Detroit?s mayor: ?Not all doom and gloom?

Conceding that his city?s financial situation looks ?grim,? Detroit Mayor Dave Bing nevertheless tried to put a hopeful spin on the future in his fourth State of the City address Wednesday night.

?The picture is not all doom and gloom. Everyday there are more signs of hope and possibilities,? he said, pointing to new investment and jobs moving into the city. ?Like many Detroiters, I too am a fighter ? we can?t, and won?t, give up on our city.?

But it?s an uphill fight, with Gov. Rick Snyder reviewing the finances of Michigan?s biggest city ahead of deciding whether to appoint an emergency manager to oversee the city?s books, spending and a municipal restructuring.

?We are so much better when we work together,? Bing said, no doubt also alluding to what some see as a nearly dysfunctional council and city hall. He spoke of the ?financial crisis? at the time he took office in 2009, inheriting a $332 million deficit and $13.8 billion debt.

There was a loud ovation from the packed theatre when he said Detroit, despite the predictions of naysayers, has staved off bankruptcy. But it has come at a cost, including the trimming of the municipal workforce from 13,420 to 9,696 (resulting in payroll and benefits savings of nearly a half-billion dollars).

Tackling blight, Bing said 6,700 of 10,000 vacant homes have been torn down, with the entire job to be completed this year.

To address a serious crime problem, he said the police department is being transformed to put more officers onto the streets, with a goal of 80 per cent of the force?s officers eventually put out on patrol, and only five per cent in administration.

dschmidt@windsorstar.com or on Twitter: @schmidtcity

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Source: http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/02/13/detroits-mayor-not-all-doom-and-gloom/

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