Detroit goals in 2013.

[gthomas]

As we prepare for this year, Detroit will have its ups and down. As a citizen I want to do my part to continue to help the city, what are my expectations and goals.

1. Crime/Violence issues that controls the city currently, how do we address it? Definitely more policing, parenting/guidance and un-learn negative habits. Crime can decrease tremendously, ask Wayne St. University police how they kept Midtown and some surrounding neighborhoods safe. Their method need to be applied throughout Detroit, even re-trained DPD. Have more fathers, uncles and dads to step up as leaders and control their love ones.

2. Detroit Public Schools, enough said!

3. Detroit LEADERSHIP needs a dramatic change, we need someone solid and determine to get things done, PERIOD! I don't blame the citizens for the down fall, but we can play a part by doing our part. With 50+ years of failed leadership, it's time for change in Detroit. We need to clean house who has held us back for so long, and on top of this list is "City Clowncil".

4. New Detroit Mayor, hopefully he/she is trustworthy, can stand its ground, progressive and serious about safety, school, mass transit and economic development. Those are what I think our new mayor should focus on, nothing more. Let's start with that before trying to do anything else.

5. Privatize Lighting, hopefully some new plans to keep lights on and modernize the grid. All wood and dis-repaired light pole need to be replace, either include underground wiring and/or solar. The distance between each poles are too far apart, so beside 1 or no light poles on a block how about 2-3 poles. Increase safety precaution, I should be able to see your face as you're walking towards me.

6. Mass Transit!!!! Hopeful of construction of M-1 light rail anytime now, new and more buses. More routes and better services, clean and safe bus. Have transit police on every bus, better and more efficient bus shelter for every bus stop with security cameras. RTA overall control of DDOT/Smart buses.

7. Downsizing Detroit!!!! I agree with this plan, we need to see a SOLID, FULL, VISUAL accurate plan to lay out our city. I will like to see stable neighborhoods more dense, build upon and identified with neighborhood gateway signage. The neighborhood that cant be saved need to be shut off, let nature take over. break up the street grid and create boulevards connecting the stable neighborhoods with parks, wetlands and forests inbetween. Each neighborhood should have it's own policing and patrol, so we can identify specific quickly.



We will need to see truck loads of trees to feel up all the vacant land in Detroit

8. More national and local private investment, Dan Gilbert can't stand alone in order for a true comeback.

9. Looking forward to all the planned and proposed projects opening and being constructed in 2013, too many to name!

[Lowell]

I like the vision.

[serpico]

Violent crime must be reduced substantially. People need to feel comfortable to move back. Unfortunately there are not enough decent people left in the city to make a difference. Just had a huge arguement with family members about this. Most of my family advocates the flight rather than fight method. It's the easy solution to tough problems, just walk away. And that is why Detroit is dead. It's easier to walk away rather than address problems head on regardless of the political correctness... Mayor Daley in Chicago bulldozed the rioted burned out areas of Chicago immediately in 1968.. In Detroit we sat around and continue to debate reasons for our demise rather than act decisively.

[mwilbert]

Unfortunately there are not enough decent people left in the city to make a difference.

Seems unlikely.

Most of my family advocates the flight rather than fight method. It's the easy solution to tough problems, just walk away.

Walking away doesn't solve the problem, although no doubt it can be a way for people to deal with their own situation, and certainly hundreds of thousands of Detroiters have done just that over the past decades. My guess is that most of the people [[with any financial resources at all) who were inclined to walk away already have, or never showed up in the first place. Of course, if things get significantly worse that could change, but if things improve at all, I wouldn't think there would be a lot of people who would be leaving for that reason.

I suspect the future will be a lot clearer in maybe five years, on the other side of the [[almost certain) EM and the [[less certain, but rather probable) bankruptcy.

[MidTownMs]

Violent crime must be reduced substantially. People need to feel comfortable to move back. Unfortunately there are not enough decent people left in the city to make a difference. Just had a huge arguement with family members about this. Most of my family advocates the flight rather than fight method. It's the easy solution to tough problems, just walk away. And that is why Detroit is dead. It's easier to walk away rather than address problems head on regardless of the political correctness... Mayor Daley in Chicago bulldozed the rioted burned out areas of Chicago immediately in 1968.. In Detroit we sat around and continue to debate reasons for our demise rather than act decisively.

