Mike Ilitch is a saint.

[subsidized]

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/J...osa-Parks.aspx

Not really, but maybe 1% of the 250 million he's not paying for the new arena will go to other acts of kindness such as these.

[Honky Tonk]

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/J...osa-Parks.aspx

Not really, but maybe 1% of the 250 million he's not paying for the new arena will go to other acts of kindness such as these.

I bet he spent more on getting that article into print than he spent on Ms. Parks.

[Gistok]

I will give him his due... just as I would give him his due on preventing Masonic Temple from having their electricity shut off [[although that was in his own economic best interest).

And no one has ever doubted his commitment to charity and good works [[isn't there a hospice in the Brush Park area named after his late in-laws?).

But it's his lack of empathy for Detroit's building infrastructure that is lacking...

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Of course he's not a saint. But he has: spent a lot of his own money in Detroit; given people fresh reasons to come downtown when all signs pointed towards the exits; he, his businesses, and his employees pay millions in taxes every year to the city; he has opted to run his businesses out of offices in Detroit, when suburban offices would have been less expensive and closer to his house; continued to invest in Detroit even when people like some here vilify him year after year; spends a whole lot of money to bring championships to the city, succeeding 4 times and coming thisclose 4 other times.

There are many potential legit criticisms of Mike Ilitch, but a Detroit-hating SOB mooch he is not. He could still be very rich and have many fewer headaches if he hardly set foot in Detroit. And idiots here would be saying "Why can't a guy like Ilitch bring his offices downtown, renovate some buildings, and move the Red Wings out of the Palace and into an arena downtown?"

[Detroitnerd]

Of course he's not a saint. But he has: spent a lot of his own money in Detroit; given people fresh reasons to come downtown when all signs pointed towards the exits; he, his businesses, and his employees pay millions in taxes every year to the city; he has opted to run his businesses out of offices in Detroit, when suburban offices would have been less expensive and closer to his house; continued to invest in Detroit even when people like some here vilify him year after year; spends a whole lot of money to bring championships to the city, succeeding 4 times and coming thisclose 4 other times.

There are many potential legit criticisms of Mike Ilitch, but a Detroit-hating SOB mooch he is not. He could still be very rich and have many fewer headaches if he hardly set foot in Detroit. And idiots here would be saying "Why can't a guy like Ilitch bring his offices downtown, renovate some buildings, and move the Red Wings out of the Palace and into an arena downtown?"

You're right, Mikey. Poor, poor, put-upon Mike Ilitch. We, as a region, have failed him.

That's why I'm starting a nonprofit called Supporters Care About Mike. The group, known informally as SCAM, will help direct local units of government to reward this great, great man with hundreds of millions of our dollars, acres and acres of valuable land, and large cash rewards in case the land actually gets developed. While we at SCAM are heartened that City Council, the DEDC, DEGC and DDA are all working to ensure this happens, we ask, "Couldn't we do more for Mike?" How about we start a pledge drive and pay his tax arrears on Joe Louis Arena? Can't we draw a few thousand volunteers to tear down the Harbor Light and Eddystone buildings for him? Have we really given enough to Mike and Marian? I, for one, say, firmly and unapologetically, no. No way. We should dig deep and give our poor, put-upon billionaire couple all that we can. Who's with me to go door-to-door around City Airport to raise these much-needed funds?

[Honky Tonk]

You're right, Mikey. Poor, poor, put-upon Mike Ilitch. We, as a region, have failed him.

That's why I'm starting a nonprofit called Supporters Care About Mike. The group, known informally as SCAM, will help direct local units of government to reward this great, great man with hundreds of millions of our dollars, acres and acres of valuable land, and large cash rewards in case the land actually gets developed. While we at SCAM are heartened that City Council, the DEDC, DEGC and DDA are all working to ensure this happens, we ask, "Couldn't we do more for Mike?" How about we start a pledge drive and pay his tax arrears on Joe Louis Arena? Can't we draw a few thousand volunteers to tear down the Harbor Light and Eddystone buildings for him? Have we really given enough to Mike and Marian? I, for one, say, firmly and unapologetically, no. No way. We should dig deep and give our poor, put-upon billionaire couple all that we can. Who's with me to go door-to-door around City Airport to raise these much-needed funds?

...................................

