Bing needs to clean house.

Buy American · June-05-11, 07:42 AM

http://www.freep.com/article/2011060...text|FRONTPAGE

The key sentence in this entire article is as follows:

"Less than a week after the story was published, Bing suspended Coleman, an appointee of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and several agency employees, with the intent of recommending their termination following the outcome of the investigation."

Only after Bing sweeps the City clean of all the appointees, relatives and cronies of thug KK will the City of Detroit begin to heal and prosper again. My question is why is Bing dragging his feet? Why hasn't he fired all of them?

**Meddle** · June-05-11, 09:11 AM

I don't know. He should have dumped anybody and everybody with any connection at all to Young, Archer, Kilpatrick, McNamara and Ficano and started out completely fresh.

**trotwood** · June-05-11, 09:18 AM

^^^icam
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**English** · June-05-11, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by Meddle

I don't know. He should have dumped anybody and everybody with any connection at all to Young, Archer, Kilpatrick, McNamara and Ficano and started out completely fresh.

He'd have to hire an entirely new government from out of state in order to accomplish that.

**firstandten** · June-05-11, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by English

He'd have to hire an entirely new government from out of state in order to accomplish that.

Guess how well that would go over in a community that has a natural distrust of political outsiders.

**English** · June-05-11, 10:06 AM

Not well at all, of course. This is a community who doesn't even trust Detroit natives and residents [[observe the growing movement to vote down the new charter), let alone outsiders. That was the point of my sarcastic comment.

So, of course, we're at an impasse. We've been an impasse for over 30 years. The problem is, as I have stated repeatedly here and elsewhere, our native Detroiters who would have been excellent leaders were turned off from this place in childhood or at most by young adulthood, left Dodge and you could not pay them a billion dollars to come back. Some of Detroit's most eloquent detractors are its former residents.

Buy American · June-05-11, 10:15 AM

"When he dared suggest that an improved Cobo Center would create more good-paying jobs for union workers, Conyers reminded him, “Those workers look like you; they don’t look like me.”

Desperate, he invoked President Barack Obama’s message of unity and was angrily warned, “Don’t you say his name here.”

As long as the mentality of the Clownsil and the administration stay like this, Detroit will never change and grow.

**Fnemecek** · June-05-11, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Guess how well that would go over in a community that has a natural distrust of political outsiders.

You're assuming that Detroiters would automatically reject anyone from outside of the City. I don't buy that.

Mayor Bing recently appointed a fire chief from LA. No one complained.

More importantly, if those outsiders actually start to produce results, the people who initially did have a problem with it will get over it quickly.

**firstandten** · June-05-11, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

You're assuming that Detroiters would automatically reject anyone from outside of the City. I don't buy that.

Mayor Bing recently appointed a fire chief from LA. No one complained.

More importantly, if those outsiders actually start to produce results, the people who initially did have a problem with it will get over it quickly.

You do have a point. I think that by necessity Detroiters are being more tolerant of outsiders.
But I think that if you have a higher profile position, lets say police chief rather than fire chief I bet there would have been an outcry.

**firstandten** · June-05-11, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by Buy American

http://www.freep.com/article/2011060...text|FRONTPAGE

The key sentence in this entire article is as follows:

"Less than a week after the story was published, Bing suspended Coleman, an appointee of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and several agency employees, with the intent of recommending their termination following the outcome of the investigation."

Only after Bing sweeps the City clean of all the appointees, relatives and cronies of thug KK will the City of Detroit begin to heal and prosper again. My question is why is Bing dragging his feet? Why hasn't he fired all of them?

My question to you. Why didn't Bing sweep the city clean of KK appointees in the beginning ?

I'm sure he did a department by department review of all appointees when he came into office. Evidently he saw something about her that he liked and kept her on. Isn't that more his failing?

Buy American · June-05-11, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by firstandten

My question to you. Why didn't Bing sweep the city clean of KK appointees in the beginning ?

I'm sure he did a department by department review of all appointees when he came into office. Evidently he saw something about her that he liked and kept her on. Isn't that more his failing?

Wasn't that my question at the end of my post? "Why hasn't he fired all of them?"
He knew that anyone associated with thug KK would be dirty and he should have done a thorough sweep of all departments to rid the City of all appointees, relatives and cronies the day after he was sworn in. He didn't do that, why?

**SWMAP** · June-05-11, 11:52 AM

The constant re-cycling of appointees: Charlie Beckham, Anthony Adams, Conrad Mallett, Jr. Of course, Karen Dumas is re-cycled, as well. These guys all need jobs and some high up donor speaks up for them
and so they get re-cycled. No room for new blood. And, of course, appointees must be black, so that limits the pool right there.
I most approve of having new people from out of town. Hopefully they wouldn't have family & friends here who need jobs & money. Also, they wouldn't be infected with the malaise of "how we do it here."

**firstandten** · June-05-11, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Buy American

Wasn't that my question at the end of my post? "Why hasn't he fired all of them?"
He knew that anyone associated with thug KK would be dirty and he should have done a thorough sweep of all departments to rid the City of all appointees, relatives and cronies the day after he was sworn in. He didn't do that, why?

That was your question. First of all, you just can't assume all of KK appointees were corrupt or
incompetant. There were some that were quite good. Its up to you as mayor in a city with not a lot of good political talent to do your due dilligence, decide who these people are and keep them.

