E_Hemmingway,

So let me get this straight, the Incinerator and Lafayette Building are you two main sticking points?

First of all, I have yet to hear a valid solution as to what to do if the incinerator DID go away. Yeah, I've heard the tree huggers screamin "Hey everybody, let's recycle!!!" That's great in theory, but the reality is, it's a long ways from being a replacement for the incinerator. Personally, our house is increasingly recycling more and more items. Yet I'm sad to say, getting the MAJORITY of Detroiters on board with separating items into different bins, then placing the multiple bins out to the curb, is probably a long ways off. So what do we do with the trash that wouldn't get recycled, go back to burying it in landfills? Personally, I'd rather see it burned. I feel there should be a push for recycling in Detroit, growing it perhaps a neighborhood at a time, and test out how feasible it is. What you don't do is spend millions on a program that hasn't been tested, simply because the green crowd doesn't like the incinerator.

As for the Lafayette, I personally feel it would be a waste of federal money to tear it down, money which could be used in much better ways. I agree with you that many of these buildings should be mothballed, and that examples like the Book Cadillac and Fort Shelby are great examples of success stories. Though let's be honest shall we, those two successes are exceptions to the rule, and the tax dollars/incentives aren't out there to go around to everybody. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of other vacant buildings, warehouses, apartments, and homes exist. Very few will be saved, and one should ask, how many years should a city's people have to deal with these eye sores? 20, 30, even 40 years? What kind of quality of life living conditions does this give people?

So what's the happy median here, and where did we go wrong? First off, the city should NOT be in the real estate business. They are quickly becoming one of Detroit's biggest slumlords. Go after the building owners, make them secure their buildings, require them to keep them up to code. If a building is getting foreclosed on, the bank takes possession, then the bank is responsible for making sure the property is secure and up to code. In the end though, we have to decide when enough is enough. Conduct a realistic list of which properties are the least likely to be renovated, move them to the top of the list. An example, the Packard plant should be towards the top of the list. I'm not sure where Lee Plaza would fit, but it would be well ahead of Lafayette on the list.

So back to the "Why I can't vote for Cockrel." Why not? Because he's not cleaning up 6 years of mess in a few months time? Perhaps his magic wand is in the shop along with his magic hat. I've told MANY people why I can't vote for Bing. I moved to Detroit by choice. I knew what lay ahead of me, I knew much of the city's history and struggles, yet I still moved here...as a renter. After a few years, have learned/experienced much more, I decided to buy a home here....by choice. Mr Bing has done a lot of good for Detroit, be it through Bing Automotive, or the surrounding neighborhood development. Yet through it all, he chose not to move here. He did not move here by choice as much as he did by necesity, and at the last minute, he bought an address and became a registered voter. Does anybody really believe that if Bing loses in the election that he will be a resident of Detroit another day? Depending on his loss margin, he may hang a bit longer to run again in the fall. He is our own version of Hillary Clinton, moving into town for his own personal political gain.

I still consider myself a new resident, even though 7+ years have passed by. Though I have established a vested interest in the city. I've seen first hand what citizens of Detroit deal with, and we don't need some mayoral candidate floating down from Franklin Twp who hasn't a clue what living in Detroit is truly like to come save us. I won't even mention the fact that I've yet to hear any valid plans by Mr Bing on how to turn things around.

I've witnessed first hand many of the improvements Mayor Cockrel has made. Just yesterday I saw something I've NEVER in my life saw since moving here. Detroit workers out cleaning up vacant lots that were littered with trash. I also saw a couple dumping sites being cleaned up. The police department continues to undergo many changes/improvements, most importantly, the reopening of precints/mini stations. Obviously, problems still persist, though they persist due to the previous administration's closing of precincts. Until new stations open and district boundaries are redrawn, service probably won't seem improved to many people.

One last thing I can't understand, people feel that Cockrel was a good fit heading City Council, and many would like to see him back in that position to take over for Conyers. Well, here is a really off the wall idea....why not simply rid council of Conyers and the others who gots to go instead? All I've really read on this thread is a lot of pissing and moaning about bullshit that most Detroiters don't care about. It would be interesting to see how many Detroiters outside a couple mile radius of downtown even know where the Lafayette building is.