Why does Bing keep announcing things he doesn't have authority to implement?

[brizee]

I'm noticing this is a theme with this guy.

He announces Belle Isle turnover to the state with it not being approved by the council.

He announces a lighting authority with it not even going to the legislature.

He announces changes to the police department without being approved by the police board.

And now he announces that the city is to enter into state mandated benchmark/milestones and again the council hasn't approved.

It comes off as passive-aggressive to me.

Passing the buck and hoisting the blame.

Not what I'd call leadership.

[313WX]

Yet another reason he will be recalled.

The city can't wait until November 2013 quite frankly with his incompetence.

[JVB]

Maybe the fact that the mayor can't do any of those things is part of the problem.

[corktownyuppie]

Maybe the fact that the mayor can't do any of those things is part of the problem.

Presuming that we are truly running out of money, it will be irrelevant. The city needs the state to release that $20MM in bond money, otherwise people won't get paid. So if City Council votes it down, they'll be voting down their own paycheck and everyone else's.

Might actually be an interesting choice, if nothing else than the academic exercise of seeing what would happen.

[brizee]

So the geriatric business failure digs his heels in and goes against the city charter.

And of the course the media savages the council.

It's gonna be hilarious watching an incumbent black mayor lose to a white candidate. [[Doesn't matter an iota to me. It'll just shut up the "Detroit won't elect white." mental midgets.)

[corktownyuppie]

So the geriatric business failure digs his heels in and goes against the city charter.

And of the course the media savages the council.

It's gonna be hilarious watching an incumbent black mayor lose to a white candidate. [[Doesn't matter an iota to me. It'll just shut up the "Detroit won't elect white." mental midgets.)

I don't see it that way...

- I agree that Bing has f'd up the politics behind this.
- I also agree that he will probably lose to Duggan, whom I think I'll support
- I also think City Council is no longer holds legal relevance now that the consent agreement is in place. Yes, their voices should be heard...but I don't believe that they have the authority to negotiate contracts. They can either approve them to get the bond money, or they can reject them and see if Bing [[or his replacement) digs in.

What's not getting out into the public is that a stalemate between Council and Mayor will always go to the Mayor because of our desperate need for cash.

[DetroitPlanner]

With the next election the council people will finally be accountable to the electorate due to representing a portion of the city. Much of this foolishness will stop.

[serpico]

Duggan has about as much chance winning in Detroit as Gary Peters did....
Matty Moroun will be supporting another candidate via Horace Sheffield....
Detroit simply lacks enough educated voters to make intelligent choices...
So here you go Detroit.. your new mayor....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sxuEpGEpuQ

[brizee]

I don't see it that way...

- I agree that Bing has f'd up the politics behind this.
- I also agree that he will probably lose to Duggan, whom I think I'll support
- I also think City Council is no longer holds legal relevance now that the consent agreement is in place. Yes, their voices should be heard...but I don't believe that they have the authority to negotiate contracts. They can either approve them to get the bond money, or they can reject them and see if Bing [[or his replacement) digs in.

What's not getting out into the public is that a stalemate between Council and Mayor will always go to the Mayor because of our desperate need for cash.

It's not about the council. He also announced the lighting authourity when that's a state legislative issue.

Whether city council has authority to approve contracts, is just a figure head organization is neither here or there. I'm not a lawyer or politician and have no interest in that conversation.

This is about Dave Bing who consistently shows he either really doesn't know the rules or believes he doesn't have to follow them.

He did it with the Woodward Light Rail. He told the investors how he was going to be spending their money.

He does it with his rightsizing plan [[which is a fucking stupid doomed to fail plan anyway). He again makes a ton of announcements, fights with the investors behind it, and when Snyder and state/federal agencies announce immediate action he throws a hissy fit.

[Wesley Mouch]

I'm noticing this is a theme with this guy.

He announces Belle Isle turnover to the state with it not being approved by the council.

He announces a lighting authority with it not even going to the legislature.

He announces changes to the police department without being approved by the police board.

And now he announces that the city is to enter into state mandated benchmark/milestones and again the council hasn't approved.

It comes off as passive-aggressive to me.

Passing the buck and hoisting the blame.

Not what I'd call leadership.

I like a leader who leads. OK, tries to lead. With all the dead-weight hanging around city hall dragging anything and everything into the tarpit of doom, it may be all he can do. Tell people where they should be heading, and do his best to get them excited. Council sure isn't bringing exciting ideas, are they?

