Emergency Financial Manager for Detroit

**stasu1213** · February-21-11, 01:39 AM

Do you think that Detroit will get a emergency financial manager? Will Dave Bing be that person? What will happen to the common council? If Bing is not selected as the manager will he lose his job as mayor?

Vox · February-21-11, 10:11 AM

1) Yes 2) No 3) Gone 4) Yes

**professorscott** · February-21-11, 10:40 AM

I don't think the state is going to be in a hurry to appoint an emergency financial manager for the City, but if the state does so, it certainly won't be Dave Bing. Nothing against Mr. Bing, but with his current role being what it is he wouldn't be eligible.

If this does happen, I doubt it will have much impact on Mr. Bing one way or the other. Nobody is pinning on him the responsibility for the City being broke; God himself would have a time of it making sense of the City's finances.

The Common Council won't go anywhere, but it will be largely denuded of real authority, much like the current state of the Detroit Board of Education. It still exists, but so what?

Vox · February-21-11, 12:32 PM

Sorry, Proffessor Scott, but you are wrong. If an emergency manager is appointed, per new legislation pending in Lansing, the city council and Mayor would be swept out of office. Period. And not able to run for any public office for 10 years. How do you like that? And by the way, the school board would be required to do the same thing, if a manager is appointed, once the bill passes.

**Gistok** · February-21-11, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Vox

Sorry, Proffessor Scott, but you are wrong. If an emergency manager is appointed, per new legislation pending in Lansing, the city council and Mayor would be swept out of office. Period. And not able to run for any public office for 10 years. How do you like that? And by the way, the school board would be required to do the same thing, if a manager is appointed, once the bill passes.

LOL... Vox, yeah that's the way it's going to happen... just because of some "pending" legislation....

IF and that's a big IF this passes the legislature... it would likely get slapped down in a court case.

Also try enforcing a law that states "so and so cannot rerun for office for 10 years"... I can see the court system slapping down that part of the law in a hurry.

If the law as written is passed, I highly doubt that Snyder would invoke it on Detroit...

**mwilbert** · February-21-11, 12:46 PM

That link doesn't work. Try http://www.legislature.mi.gov/docume...1-SIB-0153.htm

I don't think it is accurate to say the professorscott is wrong by referring to legislation that hasn't passed yet.

Vox · February-21-11, 01:39 PM

Actually, most times that both house and senate propose a bill, and actually train 100+ financial managers, one can safely assume that the bill will pass.

**Detroitnerd** · February-21-11, 02:06 PM

When was the last time you could assume anything about Lansing, except that, due to the legislature, the average IQ is below normal for Michigan cities?

**bailey** · February-21-11, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

When was the last time you could assume anything about Lansing, except that, due to the legislature, the average IQ is below normal for Michigan cities?

sad commentary on the electorate as a whole isn't it?

**daddeeo** · February-21-11, 05:01 PM

It would be interesting to see how the citizens react.
Would they hit the streets or turn the channel and crack
open another cold one?

**English** · February-21-11, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

It would be interesting to see how the citizens react.
Would they hit the streets or turn the channel and crack
open another cold one?

The bolded. We are not our ancestors by any means.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-21-11, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

When was the last time you could assume anything about Lansing, except that, due to the legislature, the average IQ is below normal for Michigan cities?

Seems to me that the folks who voted them in are dumber!

**Detroitnerd** · February-21-11, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Seems to me that the folks who voted them in are dumber!

Haha. Point taken.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-21-11, 02:10 PM

Professor Scott the City Council has not been common for a long time now. You're about 35 years out of date.

Vox · February-21-11, 02:27 PM

What makes you think that Detroit is a special case? IF it passes? Really? What will stop it? Lets see. House is Republican, Senate is Republican, The supreme Court of Michigan is Republican, even though it is not supposed to. Honestly, some people think that the world has not changed. The court case would not matter much if a LAW is passed.

**iheartthed** · February-22-11, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Vox

What makes you think that Detroit is a special case? IF it passes? Really? What will stop it? Lets see. House is Republican, Senate is Republican, The supreme Court of Michigan is Republican, even though it is not supposed to. Honestly, some people think that the world has not changed. The court case would not matter much if a LAW is passed.

