Free Press Ranks Detroit's 5 Best Mayors; Coleman Young Finishes 4th

[jt1]

Dave Bing should have been on that list.

While his administration [[pre-EM/Consent Agreement) wasn't really "corrupt", his incompetence accelerated Detroit into bankruptcy court.

Under Bing's administration, by the time the Consent Agreement was signed [[3 years into is term), just to name a few of his blunders:

*The city came just short of missing payroll for its workers
*Half of the streetlights weren't in working order
*The police stations were no longer open 24 hours
*He ended 24 hour bus service
*Millions of dollars in federal grant money went "unspent" and had to be sent back.
*Police officers were forced to work 12 hour shifts and were probably just short of walking off the job.
*There was absolutely no progress in demolishing the thousands of vacant structures throughout the city
*Emergency response times were over 1 hour
*His cabinet of appointees was a literal revolving door

* he kept a significant number of Kwame's appointees on his team

[DetroitPlanner]

We also have to think about what what issue were actually in his control and those that were not. The auto industry was clearly challenged throughout his time as mayor, he obviously couldn't make the Big 3 make a car that Americans wanted to buy. That means we also have to consider what things he could have done, if any, to attract new business to to the city.

Cadillac had some pretty nice cars coming out of Hamtramck Assembly at that time. The problem was not many people could afford an Allante.

[softailrider]

Should be fourth from the bottom, or lower.




Which books? The ones he left for people to see? Or the real ones?

I'd say he was a much bigger crook that known to have been.

I'd say he was a SMARTER crook.

[rex]

I dont think CAY was a bad administrator. I base this judgement on what ive read about the man. Dude was a huge racist and so much so that it damaged the city. I feel like he was like "fuck you white people we dont need you." White people was like "if you say so" and retreated to the suburbs with their $$$ and businesses.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I dont think CAY was a bad administrator. I base this judgement on what ive read about the man. Dude was a huge racist and so much so that it damaged the city. I feel like he was like "fuck you white people we dont need you." White people was like "if you say so" and retreated to the suburbs with their $$$ and businesses.

It went both ways. L Brooks and his suburban cronies were racists as well. "Don't get it twisted"

[Danny]

I dont think CAY was a bad administrator. I base this judgement on what ive read about the man. Dude was a huge racist and so much so that it damaged the city. I feel like he was like "fuck you white people we dont need you." White people was like "if you say so" and retreated to the suburbs with their $$$ and businesses.

Coleman Young when he was very young, while growing up in Detroit. He experienced racism. In the streets, in the schools, in his workplace, in the air force, even in politics. He was so upset of the environment he lived in; Coleman took his racist attitude everywhere. When he became Detroit's first Black Mayor in 1973. Instead of commenting to most white media or any political or regional corporation about their withdrawal from Detroit City businesses in first person racist response, He would comment to them in the second person sentence.

[Lowell]

Haven't run BuildingsofDetroit in years. I've been at HistoricDetroit.org for a bit, though.

Thanks for the share, Lowell. If you want to read the whole story, go to the freep. I'm surprised more people on here didn't attack me over CAY ...

www.freep.com/article/20140722/NEWS01/307220019/detroit-mayors

My bad. The OP has been edited to HistoricDetroit.org.

[motz]

Should be fourth from the bottom, or lower.

Which books? The ones he left for people to see? Or the real ones?

I'd say he was a much bigger crook that known to have been.

Meddle, I really enjoy my bullstuff with a side of facts. Can you please provide some for myself and my fellow readers?

I think the list is pretty decent. Professorscott nailed it on the head, from everything I have read CAY was perfect for a window in Detroit's history, but ended up overstaying his welcome by quite a bit. Surprised Dave "The Corpse" Bing isn't higher up on the crap list.

[jiminnm]

I think the list is pretty decent. Professorscott nailed it on the head, from everything I have read CAY was perfect for a window in Detroit's history, but ended up overstaying his welcome by quite a bit.

