Council president wants the state to grant some emergency manager authority to mayor

Detroit — City Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown is pushing for a consent agreement with the state to give Mayor Dave Bing sweeping financial powers similar to those of an emergency manager.
In a move to avoid a state takeover, Brown wants to take advantage of a provision in a new law that would give the mayor authority to privatize city operations, sell assets and change ordinances — but wouldn't alter the city's basic governing structure.


"That allows the mayor and the council to stay and allows the mayor to have a lot of the tools the emergency manager would get," Brown said. "The mayor needs those tools [[under the new law). That's a hammer, a powerful tool that the mayor could utilize to negotiate with the unions and get the concessions he needs."

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110419/...#ixzz1JzUFPmsZ

Only problem is, when you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

But getting rid of the city council is the ONE part of having an EFM I'd really look forward to.... :)

This is bizarre. A councilman who is part of a the legislature in Detroit government is suggesting that the chief executive of Detroit should be awarded more power to run Detroit. Looks like Gary Brown is really after that John Conyers seat. If Don Snyder declares Detroit is in financial trouble, he appoints an EFM and that EFM bounces city government then Brown have a harder time getting elected to Congress but if no EFM comes riding in on the white house then Detroit government survives and Brown can sell to the 14th district why he should be elected to Congress.

Bing is on record saying that he don't want to be EFM. I think it would be damn interesting to see if that happens because it brings a question to light. Would the EFM suspend elections in Detroit? I ask this because if future Dave Bing becomes future EFM then what happens when the voters vote his ass out. Do he still remain EFM or do he loses the power when he loses the mayor's office?

Gary Brown is not the council president.

But anyway, is he talking about giving the mayor these powers permanently or on a temporary, one time deal thing?

This makes perfect sense. Mayor Bing hasn't accomplished diddly squat during his first two years as mayor. Clearly what he needs is more power.

Makes perfect sense to me.

Also, while we're at, I think that Kenneth Lay is the perfect person to be appointed EFM of some random city in Michigan. [[It almost doesn't matter which one, really. His awesome leadership powers will have an impact on the entire state regardless of where he is assigned.)

It all makes perfect sense.

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Originally Posted by iheartthed

Gary Brown is not the council president.

But anyway, is he talking about giving the mayor these powers permanently or on a temporary, one time deal thing?

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Gary Brown is playing the part of Jar Jar Binks and he is the one choosing to suggest that the Chancellor...err Mayor is given emergency powers to call for an Grand Army of the Republic..wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

curious.. wonder what bing's public reaction-- if any-- will be to this proposal.. and how will the other council people react, possibly negatively..

is Brown angling to become mayor himself?

clearly Bing should be recalled.

Detroit is on course for certain receivership. Brown and others want to head off the dissolution of the City Council. If Bing is LIKE a receiver but not a receiver, then they have a devil that they know and he will allow them to still keep their jobs in return for their support.

Its so obvious.

Having some fun.......

Years later, a group of men and women who answer to Dave Bing are meeting and they are arguing about the security of an newly built city headquarters. As they bicker continuously, Governor Brown walks in with Darth Pugh and proclaims: "The Imperial Council will be of no longer concern to us. I just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the Council permanently. The last remnants of Old Detroit has been swept away." Someone asks, "how will the Emperor maintain control without the bureaucracy?" Brown proudly says, the regional EFMs now have complete control over their territories." Fear will keep the local districts in line, fear of this city headquarters."

Just reading this story make me wonder if we are starting to live in a Star Wars universe.

Bad idea. City Council and the Mayor need the threat of an EFM to get them to do what is hard to do, and is politically suicidal.

They chose their career. They should do it to the best of their abilities. They should say what needs to be done. Loud and clear. Be brave. Gather support. Call out those who are corrupt and just want the status quo that's not working for the citizens. Be a great politician.

The best part of the EFM is the action that will occur when reality is looming around the corner.

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Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

Bad idea. City Council and the Mayor need the threat of an EFM to get them to do what is hard to do, and is politically suicidal.

They chose their career. They should do it to the best of their abilities. They should say what needs to be done. Loud and clear. Be brave. Gather support. Call out those who are corrupt and just want the status quo that's not working for the citizens. Be a great politician.

The best part of the EFM is the action that will occur when reality is looming around the corner.

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This will never fly but Gary Brown is looking out for Gary Brown. Brown is looking to the future and he don't want the stink of a city takeover on his name when he is running for higher office.

