EFM: Snyder to name Detroit emergency financial manager

[coracle]

There is something telling in your choice of words, as in; any apparent intention of becoming self-sufficient.

I'm not sure what you're reading into them Canuck, but my thinking behind them was that the Council is continuing to procrastinate without [[or with) a State EM until bankruptcy is declared; at which point they expect the State will prefer to step in and finance the shortfall, and that will establish a new source of revenue; which is their endgame. If they had any intention of solving the problem they would have grasped the nettle last April or before. They're not stupid; so if there really is a problem they are allowing it to worsen for their own reasons.

[Smirnoff]

.....also mentioned for EFM is Martha Reeves?

[Wesley Mouch]

How ironic is it that while Barack Obama was saying in his press conf.; "I'm not a dictator. I'm the president.", Rick Snyder was taking over a city?

Snyder can only 'take over' because the elected officials abdicated their responsibility to the voters.

As for me, I like takeovers. Say when you've been serious injured. The surgeon 'takes over' from the EMS driver.

[Smirnoff]

Jerry expressed Denny McLain for EFM?

[Wesley Mouch]

...snip...If they had any intention of solving the problem they would have grasped the nettle last April or before. They're not stupid; so if there really is a problem they are allowing it to worsen for their own reasons.

People tend to act in their own self interest. Council screams about 'local control', 'loss of democracy', and 'takeover' because their voters like hearing it. Similarly, council [[and administration) happily create and approve expenses because their votes like the results. Lots of services. Everyone is happy.

Unfortunately, the system encourages this behavior. That's what needs to be changed. There should be some mechanisms by which we limit the ability of local officials to make decisions that are good in the short term but deadly in the long term.

For example, in the past both Detroit and Wayne Country have actively given away more money to retirees than they were required. I have family members that got City of Detroit large, extra pension checks because the pension fund was 'over funded'. Was this smart? No. But they did it anyway because it was required by law. You can't have too much money in your pension plan. The City's funds were growing too fast. If that money had stayed in the pension fund, there would have been a little less pressure today. Oh well, they got theirs -- and so did my family.

[stasu1213]

The Mayor and council are soley responsible for the cancelling of the city resident's rights. City elected officials had signed a concent agreement to allow the Governor to do what he is about to do. Appoint an emergency financial manager. The city's elected officials should be brought up on charges for what they had done

[Smirnoff]

Ken Weiner for EFM?

[[1991) A former deputy police chief who was a business partner of Mayor Coleman A. Young has been convicted of engaging in a pyramid scheme that duped investors of millions of dollars.A Federal District Court jury on Monday found the 44-year-old defendant, Kenneth Weiner, guilty of all 40 counts against him for his role in a business while he was a Detroit police official.
Two co-defendants, Dr. Steven Lewin and Alvin Gendelman, were convicted of fraud and tax evasion. Dr. Lewin, 44, was convicted of 40 of 41 counts; Mr. Gendelman, 58, was found guilty on 35 of 40 counts.
Mr. Weiner is also the central figure in an investigation of the disappearance of $2.4 million in Police Department money. United States Attorney Stephen Markman said Monday that indictments could soon be handed up in that investigation, which began in February 1989.
Mr. Weiner, who left the department in 1986, was a partner with the Mayor in the investment company, which dealt in diamonds and gold.

[Ray1936]

For example, in the past both Detroit and Wayne Country have actively given away more money to retirees than they were required. I have family members that got City of Detroit large, extra pension checks because the pension fund was 'over funded'. Was this smart? No. But they did it anyway because it was required by law.

Wesley is correct to a degree. There are two City of Detroit pension funds; one for general city employees, and one for police and fire. The funds are entirely separate, and not intermingled in any way. Both have their own boards of directors.

That said, the general city fund, for general employees, issued a 13th check to their retirees nearly every year for decades. [[called a "13th check" because pension payments are monthly, 12 times a year.) However, police and fire retirees have only received one "13th check" for a few hundred dollars, and that was about 15 years ago. While the current P&F retirees would find that desirable to start, the pension board, in their wisdom, declined the issuance of any further surplus funds. As a result, the P&F pension fund is 102% funded as of July 1, 2011. The 2012 annual report should be out in the very near future.
I believe the City did not put their required share into either fund last year, getting a concession from the Union for another benefit for active employees [[having to do with sick-pay payout on retirement.)

[mwilbert]

The Mayor and council are soley responsible for the cancelling of the city resident's rights. City elected officials had signed a concent agreement to allow the Governor to do what he is about to do. Appoint an emergency financial manager. The city's elected officials should be brought up on charges for what they had done

The city's elected officials are responsible for being inept and for not actually implementing the consent agreement, but the governor did not require a consent agreement in order to appoint an EFM.

[Wesley Mouch]

Lots of chatter here from those who dislike EFMs. One of the recurring themes is that there's no proof that they can address the emergency. Read and be converted:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-redevelopment

[Novine]

Pontiac has been under EFMs for 5 years. Schimmel is the 3rd after the first 2 did almost nothing to improve things in Pontiac. Pontiac will still effectively under state control for 2 more years after the EFM leaves. Meanwhile, property values fell almost 18% last year in Pontiac even as most Oakland County communities saw their property values go up. Those stories of business investment sound great. But there's been plenty of press releases of "impending investments" that never panned out or didn't generate the impact that was claimed. Anyone who's paid attention to what's been going on in Pontiac isn't ready to call the EFM process a success, especially since Schimmel has every reason to overstate his efforts in Pontiac.