Please do not attempt to speak for everyone who left Detroit. If you think it was easy for the people who left you are probably wrong. Up until last year I had lived in Detroit for over 60 years. I love Detroit and leaving was not in the least bit easy. My family came to Detroit in 1920. My parents were born in Detroit and lived in Detroit all of their lives. When they died in 2010 I decided that although I loved Detroit I decided to leave. Before you make statements about the people who left maybe you should talk to them. I assure you many would say that it was extremely difficult to leave a place that they called home. As I have said in previous posts the quality of my life became more important to me than my love for Detroit.

[gthomas]

I like the vision.

Gthomas for Mayor ...maybe..no?

[Dexlin]

I wish for only one thing for the City of Detroit in 2013, and that's nothing short of a full-fledged municipal bankrupcty to finally wipe the fiscal slate clean, and stop prolonging the inevitable. No EM, no consent agreement. I don't trust the city with the city's finances, I sure as hell don't trust the state, and I don't even trust the both with the state looking over the city's shoulder.

So, here's to 2013 being the historic year of the reckoning. It's going to hurt like hell, but no one can seriously argue it's going to hurt worst in the long-term than a death by a million cuts and the slow removal of life support.

BTW, I think serpico's post is kind of laughable when you consider the solution he has for crime which I've seen in other posts, which essentially has its end game in vigilante and militia justice. I'd much rather people leave if the flipside is that you're going to turn into some paranoid, angry cowboy "standing your ground." But, that's fortunately and mercifully a false choice. You know, god bless Detroit 300, but the proactive Reading Corp volunteers will provide more long-term safety and development dividends down the road than a reactive group could ever even hope to imagine.

[Zacha341]

Yep relative to crime a lot of time was wasted where some actions such as Gthomas put forth. For years we kept defending the status quo of increasing violence with tired defensive canards such as the 'crime is bad everywhere' excuse!

Well, we knew crimes was bad even then - NOW it's worse and unarguably higher in Detroit. Case closed.

Can we now move forward to stop it!?

...In Detroit we sat around and continue to debate reasons for our demise rather than act decisively.

[313WX]

Since we're all dreaming here...

1. STOP THE BLEEDING!!! I have yet to see a plan come about that will simply stop the bleeding of people in this town. It is estimated that 40% of DEtroiters plan to leave in the next 5 years. How Detroit's going to survive that blow if it's true, I'd love to see [[because the amount of funding it gets from the state and federal government is based on its population numbers last time I checked).

2. Merge Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw County into one "Detroit", similar to the NYC burrough system. See the parentheses in point #1 as to why this would be beneficial.

3. Regionalize Belle Isle in a way similar to the Public Lightning Department.

4. Repeal the RTW law. Forcing younger folks to accept theyre going to be making much less than their parents and grandparents does nothing to prevent them from moving to more progressive states such as New York and Illinois.

5. Reinstate the residency requirements. I wonder how much property tax revenue and income tax revenue the city lost when Emperor Engler lifted that? And we also saw what has happened to the neighborhoods where the city workers once lived now 15 years later. And we knew it was only passed intentionally to hurt Detroit when Emperor Engler signed it.

6. Accept ANY outside help from Police/EMS/Fire Departments IF they're willing to lend it.

7. Pass a state law making all schools in Metro Detroit open enrollment.

8. Repeal the EAA school district and return the 15 former DPS schools back to DPS.

[jolla]

gthomas for mayor!

[bailey]

Since we're all dreaming here...

1. STOP THE BLEEDING!!! I have yet to see a plan come about that will simply stop the bleeding of people in this town. It is estimated that 40% of DEtroiters plan to leave in the next 5 years. How Detroit's going to survive that blow if it's true, I'd love to see [[because the amount of funding it gets from the state and federal government is based on its population numbers last time I checked).

2. Merge Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw County into one "Detroit", similar to the NYC burrough system. See the parentheses in point #1 as to why this would be beneficial.

3. Regionalize Belle Isle in a way similar to the Public Lightning Department.

4. Repeal the RTW law. Forcing younger folks to accept theyre going to be making much less than their parents and grandparents does nothing to prevent them from moving to more progressive states such as New York and Illinois.

