Brennan Pools Re-Open

Brennan Pools in Rouge Park re-opened today after having been closed for nearly two years. The pools were originally closed by former Mayor Dave Bing due to budget cuts.

The pools were able to restored and opened again thanks to $3 million fundraising campaign that was spearheaded by State Representative Harvey Santana and supported by the Speak of the House Jase Bolger. The largest donor to the cause was Lear Corporation, although a variety of other partners contributed as well.

The pools will be open for the rest of the summer every day from 12:30 p.m. until 8 p.m..

10 Things Detroit's Emergency Manager Should Do

I would like to welcome Kevyn Orr to his new job as emergency financial manager for the City of Detroit. I'm not thrilled that the City of Detroit has an emergency financial manager. However, I believe in making the best of things. Therefore, I want to share with him, and everyone else, the following 10 suggestion as to what he should do over the next eighteen months that he will serve in this capacity.

#1. Don't Take It Personally.

You are going to be called a lot of names in the coming days by a lot of different people, Mr. Orr. Much of the name calling will come from people who have their own agenda to serve. Some of it will come from people who are mad about the condition of their hometown and need to vent. Others are frustrated at how little their elected representatives listen to them and fear that an emergency manager will listen even less. More still will come from people who are simply piling on.

No matter what you do in this position, Mr. Orr, please don't take any of it personally. Turning around one of the most troubled cities in the industrialized world is a big job with tremendous consequences. We don't have time for anyone to take these things personally.

#2. Bring Back Warren Evans

Former Chief Warren Evans

Crime is rampant in Detroit. It is quite literally destroying our city as residents, businesses, and visitors flee for their own safety.

When Warren Evans was chief of the Detroit Police Department, violent crime dropped dramatically and police response times improved by 29% in less than a year. Plus, he did it all while reducing the amount that DPD spends on overtime by almost $7 million. He was so much better than either of the police chiefs that Detroit has had since then that it's not even funny.

I don't think there is anyone else who is as prepared to hit the ground running as chief of police for Detroit.

Some critics will argue that Warren Evans was too much of a showboat to be in a high-ranking position. He did, after all, have a pilot for a reality television show. However, as far as I'm concerned, if he can effectively reduce crime and improve police response times then he can be on whatever television show he wants.

#3. Fire Ralph Godbee

Ralph Godee resigned as chief of the Detroit Police Department last year. However, according to a report from Fox 2 News, he is still on the payroll as a DPD employee. Neither Mayor Dave Bing, Mr. Godbee, nor anyone else have refuted their report nor offered any explanation as to why someone could still be an employee of the department long after resigning.

For all of these reasons, as well as the fact that he was flipping incompetent as a police chief, Ralph Godbee should be fired immediately. Whoever decided to keep him on the payroll long after he resigned should also be fired.

FBI Launches Investigation into Detroit EMS

I posted a prediction on my Twitter feed last week that Detroit Mayor Dave Bing would likely face his first federal indictment by June of 2014. A lot of people thought I was nuts when I posted that.

Of course, those who think I'm nuts for predicting a criminal indictment against Mayor Bing haven't spent the past few years digging through the City of Detroit's financial records and its budget, attending community meetings, and filing Freedom of Information Act requests.

In a completely unrelated event, Charlie LeDuff of Fox 2 News broke the story last night that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Michigan Attorney General's Office are investigating the Emergency Medical Services Division of the Detroit Fire Department. They are looking at whether or not the Detroit's EMS has been used by the City's administration to obtain fraudulent reimbursements for services from Medicaid and Medicare.

I have to admit that there is a part of me that just wants to sit back with a large bowl of popcorn as this story evolves. Things, my dear readers, are going to get interesting in the coming weeks and months.

Vindication from 24/7 Wall Street

The Spirit of Detroit

The folks at 24/7 Wall Street, which provides analysis to equity investors, published a list of best and worst managed cities in the United States. I don't think it surprises very many people that Detroit came in at number four on their list of the worst managed cities.

Plus, the only reason why Detroit wasn't rated even worse than it actually is that Mayor Dave Bing has enacted at least some of the reforms that he opposed when he first came into office. Their full list of the best and worst managed cities in the United States is available here.

As someone who has spent more than 20 years following the financial operations of the City of Detroit, and who has submitted several proposals on how to improve the situation only to be ignored or ridiculed by those who were in power who insisted that they had everything under control, I have to admit that I feel a certain amount of vindication from this listing.

