Visual Improvements by Mayor Bing?

**Boo Stinking Boo** · June-30-09, 10:22 AM

Can someone please outline the visual improvements to our city under the Bing Admin?

I've yet to see any.

crawford · June-30-09, 10:28 AM

Maybe give him a year or two? I don't like Bing myself, but how can you judge him after a few weeks?

**French777** · June-30-09, 10:29 AM

We have not hit the 100 days mark! ha

**hudkina** · June-30-09, 11:10 AM

He was just elected. If you honestly think one man can turn the city government around in a few weeks, you expect too much. Bing needs to clean out the the fat and excess that sucks money out of the city coffers. He needs to make the city more desireable to businesses and developers by cutting red tape and reducing taxes. He needs to stem the flow of residents by getting rid of the income tax for city residents and drastically lowering property taxes. He needs to work with the suburbs to create a more congenial city-suburb atmosphere.

But he certainly can't do it all in a few weeks!

**Boo Stinking Boo** · June-30-09, 11:27 AM

Not saying he can do it all in a matter of weeks, Yet alteast start with cleaning up the city by picking up the trash

**hudkina** · June-30-09, 11:51 AM

I think he has a bit more important things to do than that. Why don't you start picking up the trash? Organize a group of friends and family and pick a neighborhood to clean up. It's simple, it's easy, and for the most part it's free to do.

**Fnemecek** · June-30-09, 12:17 PM

There have been several "what has Bing done" threads, all of them attracting a choir of people who respond to criticisms of the Mayor by responding "he needs more time".

No one in their right might expects Mayor Bing - or anyone else - to fix all of Detroit's problems in just a couple of months. It will take several years to get it all done. However, I believe that we have a right and a duty to expect some kind of early, tentative steps towards improvement by this time. We need something to show that, if given a full four year term, Mayor Bing will be able to meet at least some of the challenges that our community faces.

This is particularly relevant for a candidate who campaigned on a promise of change. Change with a sense of urgency, was the phrase that I recall him using rather frequently during the campaign.

He simply cannot afford to go this long without delivering some kind of progress on the issues that Detroit residents care about.

We still have another 34 days until the primary. There is still time for him to get started. However, the longer he waits, the harder it's going to be.

**Detroitnerd** · June-30-09, 01:27 PM

Does the original poster mean "visible" improvements? I don't know what "visual" improvements you could do. You could paint some racing-stripe-style trim along Woodward Avenue. That might look pretty sharp.

**Detroit Stylin** · June-30-09, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Does the original poster mean "visible" improvements? I don't know what "visual" improvements you could do. You could paint some racing-stripe-style trim along Woodward Avenue. That might look pretty sharp.

lol that's funny...

Buy American · June-30-09, 03:28 PM

Bing has done nothing. He's remained quiet throughout the Conyers saga and that is one of the biggest events to happen since he took office. I don't expect much from him and I wonder why he wanted the job. What does he stand to gain? Is he interested in politics in a larger arena?

**Detroitnerd** · June-30-09, 03:30 PM

The way I see it, he's a figurehead for the SOS crowd.

**Doma** · June-30-09, 08:27 PM

Best post ever:

Originally Posted by hudkina

He was just elected. If you honestly think one man can turn the city government around in a few weeks, you expect too much. Bing needs to clean out the the fat and excess that sucks money out of the city coffers. He needs to make the city more desireable to businesses and developers by cutting red tape and reducing taxes. He needs to stem the flow of residents by getting rid of the income tax for city residents and drastically lowering property taxes. He needs to work with the suburbs to create a more congenial city-suburb atmosphere.

But he certainly can't do it all in a few weeks!

**hudkina** · June-30-09, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Buy American

Bing has done nothing. He's remained quiet throughout the Conyers saga and that is one of the biggest events to happen since he took office. I don't expect much from him and I wonder why he wanted the job. What does he stand to gain? Is he interested in politics in a larger arena?

Why does his opinion matter when it comes to the "Conyers saga"? Bing didn't run for office for publicity and sound bytes. I would think that his experience in trying to develop in the city has led him to realize just how corrupt and mismanaged the city government was. I guess he felt that as a businessman, he could take a more business-minded approach to city government.

MIRepublic · June-30-09, 09:42 PM

Why does his opinion matter? It's called leadership. He is both the head of state and head of government of the city, both an ambassador/chief-cheerleader/spokesperson and executive. While his opinion on this isn't the end all/be all of the situation, he's got to do much better on the PR front, and he's yet failed, again, with this mass shooting, today.

Guess what, running a city isn't like running a business. Looks like he's finding out the hard way.

**hudkina** · July-01-09, 01:01 AM

That's the kind of ignorance that gets people like Kwame Kilpatrick elected. Bing has nothing to do with Monica Conyers and any opinion he has on the matter is irrelevant.

Bing's job is to cut spending and red tape, not tuck you in at night.

**Zimm** · July-01-09, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by hudkina

He was just elected. If you honestly think one man can turn the city government around in a few weeks, you expect too much. Bing needs to clean out the the fat and excess that sucks money out of the city coffers. He needs to make the city more desireable to businesses and developers by cutting red tape and reducing taxes. He needs to stem the flow of residents by getting rid of the income tax for city residents and drastically lowering property taxes. He needs to work with the suburbs to create a more congenial city-suburb atmosphere.

getting rid of the income tax for city residents but not suburban residents working in the city would be just about the worst idea if he were looking to create a more congenial city-suburb atmosphere...

crawford · July-01-09, 01:58 AM

How on earth can Bing get rid of any taxes right now? Utter fantasy.

How do you close a budget deficit by slashing revenues?

Let's be realistic, and see what he can do. He can't perform magic tricks.

**royce** · July-01-09, 03:52 AM

IMHO Bing does need to be a bit more visible in the media just to let folks know what's going on. The president gives a weekly radio address. Bing doesn't have to do this, but he does need to say to the media or the public that every third Monday for example he's going to hold a press conference or have his press secretary release a summary report or statement telling what's been going on with him and city government.

MIRepublic · July-01-09, 03:59 AM

He doesn't even have to do that much, really. If asking him to simply respond with something halfway substantive and candid to major city events is too much, I don't know what to say.

**Novine** · July-01-09, 05:51 AM

"getting rid of the income tax for city residents but not suburban residents working in the city would be just about the worst idea if he were looking to create a more congenial city-suburb atmosphere..."

He can't do that legally so the idea isn't going anywhere.

**hudkina** · July-01-09, 09:54 AM

I'm sure he can do it legally by creating a tax credit. In other words, they take the tax but at the end of the year they get it back in the form of a refund if they reside within the city limits.