5. Reinstate the residency requirements. I wonder how much property tax revenue and income tax revenue the city lost when Emperor Engler lifted that? And we also saw what has happened to the neighborhoods where the city workers once lived now 15 years later. And we knew it was only passed intentionally to hurt Detroit when Emperor Engler signed it.

6. Accept ANY outside help from Police/EMS/Fire Departments IF they're willing to lend it.

7. Pass a state law making all schools in Metro Detroit open enrollment.

8. Repeal the EAA school district and return the 15 former DPS schools back to DPS.

Seizing the suburbs' tax revenue, school systems, and services is a recipe for regional disaster. None of what you propose fixes the systemic, structural problems with the CoD. It just pours more good money after bad. The exodus witnessed in Detroit would be repeated on a regional scale.

I'm with Dexlin... bring on the Bankruptcy.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Compelling points Bailey. A further exodus is not what this region needs.

[louis]

I love the idea of restructuring the city into villages with woodland in between but this is highly unlikely. as are 1 and 2, these are things that are handled over time and can't be saved in a year alone. i think 3, 4, and 6 are all realistic goals though, and 7 as well to some extent.

[nickbii]

Seizing the suburbs' tax revenue, school systems, and services is a recipe for regional disaster. None of what you propose fixes the systemic, structural problems with the CoD. It just pours more good money after bad. The exodus witnessed in Detroit would be repeated on a regional scale.

I'm with Dexlin... bring on the Bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy won't help. Bankruptcy can only cut bond payments and labor costs. It can't magically make working class black people, who earn roughly 1/3 of the average white man's wage, only cost 1/3 as much to govern. That is the systemic, structural problem in Detroit. If it was as simple as Mayor Bing being an idiot who borrowed too much, and coddled the DPOA then Archer or Cockrel would have solved the problem.

Downsizing the City clearly won't help either. We've been doing that since the mid-50s, and we've been in crises management mode since the early 80s. The villigization idea frankly gives me the creeps. Didn't anyone learn anything from it's failures in Vietnam and Tanzania?

The core structural problem is that in a big city you need a tax base, and Detroit's tax base is dominated by people who don't have money. To fix the problem you have to a) bring in a bunch of non-working class taxpayers, b) magically make a City where everyone leaves except for murderers cheaper to govern per capita then Costa Rica, or c) make the black working class rich. Since B and C are by definition impossible, that leaves A. Since nobody wants to move to the box on the map where taxes are hideously high, insurance costs ridiculous, and most residents wish they were rich enough to be economic refugees you must find some way of getting taxes from people not in that specific box on the map.

Don't get me wrong. A full New York-style system isn't necessary But if you declared the Three Counties Boroughs of Greater Detroit, made Detroit Proper a fourth borough, and gave the Greater Detroit government jurisdiction over all the crap Counties currently do plus local policing duties you'd fix a lot of the problems that drive everyone in the entire region crazy.

And you wouldn't actually have to raise taxes on anyone much, because the Greater Detroit government would only need taxes to pay for police, and even assuming that Detroit was spending $0 on cops, and the other 3.5 million-odd residents foot the bill for those 700k or so people, they're only increasing their personal police taxes by about 20%.

[gnome]

We have a deep sucking chest wound and our leaders are arguing about what color of nail polish looks best.

[gthomas]

I love the idea of restructuring the city into villages with woodland in between but this is highly unlikely. as are 1 and 2, these are things that are handled over time and can't be saved in a year alone. i think 3, 4, and 6 are all realistic goals though, and 7 as well to some extent.

I know most of my list will take time, but the time is NOW, I'm not waiting another 10 years continuing to talk about this topic. We need a solid plan from the new mayor or else. We need to stop settling for less, we don't need no more studying and "lets vote on it" mentality. TIME IS NOW!!!!!!!! Have you look around lately, there's nothing left, why is it so hard to be progressive in this state? Anything is possible if politicians, leaders and citizen step it up, more and more! It's not "Impossible"...please don't let me show you how it's done CORRECTLY.