Mayor Bing Establishes Non-Fraternization Policy

Mayor Dave Bing

Mayor Dave Bing announced this afternoon that he has signed an executive order to establish a non-fraternization policy for all City of Detroit employees. This is done in the aftermath of a series of high-profile sex scandals involving senior officials within the Detroit Police Department, including 2 different chiefs of police, who had affairs with subordinates. This standard, according Mayor Bing's statement, will ensure a fair, conflict-free workplace.

This policy affects all employees, including the Detroit Police Department. However, under the terms of Detroit's new charter, it will require approval by the Board of Police Commissioners. Mayor Bing explained that he fully expects that to happen at the next Police Commissioners meeting.

5 Things Governor Snyder Should Do to Help Detroit

Governor Rick Snyder - Official Press Photo

Governor Rick Snyder has been an integral part of 3 initiatives that were intended to improve the lives of everyday Detroiters while stabilizing the City's budget. He has pushed for a regional transit authority, a new authority to upgrade and manage Detroit's street lights, and he tried to have Belle Isle managed as a state park.

Each of those 3 things has provoked a certain amount of controversy and none of them have been enacted. I won't discuss the merits of those 3 initiatives, at least not in this post.

Instead, I want to take the time to highlight 5 things that Gov. Snyder should do to help Detroit, which would not provoke the political stalemate that his other ideas have encountered.

It has never been more important to turn things around in Detroit. A recent poll by the Detroit News shows that 40% of Detroiters intend to leave the area within in the next 5 years. Crime, and the Detroit Police Department's inability to respond effectively to it, is the prevailing reason for their intended departure.

Detroit simply cannot afford to see that many residents leave that quickly. A 25% loss in population over 10 years is largely responsible for our current financial condition. A 40% drop within 5 years will drive both the City of Detroit and the Detroit Public Schools into bankruptcy, which will set off a series of events that will likely prove detrimental to all of Michigan.

If that happens, even if we do get those 3 things that the Governor is currently working on, the loss of residents and tax revenue and corresponding bankruptcy will mean wide-scale credit downgrades for cities and counties throughout the region. It will be harder for them to borrow the money they all need to borrow from time to time and it will cost them a lot more when they are able to borrow. That, in turn, will make many of the problems those communities are facing much worse.

With all of that in mind, I present 5 things that Governor Snyder should do to help Detroit. I believe an overwhelming majority of Detroiters will support these initiatives.

#1. Find a Buyer for the Rackham Golf Course

Stock Photo by C. Flart

The City of Detroit owns the Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods. It's a fantastic course; often ranked as one of the best public golf courses in the United States. However, because it's in the suburbs, very few city residents use it.

Kwame M. Kilpatrick tried to sell the Rackham Golf Course to private developers when he was Mayor of Detroit. No one in Detroit rallied in opposition to the sale nor complained that our jewels were being taken from us. Pretty much everyone in Detroit seemed okay with the idea of selling the course to private developers.

The courts, however, ruled that a deed restriction from the Rackham family prevented the City of Detroit from selling it to anyone other than another unit of government. The deal to sell the course died shortly after that ruling came down and the City of Detroit continues to own a valuable asset that does little for city residents.

Gov. Snyder could use his influence to persuade either the City of Huntington Woods or Oakland County to buy the Rackham Golf Course for a price that ideally is at least somewhat close to what those developers were willing to pay a few years ago. Failing that, the State of Michigan could step in to buy it. The purchase could be financed with the sale of bonds and those bonds repaid with revenue generated by the golf course.

As for how this would benefit Detroiters, the proceeds from such a sale would be enough to:

• Replace our current fleet of ambulances that are simply beyond their serviceable life;
• Reopen at least one of our closed police stations; and
• Buy a couple hundred squad cards for the Detroit Police Department.

Being able to say that we own that golf course is nice. However, I think most Detroiters would vastly prefer the benefits of selling the thing.

#2. Takeover the Operations of Detroit's 9-1-1 Call Center

Officially, it takes the Detroit Police Department an average of 37.6 minutes to respond to an emergency, which is the worst response time of any major police department in the industrialized world. Most people who have had to make one of those calls, however, can attest to the fact that its true response time is much higher. Individual police officers have told me that they are on scene within a few minutes of getting a call, it just takes much longer for DPD to route those calls for service than it would for other departments.

