test pad

This morning, the Detroit Free Press published an online commentary from the Reverend Jim Holly. The subject was Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick’s primary defeat. A full six weeks later. Next week, the Freep can devote op/ed bandwidth to a careful deconstruction of Bob Dole’s failed 1996 presidential campaign. Remember when newspapers published news that was, you know, new?

If Holly’s column was simply an isolated incident, it wouldn’t merit mention. However, in the 41 days since Hansen Clarke defeated Kilpatrick, it’s become fashionable to knock 13th District voters for turning out the long-time Congresswoman.

WDET listeners, on August 11, listened to Michael Eric Dyson and his guest, Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley, all but call voters ignorant slobs for going against Kilpatrick. From his soft seat in Georgetown, Dyson said the will of the people was “undeniably tragic.”

Riley chimed in with the assertion that Kwame Kilpatrick’s troubles were the sole reason for his mother’s loss to Hansen Clarke, whom Riley pejoratively called “the young man.” Clarke is 53, with a resume that includes eight years in the state senate and a stint as John Conyers’ chief of staff.

On August 23, Detroit News Washington reporter Nathan Hurst published a story suggesting speciously in the sub-headline “Rep. Kilpatrick defeat leaves [Clarke] trying to appeal to her backers.” His copy offered little evidence of such a struggle.

Two main assertions emerge from this coverage. 1. Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick’s defeat hurt Michigan because she sat on the Appropriations Committee and brought home the bacon. 2. Kwame’s record, instead of Carolyn’s record, shouldn't be an issue for 13th District voters.

Both points were valid before the election, though both can be answered with equally valid refutations. After the election, it’s just sour grapes. Worse, this meme bolsters the long-held misnomer that Detroit voters are too stupid to govern themselves.

Having lived in Detroit during the bulk of Kwame Kilpatrick’s tenure, I endured several unfortunate conversations with suburban relatives and acquaintances about Mayor Kilpatrick and “those people” who voted for him. The predominately black Detroit electorate, the argument goes, is unable to elect quality officials. Unlike, say, the predominately white Macomb County electorate that voted for the likes of David Jaye (removed for the state senate for domestic violence charges) or William Hackel (convicted for sexual assault).

Detroiters get all the blame for Kwame Kilpatrick, Monica Conyers, or Otis Mathias but no credit for supporting honest, dedicated politicians. One can disagree with their policy positions, but few would question the integrity or commitment of a Gary Brown or a Joann Watson. Like most electorates, Detroit's record is mixed.
It’s interesting that (in response to Kilpatrick’s defeat) titular figures in the African-American chattering class, like Dyson and Holly, are so willing to echo misguided notions usually held by white suburbanites because an election didn’t turn out their way. Even more interesting are mainstream media outlets willing to devote their limited space to a subject so far passed its expiration date.

As for the Kilpatrick-Clarke race, no one gnashed teeth in 2008 when Gary Peters defeated Joe Knollenberg bwcause the incumbent on the Appropriations Committee. Why the double-standard for Cheeks-Kilpatrick?
Six weeks ago, voters voted. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it. And move on. It’s called democracy.

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John Gallagher re-imagines Detroit
The Free Press’ veteran architecture and business reporter weighs in on Detroit’s future with his new book. Gallagher argues that the city should stop fretting about population counts and eschew major projects in favor of smaller scale development to nurture stable neighborhoods. (Freep)

Don’t call it a Chevy
The new Chevrolet Cruze is poised to challenge Honda and Toyota’s dominance in the small car market. The Cruze will star in a music video for the hip-hop group N.E.R.D., taped live during tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards. (DetNews)

Walled Lake students login to class
Walled Lake Schools students can join a program that provides them with laptops. Anywhere, Anytime Learning (AAL) sixth graders take special classes that utilize technology to teach math, science, English, and history lesson. Students are able to use their laptops through 12th grade. (Oakland Press)

Drug smuggler gets 16 years
Lacchman Singh Chaha attempted to smuggle nearly $15,000,000 across the Ambassador Bridge in 2007. He was caught. On Friday, a Windsor judge sentenced the truck driver to 16 years in prison. (Windsor Star)

1987 murder finally solved
It took 23 year years, but Anthony Diquet Phillips was finally convicted for the 1987 murder of Lacey Tarver in August. Phillips will be sentenced Monday. His conviction was the result of DNA evidence and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s cold case team. (Freep)

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BURN Trailer from Tremolo Productions on Vimeo.