As one who lived through the entire CAY administration, I agree. His approach was needed in the 1970s but, by 1980, the suburbs began to take his frequent comments that Detroit didn't need the suburbs seriously. As a result, the relationship got tenser and more distant than it had been. I wonder if CAY believed that Carter would be reelected and that federal money would continue to flow into Detroit. When the money started to dry up, his approach did nothing to improve the city.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

As one who lived through the entire CAY administration, I agree. His approach was needed in the 1970s but, by 1980, the suburbs began to take his frequent comments that Detroit didn't need the suburbs seriously. As a result, the relationship got tenser and more distant than it had been. I wonder if CAY believed that Carter would be reelected and that federal money would continue to flow into Detroit. When the money started to dry up, his approach did nothing to improve the city.

This is a good observation.

[Oddz313]

Hit the nail on the head. In the 1970's CAY was a pretty good mayor and broke the barriers. Downtown had some big projects like the Ren Cen and JLA as well. When Carter was not re-elected and the FED dollars were no longer there it made it much tougher for him. This was compounded by the extreme loss of residents and the early 80's recession which hit the auto industry really hard.

[Honky Tonk]

In the 1970's CAY was a pretty good mayor and broke the barriers. Downtown had some big projects like the Ren Cen and JLA as well. When Carter was not re-elected and the FED dollars were no longer there it made it much tougher for him. This was compounded by his extreme running of his mouth, resulting in the loss of residents and, MAYBE, even the early 80's recession which hit the auto industry really hard.

[ABetterDetroit]

I think in some respects history might continue to treat CAY better in the long run. Being fiscally responsible is defiantly looking brilliant in this time period.

[Oddz313]

In the 1970's CAY was a pretty good mayor and broke the barriers. Downtown had some big projects like the Ren Cen and JLA as well. When Carter was not re-elected and the FED dollars were no longer there it made it much tougher for him. This was compounded by his extreme running of his mouth, resulting in the loss of residents and, MAYBE, even the early 80's recession which hit the auto industry really hard.

Ya because nobody ever left Detroit before CAY because they didn't like black people

[Danny]

What if Coleman Young became Mayor of Detroit in 1983:

White flight would have been slow down creating a stable population 1.4 million.

White owned businesses in Downtown Detroit would have been slowing coming back.

The drug, gang and homicide problem would slow down in some neighborhoods, but more violent in mostly black communities.

Detroit Police force would increase more in remaining mostly white Detroit neighborhoods along with community policing. Curfew enforcement for kids under 18 years [[ on school nights or Devil's Night Halloween Arson) would increase.

Detroit Public Schools would continue intergration from busing district changing. White folks would start their public or private schools for them. They would allow some black kids into their schools not all.

There would fewer abandon buildings in mostly White Detroit neighborhoods and more abandon buildings in black Detroit neighborhoods most of them will be torn down and none to be built. Leave it vacant. This would cause black Detroiters to flight more to Oak Park, Southfield, Lathrup Village Farminton Hills, West Bloomfield, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Madison Hieghts, and Warren via Section 8 housing application rush.

Coleman Young would remain Mayor of Detroit in the 1980s serving 2 terms. Later his bigoted remarks would anger white Detroiters and a new White Mayor like Ed McNamara will win the election. Then things to Detroit will be booming the 1990s like Chicago.

[TennisAndMath]

Do you CAY fiscally responsible propaganda pushers not realize 1) CAY was able to live of the fumes of the Detroit boom in the 70s and 80s a lot easier than it is in the 00s and 10s; 2) Slashing police, ignoring infrastructure for 20 years, stoking race war != responsible; 3) the city's books were so distorted and cooked and CAY put unqualified crony crooks in control of them, so nobody really knows what the hell was going on back then?

We're bankrupt in 2013/14 because the fumes of the boom are long gone and the chickens have come home to roost [[pension obligations, infrastructure updates, etc).

The guy was evil, THE biggest conman a major US city has ever seen, and single handedly ensured the irreversible destruction of Detroit.

[Kevgoblue]

Do you CAY fiscally responsible propaganda pushers not realize 1) CAY was able to live of the fumes of the Detroit boom in the 70s and 80s a lot easier than it is in the 00s and 10s; 2) Slashing police, ignoring infrastructure for 20 years, stoking race war != responsible; 3) the city's books were so distorted and cooked and CAY put unqualified crony crooks in control of them, so nobody really knows what the hell was going on back then?

We're bankrupt in 2013/14 because the fumes of the boom are long gone and the chickens have come home to roost [[pension obligations, infrastructure updates, etc).