Officials within DPD love to offer one excuse after another for their response time. None of them, in my opinion, hold any water.

No small part of the department's response time has to do with how those calls for service are routed within DPD's call center and dispatching. Therefore, I believe it would be prudent for either the State of Michigan or Wayne County to takeover management of Detroit's 9-1-1 call center and police dispatching.

Moreover, if Detroit were to combine its call center operations with the Cities of Hamtramck and Highland Park, the cost to each community would likely be lower than it is now. Faster response times at a lower cost is powerful thing that will do a lot to stem the exodus from Detroit.

#3. Takeover the Policing of Downtown Detroit

Detroit Police Officer on Patrol During Super Bowl XL

The unfortunate reality is that the Detroit Police Department has been mismanaged for so long, and is in such bad condition right now, that money cannot solve its problems.

It will take time to recruit, train, and deploy new police officers. Once new officers are deployed, they will still be rookies who will need mentoring and experience before they are able to maximize their effectiveness. Those things take time and, with the rate that Detroit is losing population, we simply do not have enough time.

Therefore, I believe that the best possible course of action at this time would be for the Detroit Police Department to hand the task of policing our central business distinct over to either the Wayne County Sheriff or the Michigan State Police. If those agencies are able to handle adjacent areas also, such as Brush Park, Lafayette Park, or the New Center, that would be fantastic.

By doing this, we could redeploy hundreds of Detroit police officers into the neighborhoods where their presence is essential to stem our population loss and avoid a bankruptcy. Moving police officers into the neighborhoods is something that residents have been begging for for years.

As for the costs that the Michigan State Police and/or the Wayne County Sheriff would have to incur, at least a portion of them could be paid by asking the Detroit Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings to reimburse those agencies for the costs associated with directing traffic during their games.

The idea of professional teams paying for police services, by the way, is nothing new. It is something that former Mayor Kilpatrick proposed shortly before his scandals became public and he was ousted from office. No one voiced any objections to it then. It's doubtful that anyone would object today.

#4. Takeover the Collection of Detroit's Income Taxes

The City of Detroit is one of the few local governments that has an income tax for residents and non-residents alike. Unfortunately, Detroit does a really bad job at collecting on those taxes. Mayor Dave Bing has sent out thousands of letters to people who money, but has had only limited success.

When Ken Conkrel, currently the President Pro Tem of the Detroit City Council, was mayor on an interim basis, one of the reforms that he proposed was to have the Michigan Department of Treasury takeover collecting that tax revenue. It is one of many reforms that have been discussed in this town without being enacted. Regardless, there were very few people who spoke against that move back then and it's doubtful such a proposal would stir much controversy today.

Since this would likely generate more than enough money to wipe out Detroit current $40 million deficit, I believe it is something that should be done expeditiously.

#5. Takeover Billing for the Detroit Fire Department

Stock Photo - Jakub Krechowicz

The Detroit Fire Department bills for a variety of services. For example, insurance companies, as well Medicaid and Medicare, are billed for patients who need service from our EMS, DTE is billed when they have to guard a downed power line, and so on. The problem is that the fire department only collects on 52% of those invoices.

Very few enterprises ever collect on all of their invoices. Regardless, a 52% collection rate is really low. If one were able to bring it up to 2/3 of all invoices being collected, that would mean millions more in revenue for a fire department where, quite frankly, a lack of adequate funding is costing lives.

Since the State of Michigan does a much better job at collecting on moneys owed to it, I believe it would be appropriate for them to take this task over as well. The administrative costs associated with their collections could be deducted from funds they receive. It would still mean a substantial boost in additional revenue for the Detroit Fire Department.

These, of course, are my thoughts: 5 relatively simple and not very controversial things that Governor Snyder could to help the City of Detroit and minimize the chances that it will go into bankruptcy within the next 5 years. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Sex Scandal Brewing with Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee at the Center

Stock Photo by Michal Zacharzewski

WXYZ-TV is reporting that a major sex scandal is brewing within Detroit city government and that Chief Ralph Godbee of the Detroit Police Department is at the center of it. Their full report is available on-line here.

The big question, in my opinion, is whether this is a purely organic thing or if those in Mayor Dave Bing's inner circle have realized that they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of keeping their jobs past next November unless they make drastic changes within DPD?

If it's the later option then that means they've likely planted this story, which, in turn, makes me wonder wonder what Chief Godbee will do in retaliation. He does not seem like the sort to go quietly into that goodnight, unless he collects a payoff that Mayor Bing's crew probably can't afford to pay him at the moment.

