Pugh's troubles

Buy American · March-11-10, 11:22 PM

Charles Pugh is being sued again for not paying his condo fees.

Great guy to have as head of City Council and one to take care of the City's finances.

More sludge!

**daddeeo** · March-12-10, 12:07 AM

No wonder some people despair. With "leaders" like this, it's not surprising.

**Motor City Sam** · March-12-10, 03:14 PM

Electing a guy with money troubles to City Council in Detroit is like inviting the fox into the henhouse. With the pay to play atmosphere that has existed in this City recently, it's not hard to imagine another indictment a few years down the line.

Buy American · March-12-10, 04:23 PM

When you are in financial difficulties the temptation is too great to take what isn't yours...especially when it's so easily accessible.

**downtown_racine** · March-12-10, 04:31 PM

Is he off the hook for totaling that Crown Vic ?

I'll never understand how people stop paying for their abode, thats the FIRST thing I'm paying.

**agirlintheD** · March-12-10, 04:55 PM

Another example of what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine? Good God, the sense of entitlement is never ending.Yeah, what happened with the Crown Vic? How 'bout some answers?

**MaxDetroit** · March-12-10, 04:58 PM

A worthy replacement for Monica.

**East Detroit** · March-12-10, 05:04 PM

Paging Steve Wilson...

**kryptonite** · March-15-10, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by downtown_racine

Is he off the hook for totaling that Crown Vic ? .

I have been wondering about that also. I would expect it is going to be an issue at some point, since not only did he do serious damage to city and state property but he vioated ordinances by not staying at the scene. Maybe there are investigations going on and it isn't just a non-issue, I would think it could take a couple of months. There are always intra-council vendettas and someone else wants to be coucil president.

**eno** · March-15-10, 09:21 AM

My understanding is that the source of Charles Pugh's money woes is the loss of income he experienced after resigning from his job at TV2 in order to run for City Council. He bought his condo when he was making over $200K/year. Now that he's making around $85K/year he needs to move into more affordable housing. He shouldn't have any trouble finding it in Detroit's current depressed housing market.

**Detwa** · March-15-10, 09:27 AM

the multiple eviction notices and collections over non-payment of dues started LONG before he even started his campaign for city council. That was all reported back then and he tries to say its because he gave up his salary, but court docs show that he had, what, 11 eviction notices for nonpayment the previous years before his campaign started. And the whole foreclosure and nonpayment of dues was already in the courts too. That's why people were questioning why he would quit his job when he knew he was deep in debt.

**Detwa** · March-15-10, 09:31 AM

"Pugh received 11 eviction notices for a Trolley Plaza apartment he rented between December 2001 and April 2005, and his condo association sued him in September over unpaid fees."

This was before the foreclosure on his current condo.

I really think Pugh is just a person who chronically does not pay his bills, and then makes excuses about it. I know people like this, its almost like a disease, its like they just don't get it and they never change. There are bills that I will let slip if money gets tight, but the main bills like mortgage, utilities, and cable/internet[[lol) are priority. I don't have a car note, but when I did, that was priority too. I had one car repo'd about 20 years ago and that was the sickest most embarrassing feeling and I vowed to never let that happen again.

But some people just continue to ignore their bills and its like they never learn. It has nothing to do with their income, they are just reckless with money and love to shop but they will not pay their bills. Then they wonder why they have bad credit and can't get this or that, but its just one excuse after another. I see that type of personality in Charles. Watch and see, this is not going to stop, there's going to be one story after another about him defaulting on financial commitments. You see, he made an agreement to pay the dues when the story hit the paper, then after he got elected, he quickly defaulted on that agreement.

i really think there's a psychological component to people who behave like this, I would really like to see if there's ever been a study done about it. Because the people I know that do this, seem to have a "backstory".

**Kevgoblue** · March-15-10, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by eno

My understanding is that the source of Charles Pugh's money woes is the loss of income he experienced after resigning from his job at TV2 in order to run for City Council. He bought his condo when he was making over $200K/year. Now that he's making around $85K/year he needs to move into more affordable housing. He shouldn't have any trouble finding it in Detroit's current depressed housing market.

Who's going to loan him the money? Will he then pay 2 mortgages? Will he find a buyer for his current condo? If he does sell, does he have the money to pay off what he surely must be underwater on on the first mortgage? If I was running the bank I would not be very inclined to take the hit on his existing mortgage. Especially considering the fact that he voluntarily took a large reduction in pay.