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Detroitnerd, I neither sought to nor did make the case that Mike Ilitch needs anyone's pity or money. He is obviously a man of tremendous accomplishment and earned wealth; no bitching by a minority of DYers can diminish that. I merely attempted to point out that he is not the horrible albatross around our civic neck that a noisy few say he is. He has undoubtedly benefited the city, and trivializing his unpublicized charitable giving as a bullshit publicity stunt doesn't make him look small and evil; it makes the gripers look petty and stupid. It's not like he sent Mother Parks a Little Caesars pizza everyday and used it in an ad.

[Detroitnerd]

Detroitnerd, I neither sought to nor did make the case that Mike Ilitch needs anyone's pity or money. He is obviously a man of tremendous accomplishment and earned wealth; no bitching by a minority of DYers can diminish that. I merely attempted to point out that he is not the horrible albatross around our civic neck that a noisy few say he is. He has undoubtedly benefited the city, and trivializing his unpublicized charitable giving as a bullshit publicity stunt doesn't make him look small and evil; it makes the gripers look petty and stupid. It's not like he sent Mother Parks a Little Caesars pizza everyday and used it in an ad.

Clearly, you do not have enough respect for the great man that Mike Ilitch is. I want to hear more praise for him. To do anything else is to insult Mike Ilitch. And Mike Ilitch is great because he represents everything that's best about the system, as he pulled himself up by all of our own bootstraps. To say anything other than that Mike Ilitch is a saint [[thanks, OP) is to bad mouth Detroit, tax-increment financing and the very foundation of our country. And I'm not going to stand here and let you bad-mouth the United States of America! Gentlemen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PYb_anBMus

[Honky Tonk]

Detroitnerd, I neither sought to nor did make the case that Mike Ilitch needs anyone's pity or money. He is obviously a man of tremendous accomplishment and earned wealth; no bitching by a minority of DYers can diminish that. I merely attempted to point out that he is not the horrible albatross around our civic neck that a noisy few say he is. He has undoubtedly benefited the city, and trivializing his unpublicized charitable giving as a bullshit publicity stunt doesn't make him look small and evil; it makes the gripers look petty and stupid. It's not like he sent Mother Parks a Little Caesars pizza everyday and used it in an ad.

MikeyinBrooklyn try to keep it civil and let the "minority" have their opinions too, eh? That ad is nothing other then contrived. He did this in 1994, and out of the blue it appears when public sentiment is turning against taxpayer funds being used to suppliment a stadium for one of the richest guys in the State? No one, repeat, NO ONE, stands to gain more from the new Stadium then Mike Ilitch. Anything he did, including the Fox, was backed by taxpayer funds. You want to hero worship the man, please feel free.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

HonkyTonk, I don't think I was uncivil, nor have I prevented anyone else from having their say. But irrational hatred of a decent man who has done quite a few good things for the city will not go unchallenged. I do think the anti-Ilitch camp are the same people that are anti-most-constructive-activity posters here. I was merely responding to someone's need to attack someone else when a long-ago kind act comes to light. As for Ilitch benefiting from his developments, I have news for you: most businessmen are indeed the biggest profit-makers from their own activity. There are credible arguments to be made against public subsidy of his businesses, most of which I would subscribe to. But please also realize that Detroit has been such a poor business environment for so long [[high taxes, highly restrictive regulations, very poor public services including safety services) that the incentive to do business in the city has been artificially suppressed. The city makes it harder to do business in the city, so the city subsidizes doing business in the city. Ilitch is not the only one to play along with that unsavory way of doing business; he just seems to attract more grief for it. And I don't worship Mike Ilitch; I do admire him. And I am aware that our city would be different, and I think worse, if he didn't do business in it.

[Detroitnerd]

HonkyTonk, I don't think I was uncivil, nor have I prevented anyone else from having their say. But irrational hatred of a decent man who has done quite a few good things for the city will not go unchallenged.

Hahahaha. Oh, man. That's rich. Dude just picked the public's pocket, got the City Council to sell the DDA that's in his pocket a swath of town primed for spillover development for a dollar, he takes zero risk and stands to gain $62 million for letting people develop it for him, and ... my objections are "irrational hatred"? Oh, ho-ho!

Mikey, Ilitch has gamed the system every step of the way, ensuring that decent, honest, hardworking people who pay their taxes have no choice but to subsidize his ventures. Nothing we can do to stop him. He has the power, the money and the connections to juice things. So what do we have left? We have our anger at the way everybody but Mike gets screwed. Now you want to take even that away?