It will be interesting to see who backs off first. Do those in Mayor Bing's inner circle find a way to muscle him out in order to save their own jobs? Or does Chief Godbee manage to hold on for a few more months?

Update @ 4:28 p.m.
The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Chief Godbee has been suspended for 30 days pending the outcome of an investigation into his affair with another police officer under his command. Assistant Chief Chester Logan will assume the responsibilities of chief of police during the interim.

Dave Bing and the Light Bulb Joke

After 3 years and 3 months in office, Mayor Dave Bing announced a 4 year plan to get the street lights back on in Detroit. The Detroit News has more on it here.

I swear, this is a light bulb joke in there somewhere. It's probably not a very funny one, but it's there.

The Detroit Water & Sewage Report That Wasn't

Mayor Dave Bing released a report yesterday, which claimed that Detroit Water & Sewage Department could cut its staff by 81%, save approximately $900 million over the coming decade, and hold off rate increases. The Detroit Free Press has more on this report here, including a link to actual report that Mayor Bing released.

Much has already been written about this in other outlets. I would like to focus on three points that no one else seems to have picked up on.

First, I have a quick note to Mayor Bing and everyone who works for him. A series of bullet points (in a 14 point font, no less) coupled with a series of numbers that you don't back up does not qualify as a report. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the DWSD report is. Nothing but bullet points and unsubstantiated numbers.

I used to work on Wall Street in a previous life. If I had turned in something like what Mayor Bing released yesterday, I would have been fired on the spot.

In addition, the cost savings that DWSD is projecting by outsourcing employee responsibilities to private contractors seem really dubious. The report doesn't specify how they arrived at those numbers, but - as someone who has gone through more financial reports than I care to think about - their numbers just don't past the smell test.

Finally, I also have concerns about their plan to cut chemical usage by 15%. Those chemicals are used to treat sewage and make sure that our drinking water exceeds clean drinking water standards. If we cut their usage by 15%, will everything still be as clean?

Mayor Bing Moves Forward with Pay Cuts

Detroit Police - Same Beat for Less Pay.

Mayor Dave Bing moved forward yesterday with a series of cuts to the pay and benefits of the City's unionize workforce. While no one in Detroit seemed surprised by this move, I have to confess that I am more than a little disappointed that the Bing Administration did not consider any of the other options for reducing Detroit's budget problems that others, including myself, have proposed.

Quite frankly, it's very unlikely a workforce that has already made multiple concessions even before this, and was making less than their private sector counterparts even before this, will deliver top-notched services to Detroiters. Without those services, it is unlikely that Detroiters will stay in the city and continue to pay taxes that are almost double national averages.

And if/when those Detroiters leave, their tax dollars will go with them. That, in turn, will set the stage for yet another budget crisis in a few months from now. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Mayor Bing will want another round concessions from the labor unions then, too.

It's an absolute shame that no one in the Bing Administration is willing to listen to alternative solutions or, better yet, think of a few on their own.

Mayor Bing Orders Crittendon to Drop the Lawsuit Against the State of Michigan

Mayor Dave Bing, in the fourth change of position that he has had on this issue, has ordered Krystal Crittendon, Corporation Counsel for the City of Detroit, to drop her lawsuit against the State of Michigan, which challenged the legality of consent agreement that City and State governments entered into recently. Mayor Bing previously stated as recently as yesterday that, while he opposed the lawsuit, he was powerless to stop it. In a letter to Ms. Crittendon, a copy of which is available here, Mayor Bing today argued that the City Charter does indeed give him the authority to compel her to drop this case.

Judge William Collette, of the Ingham County Circuit Court, is scheduled to hear arguments in this case tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in Lansing. It's not clear as of this writing whether or not Ms. Crittendon will, in fact, drop her lawsuit before that time.

Reflecting on the First 3 Years of Dave Bing's Mayorship

Mayor Dave Bing

Dave Bing became the 70th Mayor of Detroit three years ago this past Friday. To commemorate this milestone, and gauge where things stand in our fair city, I asked residents to share their thoughts on his first three years via Facebook, Google Plus, or Twitter. The responses, I'm afraid, due not fair well for Mayor Bing nor chances at being re-elected next year.

Bradley G. wrote in with what is quite possibly the most positive comment of those that I received via Facebook. He wrote:

Well, he has done a lot for cyclists. So I won't say he has been a complete failure.

