 
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10700
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:53 am: |    |
What do the residents of these cities think of their new mayors? |
Cinderpath
Member
Username: Cinderpath
Post Number: 254
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:59 am: | |
If Covey in Ferndale continues the same path the city has been following under the previous admin, that is fine. I am actually happy with Ferndale city government. By and large, they are doing a good job, and some positive things in a difficult environment. I don't really view his agenda, as a "Gay" agenda, rather he has a "Ferndale" agenda. |
Johnlodge
Member
Username: Johnlodge
Post Number: 3426
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:59 am: | |
I'm a Ferndale resident and am happy with the results. I'm a little surprised Bob Porter didn't get the council seat. I think he was lax on campaigning because he thought being mayor would be enough to get the spot. However, Kate Baker seems very enthusiastic and down to Earth, and I think she will do a good job. Craig Covey's record as a councilman is fantastic, and he will make a fine mayor. |
14andhayes
Member
Username: 14andhayes
Post Number: 3
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 12:04 pm: | |
It's about time Warren had a change in mayors. |
Hornist9
Member
Username: Hornist9
Post Number: 55
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 1:02 pm: | |
For years and years it's been "poor me" shoveled by Fouts. He always railed against whomever was mayor, Bonkowski, Steenburgh, Randlett. Now he's large and in charge so now let's see just how many of his campaign promises he keeps.
This should be interesting if not totally foolish. The helicopter was sold to the County, the pool will cost a TON of money to re-open, and the Fitzgerald Recreation Center belongs not to the City of Warren but to the Fitzgerald Public Schools.
I am awaiting to see who's head will be rolling in the next few days. Fouts will fire very good people that ran a taut ship fiscally. I saw on a Council meeting where he promised Richard Fox that as soon as he was elected, Fox would be fired. I can see the lawsuits a coming by those who will be looking to get paid on the unjust dismissal type lawsuits.
Fouts used to absolutely rail against Joe Munum, there were rumors about a "smoke filled" room kind of a deal where Munum ran Fouts' Campaign in return to keep his job as Communications Director. I guess if Joe's head rolls, it was a lot of BS... |
Hornist9
Member
Username: Hornist9
Post Number: 56
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 1:06 pm: | |
For years and years it's been "poor me" shoveled by Fouts. He always railed against whomever was mayor, Bonkowski, Steenburgh, Randlett. Now he's large and in charge so now let's see just how many of his campaign promises he keeps.
This should be interesting if not totally foolish. The helicopter was sold to the County, the pool will cost a TON of money to re-open, and the Fitzgerald Recreation Center belongs not to the City of Warren but to the Fitzgerald Public Schools.
I am awaiting to see who's head will be rolling in the next few days. Fouts will fire very good people that ran a taut ship fiscally. I saw on a Council meeting where he promised Richard Fox that as soon as he was elected, Fox would be fired. I can see the lawsuits a coming by those who will be looking to get paid on the unjust dismissal type lawsuits.
Fouts used to absolutely rail against Joe Munum, there were rumors about a "smoke filled" room kind of a deal where Munum ran Fouts' Campaign in return to keep his job as Communications Director. I guess if Joe's head rolls, it was a lot of BS... |
Treelock
Member
Username: Treelock
Post Number: 230
Registered: 03-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 3:50 pm: | |
Hey Johnlodge,
Mayor Porter was quoted in the DailyTrib recently saying he might run for Ferndale's state House seat next fall. So combine that with a seeming indifference toward responding to any reporter/League of Women Voters calls for comment, and it seems his heart wasn't really in it. Or something. |
Johnlodge
Member
Username: Johnlodge
Post Number: 3445
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 3:57 pm: | |
That could be, Treelock. Covey had said in May or so that HE was interested in running for State Rep, but apparently he changed his mind. Perhaps because Porter wanted to run, so Covey decided to run for Porter's spot, and Porter for Covey's? |
Chandyside
Member
Username: Chandyside
Post Number: 9
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 4:03 pm: | |
you know, I was thinking that maybe -- in addition to his lax approach to campaigning -- perhaps Porter suffered from a split-vote with Lennon? They're both salt-of-the-earth see-'em-at-thedonut-shop type local politicians.
I'm happy with Covey for mayor, though watching the concil meetings on TV he does have kind of a glib smirk that he should probably work on. Policy and managment-wise, though, I think he's a good fit. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6773
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 4:06 pm: | |
That good news is Mark Steenberg is GONE! and he lost the election for city treasurer.