While the controversy over ABC’s new drama Detroit 1-8-7 continues to garner national headlines, the filmmakers behind the documentary Burn, about the city’s beleaguered fire department, are asking for donations to fund their project. Last Tuesday’s spate of house fires put the Detroit Fire Department’s struggles front and center in many Detroiter’s minds. Whether that translates into grassroots funding for Burn remains to be seen, but people are talking about this latest chapter in Detroit’s peculiar relationship with fire.

The Detroit News reports at least one east side resident hopes his community will recover from Tuesday's fires.

"They need to tear all this down and rebuild it again," the 27-year-old [Lee] Andrew said while walking on Moenart Street on the city's east side. "It is so sad."

Meanwhile, some residents and activists continue to blame the fires on DTE Energy’s inattention to downed power lines and illegal hook-ups. Deputy Mayor Saul Green is uncomfortable with assigning blame:

Green said "it doesn't make sense at this point to start pointing fingers and trying to assess blame."

Firefighters argue that budget cuts negatively impacted their ability to effectively respond Tuesday as fires spread. City officials appear to agree. The Bing Administration is seeking an $11,000,000 federal grant to bolster the fire department. Daniel McNamara, president of the Detroit Firefighters Association, tells the Detroit Free Press’ Rochelle Riley that he’s warned the city about just this kind of disaster.

"The government's job is to serve taxpayers and that's not happening," he said. "We've been telling administration after administration that this was going to happen. Not to be a naysayer, but we had to call in help from six cities. This was not a natural disaster. It was the first time we were not able to handle it."

And Riley backs up McNamara’s concerns with some telling statistics.

It is not naysaying or picking on Detroit to realize that 988 firefighters and 66 companies are too few for a city that still covers 140 square miles and has 800,000 people living in and around 2-million-people worth of buildings.

Those numbers seem to support calls to shrink, or at least re-align, Detroit’s physical footprint. However, Jack Lessenberry says the city should grow, rather than shrink, to deal Detroit’s struggle to deliver basic city services:

Elastic cities are those which can add territory, like Los Angeles. Detroit hasn’t been able to. It is surrounded by other incorporated cities. So here’s what we should do.

The legislature should order the merger of Detroit and Wayne County. This has worked in places like Miami, Indianapolis and Nashville. True, it would cost suburbanites money, in the short term. It would cost Detroiters some political power. But Michigan would soon have a stronger, healthier and more vibrant major city.

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It’s been about 14 months since Monica Conyers’ pled guilty to federal charges of public corruption. Her opportunities to cooperate with prosecutors have passed, her half-baked appeals were worthy of FAIL Blog, and it seems that she’s out of sick relatives to care for in lieu of going to jail. Nothing left for her to do but ride out her sentence in a West Virginia facility some call “Camp Cupcake.” We could feign outrage about that but, really, it’s not like she conspired to kill a union boss here. Mrs. John Conyers was never headed for Leavenworth.

We need to think more long-term about Monica’s situation. Maybe the college campus environment of Alderson Federal Prison Camp will provide her with the right environment to reflect on her life, and what went wrong. Like in the classic baby boomer film, The Big Chill.

What it all fashion? Did she allow herself to become too cynical since her idealistic days as a young campaign volunteer for her future husband. Maybe Sam Riddle was her consultant equivalent Don Galloway, when she had been really pining for the Tom Berenger of political operatives all along? Insert contrived dance to Motown scene with Alderson alums Squeaky Fromme and Martha Stewart here. Maybe Monica should've bought that land up near Saginaw after graduation. Oh how these timeless existential questions of middle age confound us all!

This is probably all a massive rationalization, but as Jeff Goldblum told us: “I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex…ever gone a week without a rationalization?”

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The Free Press is reporting that new GM boss Dan Akerson’s total compensation package comes to $9,000,000 a year. He’ll receive $1,700,000 in salary, while the rest will come in the form of various stock payments. As I’ve explained many times to my employers, I could live quite comfortably on $1,700,000 and could even get by on a mere $1,500,000, if need be. However, if Akerson wants to live the $9,000,000 lifestyle, he’ll need to do a better job running GM than, say, Rick Wagoner. Otherwise all that new GM stock will be as worthless as old GM stock. Too soon?