Well, if the law passes I can guarantee you that the governor won't be Republican in 4 years.

Vox · February-22-11, 12:23 PM

Seems as if the substitute bill in the house, H2, has been inserted, although the text is noplace to be found. The analysis of the bill seems to have deleted the removal, although the removal can be instituted by lack of cooperation with a financial manager. Otherwise, same stuff.

Vox · February-21-11, 02:42 PM

Why else do you think that, in Wisconsin, everyone is up in arms by a law passing there? A court case would reverse that? Not likely. So there it is, in a nutshelll, change or move on. It is that simple. Not that I agree with it, but to believe that someone is there to save the status quo is just plain nuts.

**Gistok** · February-21-11, 02:50 PM

Vox, I'm not going to argue over your narrow Slippery Slope scenario viewpoint IF this law passes.

But as far as voter right issues goes... that's a FEDERAL COURTS issue....

I'm sure that Mayor Bing and the City Council is not losing any sleep over being booted out of office by a law that has such hick supporters as Jack Brandenburg.... I'm not sure which is redder... the stripes on the American flag, or the back of his neck...

Mr. Brandenburg was my state representative... and his campaign literature almost screamed anti-Detroit [[but in a very subtle codespeak way)...

It's one thing to have a receivership... it's another to force people from office without cause. "Most" of our constitution does still protect us from these people and their ilk...

**Hermod** · February-21-11, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

It's one thing to have a receivership... it's another to force people from office without cause. "Most" of our constitution does still protect us from these people and their ilk...

Not forced out of office. Just having them and their bloated staffs defunded. New pay for council is $100 per meeting. All staff positions are defunded and incumbent council staff terminated. Council can vote laws up a storm, but will have zero authority over the budget.

**Gistok** · February-21-11, 07:50 PM

Unless the law specifically mentions specific tasks... all you're doing is coming up with "potential" scenarios.... hell anyone can do that...

Maybe they'll fire all the meter maids and make roadside downtown parking free!!!

Vox · February-21-11, 08:02 PM

Read the bill for specific failures that trigger the financial manager. These are quite lengthy, and I guess that there has been an amendment offered since the bill was read a second time. No info on that amendment, H2 has been forthcoming, although I have read that the election ban has been decreased to six years.

Vox · February-21-11, 05:36 PM

Look, Gistok, I know Gannon, and you are no Gannon. Slippery Slope? Yes, it is. And Detroit and a whole lot of other cities, as well as school districts, will probably find themselves at the bottom of this slope. These bills have been fast tracked, and Federal court does not intervene in acts of Legislatures, particularily where there are clear cut things that were to have to happen first before the manager would be appointed. In my city, the council is worried too, so maybe you should enquire with the city manager of your town to see what is being planned for your community?

**Gannon** · February-22-11, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by Vox

Look, Gistok, I know Gannon, and you are no Gannon. Slippery Slope? Yes, it is. And Detroit and a whole lot of other cities, as well as school districts, will probably find themselves at the bottom of this slope. These bills have been fast tracked, and Federal court does not intervene in acts of Legislatures, particularily where there are clear cut things that were to have to happen first before the manager would be appointed. In my city, the council is worried too, so maybe you should enquire with the city manager of your town to see what is being planned for your community?

HEY! How did I get drawn into this conversation?! Did Gistok edit something out that I missed?

I've been surfing for a time to join in...but thought everyone was hitting all the major points.

I was not fully understanding your take on the matter, Vox, until you made it clear that the judicial bias within this state would never hinder the new business-axe-in-charge's decisive actions...and Feds wouldn't touch independent state's-rights decisions. I was ready to jump in and say that was the court's responsibility, making laws remain on the books only if they were constitutional and serving the people [[instead of the converse)...but you are correct. This bias has thrown a wrench into the balance of powers.

Damn. I see now your relative panic...Snyder surely very quickly has made ripples enough to drown more than a few who have previously only been able to barely tread this water.

Cheers

**Novine** · February-22-11, 10:20 AM

"I wonder why you think that there is a difference between passing a law barring someone with a felony from office for 20 years, and barring someone that allowed a city to fail for 6. Same principle, in my opinion."

One is based on the state constitution, the other is not. The state legislature can pass unconstitutional laws but they'll get thrown out in court.