Erik D. came up with my favorite summation of Mayor Bing in this Facebook comment:

He is like the Jennifer Granholm of mayors. He talks about what needs to be done, but never actually does anything.

Bob A. wrote on this blog's G+ page:

So far no signs of corruption. Other than that, I can't say he's done much of anything to fix the city's problems.

Cheryl A. added this thought to this blog's G+ page:

He has succeeded in working with the state government, but has otherwise shown little leadership.

When I mention on Facebook that Mayor Bing has at least gotten the City of Detroit's annual audits completed on time every year thus far during his tenure, something that recent mayors haven't been able to do, David B. replied with this thought:

I'd give him an F-. He ran on getting the city's finances in order and did very little. A year ago, he was fighting with city council to keep $10 million in the budget and then 6 months later he said that an emergency manager was imminent. The Detroit Works project might be worthwhile or maybe not, but his focus has been there when it should have been on running the city and getting the budget in balance. But his real goal is to eliminate the unions, which he could not do without extra power from the state. So instead of fixing what he could, he led the city down the road to ruin to get what he wanted. The reasons people move out of the city and often to other cities are the 2.5% income tax, crime, and the highest auto insurance rates in the counry, as well as lack of legitimate rapid transit. He has stated he wants to increase the income tax, has done little on crime but build a new police HQ, has ingored insurance rates, and has cut funding to DDot while working with the governor for bus transit against the M1 rail. The legally mandated audits have been on time - that is a minimum standard; big deal. Can he get a grade less than an F-?

I have to say that this confirms the polling data that I have seen regarding Mayor Bing's job approval numbers (roughly 20 - 25% of Detroiters say they approve of his performance depending on which poll one looks at). To put that in perspective, during the worst days of the Watergate scandal, former President Richard Nixon never saw his approval rating drop below 24%.

I think it's safe to say that Mayor Bing is now a political lame duck, which is consistent with my prediction from last summer. His approval numbers are among the lowest that any elected official since George Gallup began tracking them in 1937 and they continue to slide lower. The comments that I received through social media cement this in my mind.

Of course, now that I have proclaimed Mayor Bing to be a political lame duck, I suspect it won't be much longer until a certain other blogger in this town begins posting about the tremendous job that he is doing and how his re-election is all but inevitable. She and I will likely meet up at the first successful development that spins-off (without an additional subsidy) from Whole Foods opening a store in Midtown, whereupon she can remind me how wrong my analysis was.

7 Things That Should Be Changed in the Proposed Consent Agreement

Governor Rick Snyder unveiled his proposed consent agreement last Tuesday. Since then, there has been almost unending amount of howling from certain quarters within our community. Those complaints, by the way, came from many of those who were also opposed to the various reforms that we written into the new City Charter that was overwhelmingly enacted last year. Regardless of how much those individuals might protest, the fact of the matter is that consent agreement is likely coming very soon and it's probably the best thing for Detroiters.

With that in mind, I would like to offer seven specific suggestions that I believe Mayor Dave Bing as well as everyone on the City Council and Lansing should carefully consider.

#1. Guarantee Public Involvement in the Process

No matter what someone somewhere might plug into a spreadsheet, the fact remains is that it is our tax dollars that are being spent here and our futures that are at stake. While Governor Snyder was busy building his fortune, thousands of middle class families were fighting to make Detroit a place worth living in. Their efforts, quite frankly, are the main reason why this town is still standing.

If those families are going to be asked to continue the fight, and if new ones are going to asked to join in, then they must be guaranteed that they will have an opportunity to have their objections heard and their suggestions duly considered. There will unquestionably be a loud outpouring of people that my friend Jeff Wattrick of MLive.com refers to as "grape throwers" in his columns. It could be tempting to shut them out out of the process, but shutting them out also means shutting out the ordinary middle class families who have kept Detroit afloat for this long, which only gives those families yet another reason to leave.

Guest Commentary: Virtual Precincts Don't Address Real Problems

I have to admit that I'm torn in regards to the "virtual police precincts" that Detroit's Police Chief Ralph Godbee announced yesterday. I've advocated cutting administrative jobs within the police department for years. However, what I've advocated for was to cut the jobs at headquarters, rather than the ones in the precincts.