The guy was evil, THE biggest conman a major US city has ever seen, and single handedly ensured the irreversible destruction of Detroit.

Wow! Not sure what else to say about that intelligent, articulate and fact filled post.

Well, I'd sure like to know how you rate Archer. He continued to ignore infrastructure. Drove all the business out of the warehouse district in a failed effort to give the land to the casinos. Provided plenty of opportunities for friends and family to "work" on the taxpayer dollar. On top of that he hired thousands of employees on a payroll that couldn't afford the ones they had.

[Schoolcraft]

Coleman should have been #1 on that list hands down... Detroiters loved him unconditionally. They were willing to do anything for him, like pay 3% in income taxes, which is super high. He motivated everybody in the city and was an unwavering defender of the city, which is what the city needs because as you can see, after he left, we were slowly raped of our resources and starved into submission. When Coleman was in charge, we were a nice city of a million people which included a ton a middle class black folk living nice middle class lives. Today half our population is beyond poor and can't even pay their $40 water bills. He was the last stand against a region of folks who had it out for Detroit and when he left, the dam burst.

[mwilbert]

[Archer] continued to ignore infrastructure. Drove all the business out of the warehouse district in a failed effort to give the land to the casinos.

Excellent point. The whole Bricktown debacle is a serious negative of the Archer period. I couldn't believe how badly that was messed up at the time, and I still can't.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Coleman should have been #1 on that list hands down... Detroiters loved him unconditionally. They were willing to do anything for him, like pay 3% in income taxes, which is super high. He motivated everybody in the city and was an unwavering defender of the city, which is what the city needs because as you can see, after he left, we were slowly raped of our resources and starved into submission. When Coleman was in charge, we were a nice city of a million people which included a ton a middle class black folk living nice middle class lives. Today half our population is beyond poor and can't even pay their $40 water bills. He was the last stand against a region of folks who had it out for Detroit and when he left, the dam burst.

Good points, but most people don't look at it that way. They only see the vitriol he directed at the suburbs which in many cases was justified. Most think like post #41.

[Oddz313]

Good points, but most people don't look at it that way. They only see the vitriol he directed at the suburbs which in many cases was justified. Most think like post #41.

Ya but somewhere in between post 41 and post 43 is where the truth lies. Those income taxes pushed business and residents out as well. I know when I was working at Detroit Diesel, I prayed that I would be on the Redford side.

[softailrider]

Wow! Not sure what else to say about that intelligent, articulate and fact filled post.

Well, I'd sure like to know how you rate Archer. He continued to ignore infrastructure. Drove all the business out of the warehouse district in a failed effort to give the land to the casinos. Provided plenty of opportunities for friends and family to "work" on the taxpayer dollar. On top of that he hired thousands of employees on a payroll that couldn't afford the ones they had.

By the time Archer reached office the neighborhoods were in shambles. You referred to the warehouse district, what about the other 99.9% of the city.

[hortonz]

Had Coleman Young called it quits after his first decade in office, there's no doubt he would have been one of the great mayors of Detroit. In his first decade in office he contributed a lot to the city. His lobbying efforts on behalf of Chrysler and the UAW helped rescue the company from certain bankruptcy in 1979, he built Joe Louis Arena, convinced GM to build the Poletown plant and convinced white business leaders to invest downtown. Unfortunately, he spent too long in office and by the early 90's had become a national embarrassment and a cantankerous demagogue.

[Kevgoblue]

By the time Archer reached office the neighborhoods were in shambles. You referred to the warehouse district, what about the other 99.9% of the city.

My repsonse was aimed at:
1) the fabricated "whites left the city because of Coleman" argument, when in reality that exodus started in the 50's. LONG before CAY took office.
2)Detroit's bankruptcy is somehow the responsibility of Coleman "cooking the books". When in fact he was much more fiscally prudent than Detroits' next mayor. Or most of his predacessors, for that matter.

[Kevgoblue]

The neighborhoods being in shambles is a direct result of the loss of its middle class citizens. Not to mention its tax base, personal and business. That being said, based on population charts I don't see any increase in the rate citizens fleeing the city corresponding to when Coleman took office. Why not blame Cobo, Miriani or Cavanagh?