[Richard]

Lots of chatter here from those who dislike EFMs. One of the recurring themes is that there's no proof that they can address the emergency. Read and be converted:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-redevelopment

"By him cleaning up the politics and the administration, it eliminated a lot of the roadblocks that [[businesses) had to be able to do what we wanted to do," said Lee Todd, a former business association member and the owner and broker of Pontiac-based property management and real estate firm Todd Enterprises LLC.

In other words you are not capable of running your city so we are going to send in a babysitter to handle it for you.

When you read that piece what is a EFM doing?

Reorganizing the city government to an efficient force,name one thing there that cannot be accomplished by a confident city government.

Or maybe the aspect behind a EFM is really saying hey you guys are not doing your job and we really cannot replace you that easy so lets go in the back door.

Yep I would be one of those who are not in favor of an EFM because by the time they get the ball rolling it will be election time and this can be resolved with confinement management, without all of the dancing in between,of course it would be a confidence builder for the residents thinking that after all of this time we are doing something but will you be,or maybe some way of pushing the elections along a bit quicker.

So lets say an EFM steps in tomorrow ,will they be carrying bags of cash to make it all better? or will they be looking at all services and streamlining which is the exact same thing the currant administration can be doing.

"Case in point: The city had a downtown development authority, an economic development corporation and a building authority -- all publicly funded, all with autonomy, and all with differing and "grandiose" visions for the city, Schimmel said.

"I abolished them all," he said. "It was such a scatterbrained, crisscross, mishmash of stuff. Let's have one group and all get behind them."

Sound familiar ? You guys discuss this stuff all of the time you are not a bunch of idiots but yet you can come up with solutions what is wrong with city hall that they do not have a clue?

Maybe if everybody stood up and said "hey get with the program or step aside" Give them 30 days while Mr Snyder holds back and make it clear that if they do not show results then it is time for more then a EFM or bankruptcy, maybe more so pick up your check on the way out.Can you really fire your entire city government?

On second thought that sounds like work so maybe it is easier to just let Mr Snyder handle it.

I guess, thinking out loud, anyway you look at it your kinda screwed,you have a lame duck mayor and city council that apparently have realized that they will not be around come November so they will be treading water doing what is bare basic to get by.

So is it better that they step aside and bring in a emergency mayor and city council? They all tout their love for the city but they seem to be blinded by that love and are in the process bringing the city further down.

One would hope that if they really care for the city they would either snap to really fast or do the right thing and step aside there would be no pride in handing the smoldering ashes to the next round but there would be pride and saying it is what is best for the city that we remove our self to allow for a fresh perspective. People would understand that.

Sorry Wesley no conversion here ..lol

[Hermod]

Richard: The main difference is that while the mayor and council can do most of the things that an EFM will do, they don't have the political will to do it. An EFM can come in and do the necessary things without worrying about re-election, newspaper columnists, TV reporters, preachers with bullhorns, etc. Hopefully, he can do it quickly and then turn the city back over to the a newly elected mayor and council.

[skyl4rk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9uJrtq8wc4

[Eber Brock Ward]

The fact that the security chief of the water dept still has a job after it came out that he was double dipping in Flint is all the proof I need that an EM is required.

[coracle]

The fact that the security chief of the water dept still has a job after it came out that he was double dipping in Flint is all the proof I need that an EM is required.

What a fabulous piece of humor to start the week - a double dipping Water Dept. operative.

[Eber Brock Ward]

Honestly, though, a mayor with any sense fires him immediately.

Barring that, a City Council with any sense calls a special session and fires him immediately, once the Open Meetings Act's waiting period passes.

The fact that this man still has a job says everything your need to know about why an EM is required.

[Smirnoff]

EFM = Charlie LeDUFF!

[Danny]

Snyder, you nerd! Appoint me as EFM and It will turn Detroit for a city of brick into a city of Marble by 2030.

[p69rrh51]

To more fuel to the fire.


http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...roit-s-EFM-job

[Danny]

Romney for EFM!


OH HELL NO!

[Novine]

"The fact that the security chief of the water dept still has a job after it came out that he was double dipping in Flint is all the proof I need that an EM is required."

More uninformed commentary. Can it be pointed out that Flint is under an EFM? Or how about that the Mayor has zero control over the water department these days since Judge Sean Cox took over after Judge Feikins died? We have an example of where one EFM is allowing a "contractor" to double-dip and a department that has effectively been divorced from city control is still being operated in this way and you're saying that this is proof that an EFM is needed? It looks like proof that new "leadership" from Lansing or from a judge doesn't guarantee that you'll get anything better.

[Eber Brock Ward]

More uninformed commentary.

Nice salvo, especially when you're wrong.

In 2011, by court order, the water board is still majority controlled by the City [[4 out of 7 water board members). When things are this bad, sh*t rolls uphill. So if the Director doesn't fire this man, it's on the Water Board to tell the Director that she's fired if she doesn't fire him. And if the Water Board doesn't fire the Director if she doesn't act, then it's incumbent on the City to sweep out its appointees to the Water Board to make sure it happens, provided the judge doesn't block it [[and he wouldn't block the firing of a a no-good double dipper).

So in short, the buck still stops with the City, the same way it did under the City's consent agreement with the State.

And just as the City failed to act completely under the consent agreement, so too is it failing the people here, given that it controls the majority of the Water Board seats.

So don't bring that "uninformed" stuff in this house when you're the one that's uninformed.

[[*does a Dikembe Motumbo style finger wave at you*)

[Novine]

You may believe what you read on paper. But Bing has no more control over the water board or the operations of DWSD than you or I do, unless your Sean Cox. Cox has effectively sidelined the city oversight of DWSD and almost nothing gets done without Cox's blessing.

[Eber Brock Ward]

[Too much outtable info]

Suffice it to say, your view on this is incorrect.