So we pine again for someone new. Its not the individuals. Its the system.

[DetBill]

I think he generally is trying to lead with ideas that are good and necessary for the city hoping he can get people on board.. His methods may not be the best but for some reason he doesnt seem to understand he governs in a city where the council and many citizens dont really care or understand how to accomplish what needs to be done for the good of all. Detroit has many dynamics that defy logic and consistently people in positions who intend to make sure logic never prevails.. I wouldnt want to be in his position. I am sure if Bing is defeated the first thing he will do is hightail it out of here and wonder what was he thinking when he ran for mayor. If Duggan gets in he will probably regret the day he ran for it. Many people will be fighting his every move, He also,, with his backround, take a rational approach and try to get this city running like a efficient business. Bing has tried a similar avenue. Any attempt to get this city on solid ground will be quashed. I still feel bankruptcy is the best thing to ever happen to Detroit.. That way rational, no nonsense minds will take over, clean house and " the people" will have no say.. It will be painful , but , in the long run, the only hope the city has to get itself back to some sort of functional state. I still maintain Detroit has so much going for it, if it could only get its act together, as their are many people doing great things here. Its just seems the powers that be keep displaying grotesque incompetence and a general lack of willingness to cooperate in a way to benefit its citizenry.

[Hermod]

With the next election the council people will finally be accountable to the electorate due to representing a portion of the city. Much of this foolishness will stop.

If you slice 'stupid" into parts, it becomes smart?

[corktownyuppie]

If you slice 'stupid" into parts, it becomes smart?

It's not about slicing stupid into parts. It's about dumbing down the election so that it's easier for the stupid to make better decisions. It's like the difference between having to take an essay exam vs. a one-question true or false exam.

Honestly, the at large system is a mess. How the hell am I supposed to pick 9 people on a list of 40+? Give me a clear choice between Person A and Person B.

I'm not saying that it'll eliminate the "stupid" factor in our elections. But when the election is so complicated that even the smart have a hard time with it, you know we're in trouble.

[stasu1213]

I think he generally is trying to lead with ideas that are good and necessary for the city hoping he can get people on board.. His methods may not be the best but for some reason he doesnt seem to understand he governs in a city where the council and many citizens dont really care or understand how to accomplish what needs to be done for the good of all. Detroit has many dynamics that defy logic and consistently people in positions who intend to make sure logic never prevails.. I wouldnt want to be in his position. I am sure if Bing is defeated the first thing he will do is hightail it out of here and wonder what was he thinking when he ran for mayor. If Duggan gets in he will probably regret the day he ran for it. Many people will be fighting his every move, He also,, with his backround, take a rational approach and try to get this city running like a efficient business. Bing has tried a similar avenue. Any attempt to get this city on solid ground will be quashed. I still feel bankruptcy is the best thing to ever happen to Detroit.. That way rational, no nonsense minds will take over, clean house and " the people" will have no say.. It will be painful , but , in the long run, the only hope the city has to get itself back to some sort of functional state. I still maintain Detroit has so much going for it, if it could only get its act together, as their are many people doing great things here. Its just seems the powers that be keep displaying grotesque incompetence and a general lack of willingness to cooperate in a way to benefit its citizenry.

I think that Duggan would be a much better Mayor than Bing. Bing is appearing to be a weak Mayor and a puppet for Snyder. The council is weak also. Bing didn't even debate Tom Barrow during the 2009 Mayoral run. Had anyone noticed the float that the Mayor was riding on this past Thanksgiving? DTE. Is not DTE trying to gain control of the lighting department. Did Bing once sat on the board of DTE or was affiliated with the company?

[JVB]

Duggan is a crook. Bing may be less than competent, and arguably weak as a leader - but at least he's not shady like Duggan. The only way to get Detroit on the right track is for some very tough decisions to be made and people are not going to be happy. Imagine a white guy being the one making those decisions...no thanks. Not a crooked one anyway. And that's more of a knock on Duggan than the voters in Detroit. Unlike some people, I can definitely see the people of Detroit electing a white mayor, but I just worry it would be someone like Duggan or Fieger. Skin color is irrelevant, we need a strong, smart, ethical leader to come from somewhere.

I really hope there is a better choice out there. I'd love to see Gary Brown run, he seems honest, relatively smart and has shown the ability to take a firm stand when necessary. Then again, I'm not an expert on Detroit politics so maybe I'm wrong.