What Mayor Bing really wants is to renegotiate the union contracts so that they pay more of their health insurance premiums, etc. The only way to force the unions to do that is through an Emergency Manager. A consent agreement would not give the mayor the power to do that. So why would the Mayor even bother with a consent agreement? If anything, he would want to be the Emergency Manager. Bad idea, Gary Brown.

My move back to the city is T minus 10 days away, and I'm fully aware that by moving in, I may be disenfranchising myself at the municipal level.

But the EFM won't be forever. Some Detroiters I know are absolutely convinced that we'll have an EFM until demographics are such that there is a non-black mayor and an integrated city council. Since I don't believe in the Great White Conspiracy, I'm not convinced.

On a less dramatic note, we didn't have a school board 10 years ago after the takeover, and that didn't last long. I'm not sold on the idea that Lansing or D.C. care to run day-to-day affairs in Benton Harbor or Detroit for long periods of time. Instead, these EFMs seem like Bobb -- come in, begin the demo, and leave others to clean up the pieces. I'm totally against the concept of the EMs/EFMs on general principle, but they are inevitable in this political climate.

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Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

The best part of the EFM is the action that will occur when reality is looming around the corner.

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That's funny. I thought the best part about being an EFM is the ability to transfer a publicly owned beach to the business associates of a certain state legislator who introduced the EFM law in the first place.

I guess I'm just confused again.

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Originally Posted by English

My move back to the city is T minus 10 days away, and I'm fully aware that by moving in, I may be disenfranchising myself at the municipal level.

But the EFM won't be forever. Some Detroiters I know are absolutely convinced that we'll have an EFM until demographics are such that there is a non-black mayor and an integrated city council. Since I don't believe in the Great White Conspiracy, I'm not convinced.

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I doubt Detroit will actually get an EFM. The suburbs already have control over Cobo Hall and the Water Department. There isn't much left for them to seize. Therefore, there won't be an EFM.

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Originally Posted by Fnemecek

I doubt Detroit will actually get an EFM. The suburbs already have control over Cobo Hall and the Water Department. There isn't much left for them to seize. Therefore, there won't be an EFM.

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Did you forget that Detroit has a...wait for it.....$3.1 billion dollar budget. The Water Dept and Cobo are chump change in the grand scheme of things. Imagine an EFM coming into town on his or her white horse and proceed to cancel union contracts and then give no-bid contracts to contractors getting guaranteed money. Who wins? The people or the contractors?

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Originally Posted by R8RBOB

This will never fly but Gary Brown is looking out for Gary Brown. Brown is looking to the future and he don't want the stink of a city takeover on his name when he is running for higher office.

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One wonders why he decided to run for city council, then. Surely he must have known that the city had serious budget problems.

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Originally Posted by Augustiner

One wonders why he decided to run for city council, then. Surely he must have known that the city had serious budget problems.

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President Pro Tem Brown ran for City Council so he gets to test his political skill in Detroit. He didn't want to be in Lansing trying to be a serious politician when he was not a politician but in Detroit where the margin is much lower then he could propose such an silly idea like giving the mayor more power. I don't know what's worse. Charles Pugh stated that the Detroit convicts currently in prison should be counted in Detroit's Census or Brown called for Dave Bing to be given a massive shot of steroids.

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Originally Posted by R8RBOB

President Pro Tem Brown ran for City Council so he gets to test his political skill in Detroit. He didn't want to be in Lansing trying to be a serious politician when he was not a politician but in Detroit where the margin is much lower then he could propose such an silly idea like giving the mayor more power. I don't know what's worse. Charles Pugh stated that the Detroit convicts currently in prison should be counted in Detroit's Census or Brown called for Dave Bing to be given a massive shot of steroids.

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I would think it'd be easier to get elected to the state legislature from Detroit than to get on City Council.

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Originally Posted by Augustiner

I would think it'd be easier to get elected to the state legislature from Detroit than to get on City Council.

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Okay, let me put it another way. In Lansing, Gary Brown would be another novice politician who was elected because of his connection to KK. In Detroit, he is one of NINE and people know about his connection to KK.

Why don't we just get rid of city council and the mayor right now and get am emergency financial manager.

Let's put this into perspective.... Gary Brown got his monetary settlement after the KK/Beatty firing... he doesn't need ANY job.

He could have retired to Florida and lived happily ever after... but he chose to get into city government instead.... let's not forget that....

Higher political asprirations... I don't think so... maybe he just wants to help clean house to make sure that what happened to him [[the firing) doesn't happen to others....

The man had the balls to stand up to the KK machine, so let's give him some respectability....