Like it or not, Mikey, resenting the way Ilitch has gotten every sweetheart deal he ever wanted is a perfectly rational point of view. You dismiss it or denigrate it at your own peril. Because, even though Ilitch can get away with it all, he doesn't get to come out smelling like a rose either, no matter how many petals you shove up that ass you're kissing.

[dookie joe]

Maybe Mr. I can get his buddies in city government to pull eminent domain on some more private landowners so he can have more parking lots, the way he did when we built Comerica Park for him.

He's an arrogant piece of shit, and it cracks me up how so many people bow down to him.

[Dan Wesson]

It ain't easy being Mike...

[401don]

I think in his current stage in life, given his health, he is far more concerned about waking up tomorrow morning than getting publicity for an already approved arena project by pulling out a 20 yr. old act of charity. You can turn your attention to criticizing other family members or the Olympia Corporation but any further criticism of Mike Ilitch is unnecessary piling on.

[astongraham]

Wow, two of the most negative haters on DYes going on for the kill as usual. What do you guys actual like, other than trying to snack down anyone that don't support who and what you support? Just curious

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

If anyone says anything else bad about Mike Ilitch, I will have my very good friend Dick Cheney send the black helicopters after you.

[Honky Tonk]

If anyone says anything else bad about Mike Ilitch, I will have my very good friend Dick Cheney send the black helicopters after you.

FINE! Just be careful if you go hunting with him.......

[noise]

You're right, Mikey. Poor, poor, put-upon Mike Ilitch. We, as a region, have failed him.

That's why I'm starting a nonprofit called Supporters Care About Mike. The group, known informally as SCAM, will help direct local units of government to reward this great, great man with hundreds of millions of our dollars, acres and acres of valuable land, and large cash rewards in case the land actually gets developed. While we at SCAM are heartened that City Council, the DEDC, DEGC and DDA are all working to ensure this happens, we ask, "Couldn't we do more for Mike?" How about we start a pledge drive and pay his tax arrears on Joe Louis Arena? Can't we draw a few thousand volunteers to tear down the Harbor Light and Eddystone buildings for him? Have we really given enough to Mike and Marian? I, for one, say, firmly and unapologetically, no. No way. We should dig deep and give our poor, put-upon billionaire couple all that we can. Who's with me to go door-to-door around City Airport to raise these much-needed funds?

Wow, somebody missed the point.

[ABetterDetroit]

Well... no, but what about if he found a developer partner, coughed up
some of his real estate and built a brand new residential high rise? That would wipe down some of the tarnish on the old image for some of us that think a city needs residents as well as venues.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

ABD, I see what you're saying, but midtown/downtown is seeing a fairly rapid growth in residents, with more residents and development on the way. It's the outlying neighborhoods that need residents. The problem with that is that it is not a lack of decent houses available [[although certainly there are lots of crappy buildings out there), but rather that people don't have jobs, intact families, or in some cases knowledge about how to get and maintain a home. Add high taxes and crime to the mix. We can't "develop" our way out of social problems. Not with government money, not with Mike Ilitch's money.

[ABetterDetroit]

MiB, Everytime I'm in another city and I see buldings going up I always ask what they are and most often the answer is condos or apartments. It seems like those projects are contagious, 2-4 going up at the same time often. The D may not be ready for condos but it currantly has a strong market for apartments. More residents bring taxpayers for all the city residents. Forefulling demand helps keep rents under control, allowing more young people to come. Young people that have jobs, pay taxes and rent, are a important resource for Detroit to grow. More residents in a denser area require more services leading to more jobs. More new young residents will produce a few entrepenuars obviously the "holy grail". Young people who have great ideas and see opportunity that start businesses supply more and better paying jobs creating even more tax revanue. All these things happening at a even faster rate will create a stronger Detroit and with out a doubt will benefit the neighborhoods by providing jobs close by and possibly in them as growth continues. Detroit will never be the international city that NYC is so being worried that all 139 sq. will go through gentrification is completely irrational. Fuel a boom in those 3-4 sq miles that are constantly improving will benifit the city as a whole. Private capital is the only thing that will drive a faster turnaround.

So I will say it again, congratulations on your new hockey arena Mr. Ilitch why don't you team up with a devoloper and build a new residential highrise on one of your many vacant pieces of land?

[Dan Wesson]

Side note...

After all these years guess what pizza chain is leading the pack globally in growth?

Uh-Huh, Uh=Huh.... There it is...