[Honky Tonk]

I'm uncomfortable with Duggan for 2 reasons. One is his background ties to the old regime. Second, we never seem to learn our lessons. I have issues when people are hailed as the saving messiah. We went through the same thing in the last 3 elections. I wish someone would step up with a clear-cut, long term plan for turn around.

[brizee]

So is the new mythology the media is gonna repeat is that Bing is a good man trying to do the right hamstrung my city council and Crittendon?

It's under Bing's administration that Detroit has had to return tens of millions of dollars intended to demolish abandoned structures and fix/weatherized old homes. That's just straight up mismanagement. In a city short on funds and long on derelict and run down properties that is unforgivable. I would include the millions the city had to give back for head start but I'm not 100 on if that's the city, the county or DPS [[a state run apparatus).

He's also two faced. He lied about his taking a salary, living in the mansion and considering reelection.

His waffling and throwing under the bus of the city's lawyer is a pretty good embodiment of his tenure here.

Dave Bing was in over his head, did a shitty job, sho

[Strong]

Bing is trying his best. This problem is huge and I don't think anybody has all the right answers. So Bing [[One of the 50th greatest NBA players) is shooting from the hip.
Man, when people hate on Bing, it just is another example that no one person can please everybody. All this new movement into the city, is happening under Bing's watch plus my trash gets picked up every Tuesday, the rec center I go to is open 5 days and this suburban guy I talked with two weeks ago is thinking of developing something in the city.
Why not support him and encourage him for just one more year and if he runs again and you want to vote for someone else you can.

[Danny]

When I read Dr. Alonzo Flemming's [[A cure for Detroit) He addressed that Detroit city gov't make plans and announced it. but not implementing it. Mayor Bing is one of them. Plantation Politics is in action in the City on Detroit. They will soon lose power in 50 years.

[corktownyuppie]

When I read Dr. Alonzo Flemming's [[A cure for Detroit) He addressed that Detroit city gov't make plans and announced it. but not implementing it. Mayor Bing is one of them. Plantation Politics is in action in the City on Detroit. They will soon lose power in 50 years.

50 years? I think you're being kind. Plantation politics [[in Detroit at least) will cling to power maybe 10-15 years and fade away into irrelevance soon after that.

[313hero]

Bing is trying his best. This problem is huge and I don't think anybody has all the right answers. So Bing [[One of the 50th greatest NBA players) is shooting from the hip.
Man, when people hate on Bing, it just is another example that no one person can please everybody. All this new movement into the city, is happening under Bing's watch plus my trash gets picked up every Tuesday, the rec center I go to is open 5 days and this suburban guy I talked with two weeks ago is thinking of developing something in the city.
Why not support him and encourage him for just one more year and if he runs again and you want to vote for someone else you can.

LMAO. Our trash always got picked up no matter who was in office except Archer. Rec Centers been open. Eventhough its less its they are open regardless of who's in office. And develoment is taking place because Detroit is a rock bottom pot of gold. Bing cant handle the job at all and its obvious some one else is doing his job for him. [[who dont give a hoot about what the people want)

[Motor City Sam]

Bing prematurely announces things because he has failed to understand that he was elected Mayor of Detroit, not all powerful CEO. He has no political savvy, no consensus building skills, and he fails to connect with the vast majority of Detroiters. His response to Council members and City employees who don't agree with him is to publicly insult them. He has shown a total lack of ability to build a top notch, consistent team.

When I hear people say things like "at least he's not shady" I wonder if they remember him ducking process servers at the City County building shortly after being elected.

I didn't vote for Bing [[I voted for Hendrix) but he's been even worse than I thought he would be. I don't know of anyone who has confidence in his competence.

[serpico]

Mayor Bing calls a special meeting yesterday with council then he doesnt show up....
Everytime the going gets tough this Mayor bails... I thought Bing had cancer or something.. but it looks like Bing is the kid in 1st grade always getting sick/throwing up to avoid turning in homework....
What a tool this man has become....

[JVB]

When I hear people say things like "at least he's not shady" I wonder if they remember him ducking process servers at the City County building shortly after being elected.

"At least he's not shady" wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, it's just pointing out that at least we won't see him in prison like Kwame was, or under constant federal investigation like Coleman Young was.

[Honky Tonk]

I think this is just plain shameful, on both sides. It's exactly crap like this why I get tired of living here and paying taxes.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...is-like-old-GM