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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBing says he knows bankruptcy, emergency manager possible for Detroit; 'I haven't given up'
A candid Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said this afternoon that he knows deeper state intervention is a possibility for the city he leads -- and possibly a municipal bankruptcy -- but he’s doing everything he can to avoid such dire consequences.
“I’m a realist, and I know that’s a real possibility,” Bing said today amid threats from the state that it could appoint an emergency financial manager for Detroit and growing speculation that bankruptcy is inevitable. “But I’m also a fighter, and I haven’t given up.”
Bing lamented a lack of progress on reforms and professed frustration with his office’s efforts to implement structural changes in city government and deeper divisions with the City Council over how to get Detroit fixed.
Bing spoke to the news media this afternoon for about 30 minutes just days after state Treasurer Andy Dillon warned city officials he will begin a 30-day review process next week that could lead to the appointment of an emergency financial manager.
Bing reiterated that furloughs are on tap for early next year and that the city expects to lay off 400-500 more workers in the next two to three months. He said the police and fire departments are not exempt, but Deputy Mayor Kirk Lewis said that with the cuts, “we’re trying not to affect officers on the street.”
Bing’s chief financial officer, Jack Martin, said the layoffs and furloughs would exempt employees in departments that generate revenue such as tax collections for the city.
http://www.freep.com/article/20121207/NEWS05/121207062/detroit-mayor-dave-bing-emergency-financial-manager-news-conference?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
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Suich
(10,642 posts)Or am I thinking of another state?
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)A Republican-led state House panel approved a proposed replacement Thursday for an emergency manager law rejected by Michigan voters, despite concerns of critics who argued the process was rushed and the legislation subverts the will of the electorate.
The House Local, Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs Committee voted 9-5 along party lines, with one abstention, on what's known as The Local Financial Stability and Choice Act. The legislation now goes to the full House for consideration.
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and legislative leaders unveiled the plan late Wednesday. The plan gives four choices to communities and school districts found to be in a financial emergency: accept an emergency manager, Chapter 9 bankruptcy, a mediation plan the state describes as a "neutral evaluation process" or a consent agreement with the state similar to the one in Detroit.
As with the rejected law, the manager would have the power to change or cancel contracts, but local officials also could develop an alternative plan provided it generates equal financial savings. Should a local government choose an emergency manager, the state would pay for the manager, and local officials would have the option of removing the manager after one year and with a two-thirds vote of its governing body.
The governor and leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature sought a quick replacement to the law voters decisively rejected in November. The state has been operating since under a previous law that gives managers fewer powers, but leaders argue it's inadequate to deal with failing cities or schools.
Suich
(10,642 posts)mayor and city council had no say, etc. The thing I remember most is the manager tried to sell the only radio station they had and the courts stopped him. They wanted the land for a golf course. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Oh, I found it! Benton Harbor...whatever happened there?
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)From a year ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/magazine/benton-harbor.html?pagewanted=all
Now That the Factories Are Closed, It’s Tee Time in Benton Harbor, Mich.
It is the black, poor, crime-riden, depopulated core of an old industrial area.
IIRC, that is where Heathkits were made and where Zenith Electronics and Data Systems had some operations. Whirlpool HQ is stil nearby, but I doubt that they do any manufacturing there anymore.