The point of the post is that Bing didn't do that which is a failure on his part. He furthers complicates the issues by running off his own appointees. As a result I bet you have people on the outside who are most likely good who won't want to work in an administration that seems like its in over its head.

To answer your last question he is in over his head. However he could have addressed that by bringing good people on board and let them do their jobs without all of the political gamesmanship. As a former point guard he should be able to recognize good talent when he sees it.

**kraig** · June-05-11, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

The constant re-cycling of appointees: Charlie Beckham, Anthony Adams, Conrad Mallett, Jr. Of course, Karen Dumas is re-cycled, as well. These guys all need jobs and some high up donor speaks up for them
and so they get re-cycled. No room for new blood. And, of course, appointees must be black, so that limits the pool right there.
I most approve of having new people from out of town. Hopefully they wouldn't have family & friends here who need jobs & money. Also, they wouldn't be infected with the malaise of "how we do it here."

Or as Dave Bing referred to the same names coming up again as he first campained "retreads".

And for anyone that thinks Detroiters can't go for an outsider, look no further than Toboccman, Tlaib, and even Bing himself to prove that theory wrong. In fact, Detroiters are more prone to give someone that's considered an outsider a shot just as well, if not moreso, than someone that's considered and insider.

**firstandten** · June-05-11, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by kraig

Or as Dave Bing referred to the same names coming up again as he first campained "retreads".

And for anyone that thinks Detroiters can't go for an outsider, look no further than Toboccman, Tlaib, and even Bing himself to prove that theory wrong. In fact, Detroiters are more prone to give someone that's considered an outsider a shot just as well, if not moreso, than someone that's considered and insider.

I should have said out of state or lacking previous Detroit connections

**Fnemecek** · June-05-11, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by firstandten

You do have a point. I think that by necessity Detroiters are being more tolerant of outsiders.
But I think that if you have a higher profile position, lets say police chief rather than fire chief I bet there would have been an outcry.

Jerry Oliver was chief of police in Detroit. He came to us from Phoenix via Memphis and Pasadena. The complaints about him when he was announced were fairly timid. It was his actual leadership style that drew the harsh complaints.

**firstandten** · June-05-11, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Jerry Oliver was chief of police in Detroit. He came to us from Phoenix via Memphis and Pasadena. The complaints about him when he was announced were fairly timid. It was his actual leadership style that drew the harsh complaints.

I remember some questioning about his marriages and alleged domestic abuse and his management style while in Richmond. But remember this was 02 and KK still had a lot of positive political capital which went a long way in making sure people bought the appointment. I think if Bing had chosen an outsider rather than the guy he has now, he would have been roasted.

**Fnemecek** · June-05-11, 03:01 PM

There were some complaints about Jerry Oliver at first. If he gotten something accomplished, it would've died down instead of intensifying. [[That and disciplining someone who criticizes you always fans the flames.)

Still, I think that most Detroiters would accept a police chief who didn't have any ties to Michigan as long as he had a solid law enforcement background in an urban department. There will be some complaints, but those will die down once he accomplishes a few things.

As evidence, I simply submit the other appointees that have come in over the years and a general dissatisfaction with DPD among most residents [[much more so than I've seen in the 30+ years that I've lived here) which leads to a willingness to try new new things. There's also the fact that I've had many conversations with Detroit residents about what they'd like to see in a police chief and police department. I'm yet to hear anyone say that they want the chief to be from Detroit.

**stasu1213** · June-05-11, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by firstandten

You do have a point. I think that by necessity Detroiters are being more tolerant of outsiders.
But I think that if you have a higher profile position, lets say police chief rather than fire chief I bet there would have been an outcry.

A firechief who was born and raised in Detroit then moved to Cali

**stasu1213** · June-05-11, 06:54 PM

What do you guys think of Karen Dumas?

Buy American · June-05-11, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

What do you guys think of Karen Dumas?

Another Christine [["do you know who the f**k I am?) Beatty I'm afraid.
Throw in some Conyers and Watson and that's her.

**Fnemecek** · June-05-11, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

A firechief who was born and raised in Detroit then moved to Cali

If born and raised in Detroit is the only thing needed to make it politically acceptable, we still shouldn't have much trouble finding competent people without any connection to the Kilpatrick clan.

Detroit has been exporting talent for more than 60 years. There are a lot of people who would love to come home and a high-profile job like police chief would give them the incentive that they need.

**Zacha341** · June-05-11, 08:32 PM

Yep. That was somewhat the approach of Bobb [[DPS EFM) who brought in as many people from out of state as possible.

Originally Posted by English

He'd have to hire an entirely new government from out of state in order to accomplish that.

DetroitPole · June-05-11, 10:29 PM

Come on. Detroit is the capitol of voter apathy. Frankly, you could appoint David Duke as Deputy Mayor and, yes, you'd have two dozen or so grape-throwers with megaphones in front of the Spirit of Detroit for a couple hours, but that's about the extent of the repercussions. So there is no extent excusing this lack of oversight in that regard.

The moral of the story is that Bing is a weak leader. He had a combination of both lack of desire and lack of ability to come in and clean house or do much of anything.

**Richard** · June-05-11, 11:08 PM

Firing everybody has its risks also as they have some kind of contract,was not one that was recently fired as a supervisor and yet had to be retained as an employee because of the contract?

There is some kind of investigative fraud unit in there somewhere if they were doing their job Bing would probably be able to concentrate on his more