I'm still not sure about these "virtual police precincts." That's why I'm glad to have a retired police sergeant, and longtime resident of the Warrendale neighborhood, David L. Malhalab available to share his thoughts. The comments below are his own, with only minimal editing from me.

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee has foisted the most outlandish reorganization plan on the residents of Detroit - one that will put the lives of Detroit Police Officers and residents in danger.

He will close precincts - a necessary public building that should be kept open, at all costs. Close City Hall, cut the City Council staff and budget, but keep police precincts open 24/7. Detroit is not Boston or Lansing, it is Detroit - a deeply troubled city with very serious crime problems. Say goodbye to Detroit's false claim of "community relations."

Godbee, the Chief that shouldn't have been, and with the apparent approval of Mayor Dave Bing, will close the precincts between 4 p.m. - 8 a.m. (16 hours) to the public. Precincts have been an essential safe haven, crime reporting, and contact point between the community and the police. It is outrageous and simply, defiantly wrong to close any Detroit Police precinct for any time.

There needs to be some restructuring  within the police department - some inside police duties should be shifted to sworn civilians - but to denigrate and deceive Detroit residents, into believing that police officers don't serve the needs of residents by working inside the precinct stations - is a damnable lie - and Chief Godbee comparing officers who work inside to "Maytag repairman - waiting for a crime to happen" is insulting, and clearly dim witted. Godbee has insulted all police officers in Detroit and throughout the nation, with this clear misrepresentation of what police officers do - while assigned to inside duties.

Detroit needs more police officers on the street patrolling, but officers are needed to take thousands of police reports that citizens make inside the station - that patrolling officers can't take - which frees officers to keep patrolling.

Detroit needs police detectives in the precincts - to investigate the crime that patrolling officers and desk officers take. They need to be the contact point for residents who can't figure out where to go to get follow up information on their reported crime.

Crisnet, the primary crime report system for DPD has been a mistake and a ball and chain around the ankles of police officers since former Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings approved using it - it keeps police officers from properly patrolling the streets - I have complained about it for years - former Assistant Police Chief Ronald Haddad (now Dearborn Police Chief) wrote an infamous memo, confirming my criticism of Crisnet.

Every police chief since Cummings has said that Crisnet would be dropped. It has not been - so police officers continue to be burdended by a slow crime report system.

Councilman Gray Brown has said that he could save the Detroit Police Department $8 million dollars, but has failed to put his suggestions on the table. He continues to try con Detroit residents with his ignorant blather - rather that putting a concrete proposal out so it can be discussed.

Bing put his faith and the lives of Detroit police officers and residents in the hands of Godbee - and we have got nothing good from him.

I have complained about the low hiring standards, lack of training and lack of equipment in the Department, and for years about the nepotism, favoritism, and cronyism that has corrupted and destroyed the Detroit Police Department.

I have said for years that Detroit police officers and residents deserve better from its political leaders and it police executives - Godbee's 'virtual precincts' and his lack of real, solid, and creative solutions to the Departments problems and Mayor Bing's support of him - shows that both Bing and Godbee need to be replaced, and the sooner the better - for the safety of officers and residents.

What do you think ???

DAVID L. MALHALAB
SGT  DPD RETIRED

Council and Mayor to Discuss Budget Plan

The Detroit City Council will meet with Mayor Dave Bing at 2 p.m. this afternoon to discuss his budget reduction plan. Comcast customers in Detroit can watch this meeting live on channel 22. Everyone else can watch it online here.

I will, of course, have much more to say about the City of Detroit's finances after this meeting.

Detroit Has A Serial Killer

Detroit has many problems, but it would appear that we can now add one more to the mix. There is a serial killer operating in the east side of the city; one who targets female escorts that he meets through an internet ad service, BackPage.com.

Police Chief Ralph Godbee said in a statement that he is stopping short of calling this a serial killing spree. However, since a serial killer is generally defined as someone who kills two or more victims in two or more separate incidents, and since we now have at least four victims within a week, I believe its safe to refer to this individual as a serial killer.

Since its no secret that the investigative resources of the Detroit Police Department have been strained from  attempts by Chief Godbee and Mayor Dave Bing to preserve the high ratio of police officers assigned to politically desirable administrative positions, I certainly hope that they do not compound this error by hesitating to call in state and federal agencies for assistance with this. Stopping the Back Page Killer is simply too high of an importance for us not to take this seriously and bring every resource to bear.