[Strong]

Detroit is moving forward, I suspect that almost everybody can agree with that. However to complement the good things happening in our city, I have a few wishes that will really make people take notice.
1. Detroiters start talking more positively about our city. This attitude will make people take notice.
2. Detroiters take more interest in their surroundings and do more clean up projects even if they choose a particular neighborhood to insure that it stays clean.
3. Detroiters band together and report the names of the criminals for in most all instances somebody knows who did it.
4. Detroiters take a more concerted effort to support Detroit based businesses.
5. Detroiters take more advantage of the resources available, like the housing incentives, educational resources like our libraries and schools, medical systems to improve one’s health.
6. Detroiters do more to keep a clear mental state and understand that positive thinking and religious intervention is a better answer than drugs.
7. Detroiters put aside racial divisions and understand that together we can accomplish so much more.
8. Detroiters can smile more and act more friendly.
9. Detroiters can do more to encourage our elected officials if they have not done what’s the majority thinks is best then wait until the election reoccurs to vote for another.
10. Detroiters can take more advantage of our parks and riverfront to cause more interaction among us.
11. Detroiters can use social media, face to face contact, etc to invite others to visit our city.
12. Detroiters who have moved away can return to open businesses, be closer to their jobs, seek jobs in Detroit and retire here.
13. Detroiters can just be better.

[coracle]

Detroit won't go into Bankruptcy in 2013; neither will an EFM be appointed. When it's time "for the other shoe to drop" [[I didn't like saying "when the shit hits the fan") the main players will chicken out and look for a new excuse to delay the decision [[because of racist implications in Detroit).
Several more useless Consent Agreements will be entered into; none of which will be allowed to succeed while money is extracted from the State for really "worthwhile" reasons by "promising" to make the next Consent Agreement work "if..."; and it will eat up time.
This will go on until there is a new Mayor; everyone will take a breather while he is given time to put things right. He won't succeed so it'll start again around about 2017/2018.
There is no "solution" unless it starts in Detroit.

[gthomas]

Detroit is moving forward, I suspect that almost everybody can agree with that. However to complement the good things happening in our city, I have a few wishes that will really make people take notice.
1. Detroiters start talking more positively about our city. This attitude will make people take notice.
2. Detroiters take more interest in their surroundings and do more clean up projects even if they choose a particular neighborhood to insure that it stays clean.
3. Detroiters band together and report the names of the criminals for in most all instances somebody knows who did it.
4. Detroiters take a more concerted effort to support Detroit based businesses.
5. Detroiters take more advantage of the resources available, like the housing incentives, educational resources like our libraries and schools, medical systems to improve one’s health.
6. Detroiters do more to keep a clear mental state and understand that positive thinking and religious intervention is a better answer than drugs.
7. Detroiters put aside racial divisions and understand that together we can accomplish so much more.
8. Detroiters can smile more and act more friendly.
9. Detroiters can do more to encourage our elected officials if they have not done what’s the majority thinks is best then wait until the election reoccurs to vote for another.
10. Detroiters can take more advantage of our parks and riverfront to cause more interaction among us.
11. Detroiters can use social media, face to face contact, etc to invite others to visit our city.
12. Detroiters who have moved away can return to open businesses, be closer to their jobs, seek jobs in Detroit and retire here.
13. Detroiters can just be better.

Thank you, but action is always on top of my list. We all know what to do, so we just need to do it...right. I have a wonderful track record and I'm not even in the spot light, I'm pretty sure there is plenty like me. I'm sure all of you have seen me before just never knew it was me. I go to all community forums, city hall meetings, worked with the Cooleys on several developments, enter twice in Hatch Detroit, volunteered with Greening of Detroit numerous times, even made cover of news article for it. I'm close friends with mostly all local business owner in Detroit and can tell you how great of work I put into saving this city. Lets just get it done Detroit, it's TIME! We all know what we need to do...just do it. And no, I didn't have millions to invest [[as some folks complains alot on here, we need capitol). You just need yourself and willingness for change. Be blessed in 2013...you will see me in the streets again making change. There's nothing stopping me...

[canuck]

Don't get me wrong. A full New York-style system isn't necessary But if you declared the Three Counties Boroughs of Greater Detroit, made Detroit Proper a fourth borough, and gave the Greater Detroit government jurisdiction over all the crap Counties currently do plus local policing duties you'd fix a lot of the problems that drive everyone in the entire region crazy.