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Originally Posted by Gistok

Let's put this into perspective.... Gary Brown got his monetary settlement after the KK/Beatty firing... he doesn't need ANY job.

He could have retired to Florida and lived happily ever after... but he chose to get into city government instead.... let's not forget that....

Higher political asprirations... I don't think so... maybe he just wants to help clean house to make sure that what happened to him [[the firing) doesn't happen to others....

The man had the balls to stand up to the KK machine, so let's give him some respectability....

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Okay, let's cut Gary some slack on becoming a public servant to Detroit. Yes, he could have fled and lived off the money he got in the suit but he chose to stay and serve the people.

Now, back to his dumb-ass statement, it does not benefit him or any other council member having a mayor who is setup in a strong-mayor form of government be given more power to make them null and void. You won't see Harry Reid or John Boehner calling for to give Obama more power especially if that means they could be jeopardy of losing their power.

Maybe Brown believes that government should live within its means and not run a deficit

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Originally Posted by Gistok

Let's put this into perspective.... Gary Brown got his monetary settlement after the KK/Beatty firing... he doesn't need ANY job.

He could have retired to Florida and lived happily ever after... but he chose to get into city government instead.... let's not forget that....

Higher political asprirations... I don't think so... maybe he just wants to help clean house to make sure that what happened to him [[the firing) doesn't happen to others....

The man had the balls to stand up to the KK machine, so let's give him some respectability....

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That makes to much sense.

That's fine with me! Let King Bing do his EFM thing, fire the Detroit City Council and other services and bring corporate goon squad from his "Piston Manufacturing Company' to clean up King Kwame's mess.

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Originally Posted by R8RBOB

This is bizarre. A councilman who is part of a the legislature in Detroit government is suggesting that the chief executive of Detroit should be awarded more power to run Detroit. Looks like Gary Brown is really after that John Conyers seat. If Don Snyder declares Detroit is in financial trouble, he appoints an EFM and that EFM bounces city government then Brown have a harder time getting elected to Congress but if no EFM comes riding in on the white house then Detroit government survives and Brown can sell to the 14th district why he should be elected to Congress.

Bing is on record saying that he don't want to be EFM. I think it would be damn interesting to see if that happens because it brings a question to light. Would the EFM suspend elections in Detroit? I ask this because if future Dave Bing becomes future EFM then what happens when the voters vote his ass out. Do he still remain EFM or do he loses the power when he loses the mayor's office?

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The Answer to your final Question is that if the mayor becomes the EFM, that office will supercede any election. The powers of EFM supecede the mayor.

That's why its important that city workers take the cuts that the Mayor is recommending. Because if an EFM gets appointed, whether its Dave Bing or not they can be without a job.

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Originally Posted by R8RBOB

Did you forget that Detroit has a...wait for it.....$3.1 billion dollar budget. The Water Dept and Cobo are chump change in the grand scheme of things. Imagine an EFM coming into town on his or her white horse and proceed to cancel union contracts and then give no-bid contracts to contractors getting guaranteed money. Who wins? The people or the contractors?

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Good point. I had forgotten about all of the "Friends & Family" contracts that are currently in existence as well as the option to grant even more of them.

There's also the fact that I'm sure a great many people would love to have their hands on the City's two pension funds and all of the goodies therein attached to.

Okay - I'm convinced. I've changed my mind. Detroit will almost certainly have an EFM very soon.

Unless, of course, the law in question is ruled unconstitutional in the courts.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011042...xt|FRONTPAGE|s

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Originally Posted by HistoryNotHisStory

The Answer to your final Question is that if the mayor becomes the EFM, that office will supercede any election. The powers of EFM supecede the mayor.

That's why its important that city workers take the cuts that the Mayor is recommending. Because if an EFM gets appointed, whether its Dave Bing or not they can be without a job.

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See this makes me wonder what the hell Gary Brown was thinking about when he suggested that the mayor be given EFM powers. If I was Dave Bing and the governor indeed do what Brown suggested, I would thank Gary Brown personally and then strip the City Council of their authority. If I'm the mayor and I have full authority to run the city, why do I need a council bitching about my moves?

Really? The Free Press wants City Council to take control of the budget. These are the same Councilmembers that raised their individual office budgets during last years budget process. This is the same Council that wanted to expand the current city council to 11 members. This is the same city council that wants Lansing to give more power to the Mayor, but let the Detroit City Council keep their power, their staff, their jobs and their money. The same city council that complained that they don't make enough money.

Really, what's wrong with this picture. Bring on the financial manager!

