"Nobody is turning Detroit around in 18 months."

That's the most realistic thing I've heard in a long time. It's been a fair stretch since I've lived in Southeastern Michigan [[40 years, maybe), but I got the impression that people expected Mayor Bing to turn the city around within 6 weeks of taking office. It's going to be a long, hard process no matter if it's run by the city or an EFM, and the sooner people understand that, the better.