And you wouldn't actually have to raise taxes on anyone much, because the Greater Detroit government would only need taxes to pay for police, and even assuming that Detroit was spending $0 on cops, and the other 3.5 million-odd residents foot the bill for those 700k or so people, they're only increasing their personal police taxes by about 20%.

I think you are right about the 4 boroughs and maybe doing away with a lot of redundancy in the county administrations. The idea being that the wealth, the clout can definitely go a long way toward solving some of the structural problems that need addressing now, before intervention from the state and federal govts step in. This should ideally happen before a comprehensive transit plan is brought about by the new transit authority.

[canuck]

gthomas, Happy New Year to you and your family and many more to come!

[gthomas]

gthomas, Happy New Year to you and your family and many more to come!

Yes, and same to you. Hope to soon meet some of you this year as we hope for change. If you see a man walking his pitbull/boxer late at night on Woodward in Midtown, that's me . Oh wait, there's way more others doing the same. On other note, hope this will be the year for Detroit, we still have longs ways to go.

[gthomas]

Bankruptcy won't help. Bankruptcy can only cut bond payments and labor costs. It can't magically make working class black people, who earn roughly 1/3 of the average white man's wage, only cost 1/3 as much to govern. That is the systemic, structural problem in Detroit. If it was as simple as Mayor Bing being an idiot who borrowed too much, and coddled the DPOA then Archer or Cockrel would have solved the problem.

Downsizing the City clearly won't help either. We've been doing that since the mid-50s, and we've been in crises management mode since the early 80s. The villigization idea frankly gives me the creeps. Didn't anyone learn anything from it's failures in Vietnam and Tanzania?

Ok, let me be clearer. When I mentioned "downsizing" I don't mean eliminate or decrease population....there's only a hand full left in those neighborhoods. It's costing the city millions to keep continue to give them basic services or lack thereof for three people on the block. So I say, move them to stable neighborhoods, build upon it with housing or build up [[Midsize residential building, see Midtown) and "increase" population in those areas...it can work well. Density is key, strengthen the tax base and create neighborhood green-energy jobs. There's too much vacant to be developed into whatever you want the city to be or once was...do you have another alternative plan?

[nickbii]

Ok, let me be clearer. When I mentioned "downsizing" I don't mean eliminate or decrease population....there's only a hand full left in those neighborhoods. It's costing the city millions to keep continue to give them basic services or lack thereof for three people on the block. So I say, move them to stable neighborhoods, build upon it with housing or build up [[Midsize residential building, see Midtown) and "increase" population in those areas...it can work well. Density is key, strengthen the tax base and create neighborhood green-energy jobs. There's too much vacant to be developed into whatever you want the city to be or once was...do you have another alternative plan?

My problem with your plan is it's too ambitious. Many countries have tried to make government services more efficient by concentrating the population, but very few have been so successful at it that the population stays concentrated. Typically what happens is some brilliant politician convinces everyone to try it, and six months later a hiccup appears and everyone decides to move back to grandpa's old house.

I'm not even sure how you'd do it. Condemn 30 square miles of the City, and build a couple of big apartment buildings with public money? With the Poletown decision overturned, can you do that? How do you pay for apartments to house hundreds or thousands when you're having trouble keeping the lights on?

As for my plan, you pretty much saw it.

Detroit is losing people largely because of crime. The City simply does not have the cash to keep a lid on crime. Greater Detroit would, which would make Detroit Proper a much more attractive place to live. Assuming insurance companies aren't racist, it would also result in a reduction of the ridiculous rates Detroiters pay. Both would mean moving out of Detroit would no longer be a no-brainer.

Moreover it would help the region's economy. Right no European companies have no idea whether Oakland County is a good place to do business because they don't know Oakland County exists. The thing they know about [[Detroit City) has the worst numbers imaginable in pretty much every category. The tri-county area has better numbers then pretty much any other city in the country, and if it was called Detroit it would be the local unit of government those Europeans paid attention to, which would result in Royal Oak geting more business.

It's not as elegant as your idea, but it is a lot more practical.

[syrett4]

Gthomas for Mayor ...maybe..no?

Yes! I'd vote for them.