Editorial: Council must push Bing to stronger budget action

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's 2011-12 budget left lots to be desired, in lots of areas. There are soft revenue projections. There's a lack of innovative restructuring. And there's an overreliance on the goodwill or cooperation of others: unions, state legislators, private company owners.

But that's exactly the kind of budgeting that got Detroit into its current condition -- massive debt, plunging revenues and impending insolvency.

So unlike in past years, when the City Council has been quick to rein in mayoral budget cuts, the council now finds itself [[for the second year in a row, in fact) in the position of pushing the executive branch to be more realistic about the city's financial condition, and to act more swiftly to balance books that are horribly out of kilter.


Continued at: http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...to-mayor/page2

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Originally Posted by DetLiving

Really? The Free Press wants City Council to take control of the budget. These are the same Councilmembers that raised their individual office budgets during last years budget process. This is the same Council that wanted to expand the current city council to 11 members. This is the same city council that wants Lansing to give more power to the Mayor, but let the Detroit City Council keep their power, their staff, their jobs and their money. The same city council that complained that they don't make enough money.

Really, what's wrong with this picture. Bring on the financial manager!

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If you don't want mediocrity in employees, sometimes you have pay more for better. And as for the expansion of the council to 11 people and pay increase.... care to share your source.... don't remember reading about either issue....

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Originally Posted by HistoryNotHisStory

The Answer to your final Question is that if the mayor becomes the EFM, that office will supercede any election. The powers of EFM supecede the mayor.

That's why its important that city workers take the cuts that the Mayor is recommending. Because if an EFM gets appointed, whether its Dave Bing or not they can be without a job.

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The Mayor just finished "imposing" contracts on city employees that included 10 percent pay cuts, benefit changes and changes to work conditions. They were imposed as his "final offer". Now, a few months later, he wants "renegotiate" for more concessions. Does the word "contract" mean anything anymore? What is the value of having a contract at all if a few months later someone can just come back and say: "Oops, I didn't take enough, I need more." How many more times will he have to come back before he gets it right?

His contracts are just as "fluid" as his administration. You don't know what to expect from one day to the next.

The only unions that don't have imposed contracts are those who had already basically agreed to his demands, and the police and fire who have binding arbitration. So actually, it is police and fire that create the biggest headache for the city in terms of taking concessions. I'd like to see Gary Brown go back to his former comrades in DPD and tell them they need to take concessions.

I had a feeling that John Bennett would have his say on this, so I went to his website and this is what I read.

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Brown offering up Detroit to financial Manager

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City Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown is pushing for a consent agreement with the state to give Mayor Dave Bing sweeping financial powers similar to those of an emergency manager.

Brown said, "That allows the mayor and the council to stay and allows the mayor to have a lot of the tools the emergency manager would get," "The mayor needs those tools [[under the new law). That's a hammer, a powerful tool that the mayor could utilize to negotiate with the unions and get the concessions he needs."

In 2009 the people of Detroit went to the polls and elected Gary Brown to City Council. They did that because they thought he had ideas and a plan to help Detroit solve its financial problems. With this announcement from Councilman Brown he's let voters know that he does not have the answers and the confidence they showed in him and the vote they gave him was wasted. Councilman Brown suggested last week during Mayor Bing's budget address that the Mayor didn't go far enough and that he needed to cut another 1,000 workers and he wants to give the Mayor the tools to make these cuts under an agreement that would allow him to keep his job. Brown, in a manner of speaking is standing inside a storm shelter and bolting the door closed so the people on the outside can't get in. If he does not have the creative ability to participate in Detroit's rebirth he should resign now. What is very apparent from Brown's statement and willingness to turnover Detroit to an EFM is the question of why should the city maintain a nine [[9) member City Council or a full-time Council. If Detroit must have a financial Manager then everyone should feel the pain equally including City Council, then maybe we will finally be able to silence the disrespect and self-serving behavior of some Councilmembers.

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If the deficit is $150,000,000, and there are 713,777 residents, a one time special assessment of $210.55 per resident will eliminate that deficit amount. However this does not reflect the revenue sharing cuts imposed by Snyder, and apparently the deficit is growing.

City Council members seem to be pushing Bing to cut the budget even further than he already has, which is quite impressive and shows a great deal of responsibility.

It is unlikely that the state will allow any municipal to go bankrupt [[default on its debts). Instead, the residents and property owners will end up paying the bill.

I am very impressed with the progress made over the past few years, but the reality is that more cuts need to be made. The question is, can the Mayor and Council do it without the additional EFM powers?