YAY! |
Bearinabox
Member
Username: Bearinabox
Post Number: 349
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 5:01 pm: | |
Hornist, does the "pool" remark reference the old City Pool at 11 and Campbell? I haven't really been following Warren politics, since I don't live there, but I did frequent that pool when it was open and was sad to see it close. |
Gene
Member
Username: Gene
Post Number: 38
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 6:55 pm: | |
It seemed that Steenbergh took the same path as Coleman Young by spending all efforts in a downtown at the expense of the neighborhoods.
The City's residential streets are in dire need of repair, neighborhood parks have never looked worse.
The created downtown is a sterile wasteland that has not attracted the development that was touted. (yes I know the economy).
All under Steenberghs watch.
Hope Fouts can turn things around but he will be facing the business end of a city council that will still be divided. |
Scooter2k7
Member
Username: Scooter2k7
Post Number: 12
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 10:48 pm: | |
The Veterans Pool was closed because there was no need for it. The City of Warren had made over the former Warren High into a rec center complete with a city pool. Why keep open the Veterans Pool when you just built this new rec center. |
Bearinabox
Member
Username: Bearinabox
Post Number: 350
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:20 pm: | |
I liked the inflatable roof, and just the general layout of the place. Again, I'm not a Warren resident and I don't know anything about the issue, but I really liked that pool. Why was the new one built when they had a perfectly good one already? Wasn't the original plan to keep both of them open? If not, why did they install new showers in the old one a year before they closed it? |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6779
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 7:05 am: | |
It's Steenberg's fault for failing to revitalize most of South Warren area. It's Steenberg's fault to make Warren a bad rep against black folks after the 1996 incident of beating up a young black teen. It's Steenberg's fault for letting the rebel son vandalize that war plant arsenal. Steenberg turned Warren into a Detroit ghetto and I hope that new mayor can save Warren from being a instant ghetto. |
Hornist9
Member
Username: Hornist9
Post Number: 57
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 4:10 pm: | |
Danny, you're full of it. The South End of Warren was one hell of a mess since Ted Bates was Mayor in the 60's. I have lived in that end of the town and Center Line all of my life. For your general fund of information, Warren had a bad reputation for being a racist City all of the way back and before Bates. Warren fought against busing very hard. Warren did whatever legally it could to keep blacks out of the city. Only through Civil Rights laws did the City change how it did business
Danny, you've been Jedi Mind Tricked by Fouts! Everything he's done has been for HIM, and not the residents. Every time he parades someone to the City Council meetings, he asks for a ruling that is effectually nothing that couldn't be done by the administration. Fouts gained his reputation by parading these folks as a "Dog and Pony Show" and then virtually voting against ANYTHING that was progressive for the city. I know personally of one instance where the City had to return a $250,000 dollar grant to the state due to his no vote and him parading a bunch of NIMBYites (Not in my back yard), and to put the icing on the freaking cake, the city had to "eat" $60,000 worth of structural steel purchased and delivered that was to be for the Amphitheater. I know people he's worked with for years at Warren Con Schools, and no one likes him at all. All I will say is God help Warren, because for the next four years at least, not a thing will get done, and the bond ratings will undoubtedly go into the toilet. |
Terryh
Member
Username: Terryh
Post Number: 553
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 12:43 pm: | |
I voted for Covey because of his many endorsements. His opponents pamphlet had a picture of the typical I live a traditional lifestyle married with children so I am more qualified to be mayor of Ferndale. Covey helped launch some local festivals and events. His sexual orientation had nothing to do with my vote. |
Mikeg
Member
Username: Mikeg
Post Number: 1252
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 2:54 pm: | |
I'm willing to bet my last paycheck that "Danny" has never set foot in Warren, much less the south end. His obsession with demographic statistics and his infantile infatuation with the word "ghetto" is very telling..... |
Bulletmagnet
Member
Username: Bulletmagnet
Post Number: 922
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 3:44 pm: | |
Covey was arrested in a local night club that hosted underage drinking and illegal drugs not long ago, while he was still a councilman. He was also mugged in Detroit after leaving a blind pig. The people of Ferndale voted him in because this is the type of person they can relate to.
Ferndale has more establishments that serve alcohol then any other city of its size that I can think of. Off the top of my head, I can count 26 places that sell alcohol within less then a mile from my back door. We expect this trend to continue unabated, as the 2 AM last call will soon be banished.
The annual pride fest is a real nightmare for those of us who live in or near downtown, and the plan is to make the event into a weekend (or longer) attraction, instead of its present one day event.
