Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning July 2006 » Mayor fixing image while fixing up city « Previous Next »
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Yvette248
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Username: Yvette248

Post Number: 247
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 9:54 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Excellent, well-written article. With the garbage journalism common in this area, I'm surprised the Free Press actually allowed Marisol to write it.

http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20061204/NEWS01/ 612040350

"If a year without endless headlines about misspent taxpayer dollars, partying and all around bad-boy behavior is a good thing for a big-city mayor, then 2006 would be considered a banner year for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick."
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Detroitduo
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Username: Detroitduo

Post Number: 768
Registered: 06-2005
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 10:30 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Good article, but there is still a looong way to go for this City. The Mayor who is able to change the crime of this City around will the Mayor for LIFE. Detroit needs something like what happened to NYC in the 80's... Why does it seem that no Mayor is able to even take a bite out of these problems?
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Wash_man
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Username: Wash_man

Post Number: 196
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 10:45 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I agree he is making the headlines less lately. Is it because he is behaving better, or because the media has backed off covering his every mis-step?
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Rusty
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Username: Rusty

Post Number: 431
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 11:04 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

NYC's tax base has always been there so they could push most of the resources in that direction. Detroit has been losing its tax base for 50 years and police won't work for free.
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Yvette248
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Username: Yvette248

Post Number: 249
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 11:36 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Great observation Rusty.
Washman, with the idiotic Free Press article a week ago detailing every last cent of his expense report (definitely under the category of NOT NEWS!), I hardly think the media is backing off of him voluntarily. Kwame's antics made them too much money last year.

I think he really learned his lesson after almost losing his job last year, plus he hired a strong PR team with a likeable media spokesperson. (Don't tell Matt I said so....)
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1953
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Username: 1953

Post Number: 1184
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 11:44 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The mayor could improve his image by wearing a suit during the Thanksgiving day parade, not his ugly jacket.
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Southwestmap
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Username: Southwestmap

Post Number: 643
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 11:46 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The Detroit dailies are shadows of their former selves. They are outsiders, they have no real clue about what's going on and they think that their readership does not care. There has been a well-orchestrated news blackout about the Mayor (planned and executed by handlers like Nicholson) and this is PR fluff that the editors like.

If this were NY there would be heavy, incisive coverage of this administration and the readers would have a balanced sense of positives and negatives. It wouldn't be a once a year thing.

In Detroit, we have baby food and some on this Board are very naive; some are apologists.
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Cman710
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Username: Cman710

Post Number: 42
Registered: 07-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 11:51 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That's a good article. I really think that more pressure needs to be put on the city government to deal with the crime problem, though. Improving schools and mental health services should be done, and would improve crime. But people want to see results, and quickly. Short of that, people and businesses will continue to stay away.
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Homer
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Username: Homer

Post Number: 55
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 12:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Couldn't agree more SWMAP. Fluff is what that article was. Crime is rampant, Manny Maroun has Kwame and his Mom in his back pocket, Neighborhoods and Parks are getting worse, etc...
Local rags are not doing their homework.
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Detroit_stylin
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Username: Detroit_stylin

Post Number: 3349
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 1:02 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT Homer...

And not a damn thing is getting done in the process with every resource available to us right now. I mean look at it, people are moving to the city in droves, we get much cooperation from the state and the region and yet the mayor and the mayor alone continues to destroy and pillage the city in spite of the benevolence of the politicians around him.


*This post is intended to be a sarcastic comment in reference to previous ignorance on this thread and definitley does not reflect the realistic, independent thinking of the poster*
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Tkshreve
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Username: Tkshreve

Post Number: 39
Registered: 07-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 1:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Stay away ........

or.....

continue closing, leaving and being shut down?
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Yvette248
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Username: Yvette248

Post Number: 251
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 5:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Southwest, you need to come back to reality. I've read the NY dailies and they print the same garbage everyone else does. Good journalism means both sides of an issue is covered and is fact based, all which this article has. Further, exactly what is your journalism credentials that makes you think you can criticize Marisol's, one of the few good journalists in this area?

