NYT op-ed questions Detroit's oligarch class

[illwill]

There's no question that Dan Gilbert will get a return on his investments. Also, who knows why he bought the properties? Being that Gilbert is EXTREMELY wealthy, he may be buying these properties for tax write-offs, a nest egg, he might have bought these properties to leave to his children. After government tax credits and rock bottom prices, Dan Gilbert practically bought those buildings for free. Detroit WILL come back but it'll be another 50 years. And I'm dead serious when I say 50 years. The city has decades to go before Detroit becomes a destination for economically stable families. But it will come back because Detroit is on international water ways and the infrastructure framing is still there. However, in 50 years, most of Detroit's fabulous architecture will be gone, aside from Gilbert's properties and a few dozen other buildings in the concentrated downtown area.

Finally, I think Gilbert might have been ignorant to the reason why Detroit has not comeback. That reason being City Hall. This is why most billionaires stay away from Detroit. The city government is a broken system and no matter who you are in the city of Detroit, you better get along with City Hall or your goals will be limited or shot down. Notice...Illitch, Penske and Karmonos are on the cities good side so they get rewarded. They're able to do "pretty much" whatever they want. Gilbert is out spoken and in my opinion, if he keeps it up, it's going to be the reason his plans might become stuck in the mud. Name me any big time business tycoon in Detroit that "rolls to the beat of their own drum" without good relations with the city? NONE!! I'm not sure if Gilbert understood that when he started buying in Detroit? Thisain't Cleveland! Maybe if we had Cleveland's City Hall, Detroit might be Chicago or better? If Gilbert has a good relationship with City Hall, then he'll be fine. If not, they'll make his stay in Detroit a miserable one. And for those of you who think a white mayor and majority city council is around the corner, I hate to break it to you but Detroit is still over 80% black. Not saying that people cannot vote outside their race but I think we all know the way things work in America. Especially in Detroit.