget about them. We’ve to go in some of those homes, neighborhoods and do some things, incentives that will get people to move back into those neighborhoods. The toughest thing I’m going to be faced with is reshaping this city.
MC: With neighborhoods come crime. How do you feel about public safety in the city presently?
DB: Not where we need to be but definitely going in the right direction. I think when we look at it at an annualized basis I don’t think the statistics are going to be very positive. When you look at it over the last five or six months you will see a trending in a much better direction. (Police Chief) Warren Evans is doing an outstanding job.
MC: Is there still the fight between you and the unions?
DB: I wouldn’t call it a fight. But I think it’s a lack of leadership from the union. I don’t think it’s the rank and file, quite frankly, because our books are open. Any information that they require to understand exactly where we are from a financial standpoint, they have access to it. They have it. They can keep on playing the game so that they can elongate the process. The more you elongate the process, the more it costs the city. The more it costs the city, in the end it’s going to cost jobs. Because if I ca
n’t afford to maintain the labor force, then I have no alternative other than to cut labor. If they force me into that, I’m going to do it. I’ve already cut close to 500 positions. I think I need another 500 positions.
MC: How soon do you need those cuts?
DB: Yesterday. Like I said, every day that we don’t have an agreement it costs us, on a weekly basis, about $250,000. So the leadership, AFSCME in particular, may say that they want to fight and play as many games as they can. I’ve given them all of the information that they need. I’m ready to ratchet up the negotiations.
MC: 2010 is a gubernatorial year. Has any candidate called seeking your support?
DB: Not yet.
MC: Will who gets elected governor be a priority for you?
DB: Well, I want to make sure whoever gets elected has Detroit at the forefront. That’s very important to me, to Detroit and to whoever is going to be governor. Because if Detroit is still going to be a city that’s hurting as we are today, it’s going to create that problem in Lansing, whoever the governor will be.
MC: Does it matter whether it’s a Democrat or Republican that gets elected?
DB: I want the best person that’s going to get the most support for Detroit.
MC: As a member of the Detroit Public Schools Oversight Committee, how would you rate Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb’s performance?
DB: Excellent. Because he is confronted with the same kind of problems that I got in terms of city government, hard decisions that should have been made, and nobody likes it. So he’s doing that. So I give him an A for that. There are some things I would assume if he could do differently, he would.
MC: Like?
DB: I think he got criticized for contracts outside of the city, outside of the state. I’m not close enough to see whether there is credibility behind that. But I think as we look at this oversight committee, one of the things that is exceedingly important is that we want to maximize the utilization of Detroit-based companies as they get opportunities for contracts with the bonding.
MC: Do you support his push to take over the curriculum of DPS?
DB: If he had the right board to work with, then it probably would not be a problem. I think he feels that this is not the right board for him to get done what he wants to get done.
MC: Clearly, it seems that some people have worked to keep the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Any reaction?
DB: It’s our signature event. I’ve heard numbers historically saying that it represents somewhere around $500 million to our local communities, which is huge. But there are some other things that are pretty important that are going to go on in 2010. The auto show kicks it off. But shortly after that you have the $500 million bond issue with the schools, you’ve got one or two bridges that could hopefully get kicked off in 2010 that will be somewhere around $1 billion in economic activity.
MC: Do you think there should be another bridge?
DB: Oh yes, I think there ought to be another bridge. Now whether or not it’s the Ambassador Bridge, the twin bridge, I don’t know. From my vantage point I’ll take either one of them because it means so much for economic activity in this area and potential jobs for Detroiters. Then you look at our light rail system that is going to kick off. That is a $350 million project.
MC: Detroit has been catapulted to the center of global security with the recent attempted terrorist incident. Does that challenge the Detroit Police Department?
DB: I don’t think so. That’s Homeland Security more than anything else.
MC: How would you grade yourself?
DB: I’m not the one to grade myself.
MC: President Obama graded himself.
DB: That’s President Obama. (laughs) I won’t think like Obama in this instance. I think our local business community, people in this city, in this administration are the people that I think really I would have to pay attention to. What I think of the job that I have done is insignificant right now.
MC: What is in place right now to help small businesses in this tough economy?
DB: Well, that’s where you go, to the neighborhoods. That’s where small businesses, I think, have a chance to grow and hopefully prosper. All of the different projects I just talked about, each one of them will be heavily supported by small business people.
MC: Your past opponent, Tom Barrow, is requesting Michigan Attorney General Cox to investigation allegations of ballot irregularities in the last general election. Are you concerned?
DB: I wasn’t concerned about Tom Barrow when we ran against each other. I’m not concerned about him now. I think what he is doing is costing the city money it can’t afford. And its unfortunate everybody talks about their love for Detroit. You are doing something like he’s doing. What sense does it make? Even with the unions. They want me to go to jail. They want to sue me. The purpose of it is what?
MC: But Detroit is a labor town.
DB: And it is time for change. There is nothing wrong with unions.
MC: What do you make of the rapid leadership changes taking place at General Motors and its impact on the city?
DB: They are making radical changes. Their whole thing is how to stay alive, how to survive. I think the leadership over there understands that. The leadership in the city, starting with me, understands that. If we are going to stay alive and survive, we can’t continue to do the same things we’ve always done.
Watch senior editor Bankole Thompson’s weekly show, “Center Stage,” on WADL TV 38, Saturdays at 1 p.m. This Saturday’s program, Jan 9, will feature a special roundtable examining the last decade, 2000-2009. Joining the roundtable are Frank Taylor, Detroit businessman and restauranteur; Dawud Muhammad, former minister of the Nation of Islam; Lavonia Perryman Fairfax, public relations strategist and a presidential campaign veteran; and Rogelio Landin, a noted Hispanic business leader. E-mail bthompson@michronicle.com.