(P.S. In case you didn't know, one-sided bashing is NOT journalism.)
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Dillpicklesoup
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Username: Dillpicklesoup

Post Number: 251
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 7:19 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Maroun owns most of Detroit including the Ambassador Bridge- I know a few scarey stories about that boy-
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Charlottepaul
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Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 82
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 7:27 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

In my opinion the biggest issue facing Detroit is an image issue. You can talk about crime, but every city has crime. The perception of those outside Detroit and Michigan is what would be the most valuable one thing to change. How can this be done or accomplished? On other threads people have mentioned that Detroiters are harder on themselves then even those outside the area. Maybe that is the place to start. Detroiters know that Detroit is the best city, so show it and tell others why.
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Homer
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Username: Homer

Post Number: 56
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 8:08 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

How bout that deficit we have heard nothing about lately...........
(stYlin, you must be on Kwamster's staff)

Following from "firejerryo"

In the Free Press story the writer says a look a Mayor Kilpatrick's credit card bills show less spending. The story seems to praise Mayor Kilpatrick for acting responsibly and not embarrassing himself or the city of Detroit. Adding balance to the story the article points out that many residents still have a problem with the level of city services they receive, including the lack of police making Detroit the 2nd most dangerous city's in the country behind St. Louis. Detroit's murder rate is outpacing last years rate (over 400) and non fatal shootings are well ahead of last year ( 0ver 1500). We know Mayor Kilpatrick needs and has been begging for some positive press. We know his image building is a small part of what could become a major story someday soon. But unfortunately for Mayor Kilpatrick the majority of residents see through it and they aren't buying it. Mayor Kilpatrick has not matured and that;s evident by the useless spending of tax payers dollars to fight the whistleblower lawsuits against the city all the way to the Supreme Court. The cases of Gary Brown and Harold Nelthorpe where clearly the mayor was wrong, have been appealed again, this time to the Michigan Supreme Court. It's also evident he hasn't matured by denying of city employees the right to speak and retaliating against anyone who does. Kilpatrick has however learned a lesson and that is discretion, he is clearly more discrete about his childish behavior and wild partying. But his personal life is not nearly as important has the State of the City. Over a year ago out going Auditor general Joseph Harris said the city was insolvent, the mayors press person said the city was attempting to return to solvency, now there isn't a peep from the mayor or city council on what the deficit is . Is the city broke and what will have to be done to save it? That's the bigger story, not Kilpatrick polishing a rock. Is he equipped to bring real solutions to the city's problems?
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Yvette248
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Username: Yvette248

Post Number: 277
Registered: 10-2006
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 11:03 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If you have all the answers Homer, why don't you run for political office? Those who can, do. Those who can't, criticize!
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Hockey_player
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Username: Hockey_player

Post Number: 275
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 11:08 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Right - citizens shouldn't question elected officials. They should either quit their jobs and run for office, or shut up and follow like sheep.

Brilliant philosophy.
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Southwestmap
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Username: Southwestmap

Post Number: 651
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 11:25 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

And the Mayoral apologist (Kool-aid drinker) has identified herself.
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321brian
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Username: 321brian

Post Number: 212
Registered: 02-2006
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 2:29 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

"people are moving to the city in droves"

Easy there big guy. Las I heard the city was losing population. Sure people are moving in but a lot more are moving out.

Funny how the Kwame stopped spending on the city card while he was fighting for his job.

I would like to see what he has done in the last quarter since he won re-election.
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Naturalsister
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Username: Naturalsister

Post Number: 861
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 2:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

321,

Didn't you read, he said he was being sarcastic.

later - naturalsister
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321brian
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Username: 321brian

Post Number: 213
Registered: 02-2006
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 4:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Doh!
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Swingline
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Username: Swingline

Post Number: 636
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 4:17 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The mayor has indeed moderated much of the personal and political foolishness that plagued his first term. He is building up political capital and perhaps also some of that political Teflon with which Coleman Young fortified himself. Nonetheless, a few things in the near future could inflict a lot of political damage. Among these are a possible triggering of the emergency financial manager process under state law, and the testimony that will be heard at the Brown and Nelthorpe trials.

As for those trials, and after all the appeals, there will be trials (if they don't settle), it grinds me to no end that the city will be on the hook for the inevitable plaintiff verdicts or for the lucrative settlements. I wish there was a way that the City Council could make Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty pay some of the money out of their own pockets. The City has incurred a likely liability to each of these former cops because of actions taken by Kilpatrick and Beatty that were motivated purely by personal interests.
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Detroitrulez
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Username: Detroitrulez

Post Number: 25
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Thursday, December 07, 2006 - 5:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

so what you're saying is, the City is on the brink of receivership, while also having to come up with some hefty hush money to shove past shenanigans under the rug....in the meantime, the Mayor is making the rounds of the churches,schools and old folks homes singing kumbaya and working on his teflon suit. Sometimes my optimism dims a bit.....

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