Detroit Police Response Time: Now 113% Worse

Warren Evans

A little over a year ago, when Warren Evans was chief of police, the Detroit Police Department had a 24 minute response time for priority one calls. More importantly, their response time had improved by 29% from where it was a year earlier.

Now, however, things are different.

Warren Evans has been replaced as chief of police by Ralph Godbee. Chief Godbee is a fine individual, but he is someone who has spent almost his entire career in administrative posts within the department as opposed to being on the front lines fighting crime on a daily basis.

I tried not to hold Chief Godbee's lack of operational experience against him. However, it is becoming clear that he is simply not up to the task of leading one of the largest police departments in the nation.

Even though the department's budget is just as large, the Detroit Police Department's response time has now climbed to an average of almost 52 minutes, according to statistics released by the City of Detroit.

52 minutes.

Protecting and Serving - in 52 Minutes

The national average for police response time in major cities, by the way, is only 7 minutes. A review of police statistics shows that the Detroit Police Department currently has the largest budget of any police department in North America on a per resident basis as well as the worst response time of any urban police department in the industrialized world.

At 52 minutes, this means that the Detroit Police Department's response time is 113% worse than it was when Warren Evans was chief of police. That is a dramatic change for the worse in such a short time period.

To say that this is unacceptable does a disservice to the word "unacceptable." If the safety of Detroiters were truly a priority for Mayor Dave Bing, he would demand immediate changes within the leadership of the Detroit Police Department.

Mayor Bing to Discuss Bus Crisis at 5 p.m.

Mayor Bing to Talk About Bus Service

Mayor Dave Bing will hold a press conference regarding the on-going problems with DDOT bus service at 5 p.m. today. The Mayor has faced harsh criticism from the City Council and others over the fact that many city buses are routinely late, sometimes up to three hours behind schedule.

Needless to say, I will likely have much to say about this issue once his press conference is over.

Density Doesn't Solve Everything

Jane Jacobs

I'm a huge fan of population density. I have lived in and visited other cities with a lot more density than Detroit. I've seen its benefits on a firsthand basis. I've also been known to thrust Jane Jacobs's books in the faces of random people and urge them to read her works.

When Mayor Dave Bing started talking about increasing Detroit's population density, I was pleasantly surprised. There was a moment when I thought that we had an administration that got it; one that was able to move Detroit forward. Unfortunately, a year later, all we have is talk.

The worst part of this is that Detroiters still pay a tax burden that is roughly double national averages and we still suffer through public services that are almost non-existent. There seems to be a general acknowledgement that we need to change these things. However, we as a community have not made any real progress towards improving these matters over the past year.

I have, however, heard several people postulate that once a plan to improve Detroit's density is finalized and implemented things will start to improve. I have even heard people argue, in complete seriousness, that improving Detroit's population density is a prerequisite for improving basic city services.

This argument is, in my opinion, downright terrifying. The fact that I keep hearing this means that a sound urban principle, such as population density, has become nothing more than a corporate buzzword that is thrown around in lieu of actual ideas or actions.

For everyone who believes that Detroit cannot improve its core city services or reduce its tax burden until it improve its population density, I ask you to consider a few things:

Save Rouge Park. Again.

Rouge Park, which is the largest municipally owned park in the United States, is currently slated to close on Thursday, July 1 due to budget cuts. As a result of this, grass will no longer be cut in the park, trash will no longer be collected, no maintenance will be performed on any of the facilities, and all programming in the park will end.

It is widely expected that the lack of grass cutting, trash collecting, and maintenance will have a severely adverse impact on the 457 homes that are immediately adjacent to Rouge Park as well as the approximately 3,000 other homes that are within a 500 foot radius of it. All of this, of course, is in addition to the loss of recreational opportunities for all Detroiters.

From an economic standpoint, one should point out that allowing the park to become a blighted area will have a detrimental impact on Detroit's budget in th long-term. The 457 homeowners who are immediately adjacent to Rouge Park pay an estimated $1.1 million in property taxes. If one includes those homes within 500 feet of the park, that total jumps to $7.8 million. If a significant amount of homeowners are forced to abandon their homes as a result of this blight, the City of Detroit will have to make additional cuts next year in order to accommodate for that drop in tax revenue.

As a result of this proposal, the Friends of Rouge Park have organized a rally in opposition to this closure. It will happen on Monday, June 28 at 5 p.m at the Brennan Pools in Rouge Park. The pools are located just south of Plymouth Rd. in the park. A map is available here.