There was also a petition drive to put to a tax proposal on the ballot to pay for trans-gendered operations. Yep, a good place to be gay or drunk, Ferndale is. |
Johnberk
Member
Username: Johnberk
Post Number: 73
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 4:33 pm: | |
quote:Covey was arrested in a local night club that hosted underage drinking and illegal drugs not long ago
Bulletmagnet: I don't ever recall Covey being arrested. Do you have a link to any news story to support your accusation? Certainly there must be some sort of news article, especially if it was, as you say, "not long ago."
quote:He was also mugged in Detroit after leaving a blind pig
Bulletmagnet: Although I recall Covey being mugged outside a bar, I don't remember it being a blind pig. Do you have a link to any article saying he was at a blind pig?
quote:There was also a petition drive to put to a tax proposal on the ballot to pay for trans-gendered operations
Again, I have never heard of this. It sounds like some nonsense one would read on WorldNutDaily. Please provide a link. |
Fmstack
Member
Username: Fmstack
Post Number: 5
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 5:26 pm: | |
There was also a petition drive to put to a tax proposal on the ballot to pay for trans-gendered operations. Yep, a good place to be gay or drunk, Ferndale is.
No wonder it strikes me as the closest thing to a nice neighborhood in this area. Places where it's safe to be gay and places where it's safe (and fun) to drink are surprisingly rare 'round here. |
Johnlodge
Member
Username: Johnlodge
Post Number: 3548
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 7:02 pm: | |
A downtown that's a nightlife destination for the area? A city that is more tolerant than the mainstream? Yep, that's why I live here.
Course, we could go back to the days of the good ol' boys in Ferndale if you prefer. You know, the ones who were caught running an illegal gambling operation, the ones who's police force terrorized anybody who wasn't 50 years old and white. |
Urbanvaquero
Member
Username: Urbanvaquero
Post Number: 366
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 8:37 pm: | |
I was at that nightclub the night Covey was arrested. I can't remember what the hell the place is called now.
And to boot, glad my e-Van Ferndale-residented family members were out of town on voting day so that feller got the job.
-Brenda |
Ferntruth
Member
Username: Ferntruth
Post Number: 232
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - 4:55 pm: | |
"He was also mugged in Detroit after leaving a blind pig"
There was an attempt to mug him as he left an afterhours place, not a blind pig. More than likely it was an attempted carjacking, but because Craig had already put his seatbelt on, the guy was unable to pull Craig from the car, and he was able to escape.
"Covey was arrested in a local night club that hosted underage drinking and illegal drugs not long ago"
Never happened.
Covey deserves the job of Mayor. I didn't vote for him the first time he ran for Council, but I have supported him each time since then. He does a very good job of promoting and representing Ferndale.
Bullet, just curious: Do you always make up facts? Your posting was replete with half truths, and outright lies - IMO |
Treelock
Member
Username: Treelock
Post Number: 241
Registered: 03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - 5:32 pm: | |
The plot thickens.
I am curious about this scurrilous rumor as well. My neighbor in Ferndale related this tale to me a few years ago when I introduced myself shortly after moving in. He was using the story, if that's what it is, to denounce the gayification of the city where he and his wife have lived since 1969. He also once said to us, when we told him we were heading down to Cinco de Mayo festivities in SW Detroit, that he wasn't "a big fan of Mexicans."
Other than that, he's a nice guy.
Anyway, a quick Google search for "Craig Covey Ferndale arrested" turned up only this thread. |
Mcp001
Member
Username: Mcp001
Post Number: 3092
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - 5:42 pm: | |
Good riddance to joey.
He was a political lackey whose only claim to fame was publishing political hit pieces, and brown-nosing certain politicians for a job.
I also liked Fouts' ethics policy that he made dept. heads sign as a condition of employment.
His administration should be one to watch and follow in other cities around Michigan. |
Southofeight
Member
Username: Southofeight
Post Number: 119
Registered: 07-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 9:14 am: | |
Fouts' administration will be one to follow alright. He's been big on government accountability and public accessibility to that government--and the way it pays its bills--for as long as he's held any type of elected position in Warren.
Sadly, one of the many things that sucks about the guy is that he's delusional and paranoid. And, I know for a fact, he wrapped his arms lovingly around an Eliot Ness complex, where he was the good guy and the previous administration was basically Capone. He's a kneejerk overreactionist who is convinced that anyone who doesn't line up exactly with his thinking is corrupt and should be meet with skepticism.
He could be a solid mayor, but his paranoid vision toward anyone who isn't like him could stunt any real progress. That, and the guy is a grown man who lives alone, is asexual and doesn't drink. How in the fuck are you going to trust someone like that? |