Serious questions being pondered by many. Including those with inpecable credit. I don't see how this can pan out in any way even slightly positive for Mr. Pugh. More than likely he'll find a new place to rent and let the condo fall into forclosure. Seeing that Steve Wilson is no longer with us, I'm envisioning some kid fresh out of journalism school is doing lots of legwork for the background of an upcoming investigative report.

**Hypestyles** · March-15-10, 12:15 PM

I hope he can get himself together, move to a smaller place, get this behind him.. otherwise this is going to be an anchor overshadowing him for the next 4 years.. I can also remember him making some offhand remarks at one point talking about supporting family members as part of his money issues.. another red-flag..

**REL** · March-15-10, 12:40 PM

Maybe he should hire Sam Riddle as a consultant to see how he can supplement his income while on council...

**kryptonite** · March-15-10, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by REL

Maybe he should hire Sam Riddle as a consultant to see how he can supplement his income while on council...

Ha! And maybe Pugh will hire Charles Rogers to teach him how to drive city-owned vehicles.

**smogboy** · March-15-10, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by kryptonite

Ha! And maybe Pugh will hire Charles Rogers to teach him how to drive city-owned vehicles.

As long as he doesn't take hints from Kwame and demands to live a certain lavish lifestyle.

**One Shot** · March-15-10, 06:00 PM

He's off to a great start. Everyone has the chance to fall on hard times around here but it doesn't seem like he's taking it serious. I want to know what really when he crashed the car. To me thats what breaks the camels back.

**bee@dee** · March-15-10, 07:08 PM

shoot! i was hopin' chas. would loan ME a few bucks! if he's taking a pay cut like that, given his current financial stress, it's hard to believe he'll rebound from his difficulties. simple math indicates he needs more cash not less. if you care about your city, how can you not be sad?

Buy American · March-15-10, 07:30 PM

Pugh is the President of the Detroit City Council, that is a huge responsibility. The finances of the entire City of Detroit are in his hands at times. If he can't handle his own finances, how can he possibly understand the dynamics of a City budget? He has been sued for non-payment of his mortgage, had liens placed on his condo, been evicted from numerous homes....that says something about his integrity. Now, wrecking a City owned automobile, leaving the scene of an accident, then not reporting it to the Police and the City for two or three days shows me more about this man's character. The bottom line is, you don't quit a high paying job until you secure another high paying job. He left Fox, had nothing in his future except the thought of maybe running for office; and had plenty of bills to pay. He's going to get into lots of trouble.

**Brittz** · March-16-10, 04:56 AM

You may correct about Pugh Buy American. I just don't understand why if one is in financial instability they would just JUMP into the poor house. Besides the hugh difference in pay, it is a headache of a job.

**kryptonite** · March-16-10, 06:50 AM

Somebody posted in a different blog about Pugh that he wants the bribe money, that's why he ran for city council.

I wonder if he ran for city council out of desperation, maybe his departure from Fox was not entirely voluntary. I never got the impression when I watched him report the news that he was very intelligent, mostly because he didn't sound very intelligent.

I can't imagine the issue has been dropped regarding his wrecking the city vehicle. When you violate city ordinances or state law I don't expect that the violation just goes away.

**bee@dee** · March-16-10, 09:26 AM

given the seriousness of the charges brought against other city officials in recent monthes[[years), perhaps the damaged vehicle incident will only be treated as 'small potatoes' and swept under the rug?

**Al Publican** · March-16-10, 11:26 AM

No reason for Council members to have City owned cars, especially with financial shape Detroit has been in for decades. I'm a retired Detroit firefighter. I remained in the city [ten years in Corktown, to name one area where I resided in DET] and often lamented to coworkers and citizens alike "that you can only go to the well so many times before it drys up."

Detroit, like too many other areas of America, have shunned the basis for a thriving community with its political and cultural disdain for small business owners. Where is the neighborhood culture of commerce in Detroit that is thriving elsewhere, such as here in Vietnam where I am residing for several months?

I submit that Detroit slipped collectively into the social mindset of the lumpen proletarian in the 1970s when the murder figures sometimes topped 700 per year. I was living on Delaware and Second in the '70s when the city slipped into its present state of anti-small business ownership and anti-intellectual live-for-today mindset.

Perks for a political class with no economic foundation to pay the bills. Lansing and Washington are broke. Suddenly that hot dog stand down on the corner looks like an opportnity, and maybe a decent future.

**detroitbob** · March-16-10, 03:26 PM

Well, inspite of whatever money problems Mr. Pugh might have, I'll take him as council president over last years model...Hopefully he will get his act together. Remember what the Clowncil sounded like and acted like for the last 12 years. The current group is a breathe of fresh air.