Anyway, Akerson’s compensation is likely to reignite discussions about CEO pay. Especially as GM emerges from a government-backed bankruptcy that saw the company shed four divisions and thousands of jobs. Defenders of the current executive compensation system argue that, in a free market, firms must pay big salaries to attract big talent.

That seems fair enough in theory. Although it begs the question: if executive pay isn’t inflated, are executive performance expectations too low for the price? Few object to the money and other fine things Apple bestows upon Steve Jobs. In contrast, the guys running AIG probably weren’t worth the minimum wage. Even if you paid them in gum.

As for Akerson, $9,000,000 a year is slightly below the average compensation for CEOs at S&P 500-listed companies according to the AFL-CIO’s Executive Pay Watch. So Akerson isn’t an outlier. His pay, for running a company that’s still #15 on the Fortune 500, is average for a CEO. As average as $9,000,000 can ever be, at least. And, it's less than the aforementioned Wagoner. He earned nearly $15,000,000 in 2008. None of which is an attempt to justify CEO scales, or even Akerson’s salary, but it does put his pay into context with the current marketplace.

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Detroit is one of the few places in the U.S. from where you can literally drive to a foreign country for dinner. Maybe Windsor isn’t the most exotic of destinations but, between the metric system, colorful money, and multi-lingual signs, one does instantly realize it’s a different country.

Montezuma’s Revenge probably isn’t a major concern when headed through the Tunnel or across the Ambassador Bridge for an evening out. And the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit aims to keep it that way. They’ve launched a new website, http://www.safefoodcounts.ca, rating local restaurants for based on food safety infractions.

The site is searchable by the restaurant name or, for more general searches, by city or postal code. Each report provides a fairly thorough explanation of violations so you know exactly why your favorite Erie Street pasta place received its particular rating.

The Windsor Star catalogued some of the more appetite-killing violations including sewage backups, sleeping quarters in restaurants, and (of course) insects and vermin. The Star also spoke with some owners who say the system in unfair because ratings are based on one-day spot inspections.

Marven Dawod, who runs the Royal Pita Bakery, told the Star his business received a one-star rating because of a sewage backup he reported and says he cleaned-up. However, Royal Pita’s inspection report also includes citations for pest control, unclean floors, and food storage issues. And Mr. Dawod probably could have picked a better phrasing when defending his business:

“We’re established, we’ve been open for 12 years and we’ve never had a complaint from one customer. We have a great business, a great product,” Dawod said. “I don’t think our customers would care about that because they already know what they’re stepping into.”

For better or worse, we all know now.

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With the planned discontinuation of the Mercury line, the nation’s 276 exclusive Lincoln-Mercury dealers are about to see serious changes to their business. That’s why Ford is hosting a meeting, its first in two years according to Bloomberg News, with Lincoln dealers to discuss their remaining brand’s future.

Ford is also expected to ask dealers to upgrade showrooms in advance of seven new Lincoln vehicles set to launch over the next four years, including the brand’s first compact.

Ford spokesperson Christian Bokich told Bloomberg the October 4 dealers' meeting will be “a real business discussion…not a pep rally.”

Actually, the conversation may not be as contentious as it looks on paper. Not only is the Lincoln line-up set for a massive overhaul, but Mercury owned less than 1% of the total North American vehicle market share. Meanwhile, Lincoln sales have increased nearly 5% over last year.

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There’s a lot of bad news for Democrats in the most recent Detroit News/WDIV poll. Rick Snyder’s lead over Virg Bernero continues to hover above 20 percentage points. Snyder even holds a slight edge among union voters.

Moving down the ballot, Ruth Johnson and Bill Schuette currently hold commanding leads over their Democratic opponents in the Secretary of State and Attorney General contests. That’s a worst-case scenario for Dems, considering Jocelyn Benson and David Leyton were pre-nominated in the spring so they could have a head start campaigning and fundraising. Apparently voters didn’t really care.

Of course, a lot can change between now and Election Day. Three weeks before the primary, Andy Dillon led Bernero (even among union members) and look how that turned out. If only general election voters cared about abortion like Democratic primary voters! And this race, unlike that primary fight, lacks a massive bloc of undecided voters unwilling to commit until the 11th hour.

Look, maybe the Democrats have kept their powder dry. Maybe they’ll win hearts and minds by the gross as the campaign moves toward the finish line. However, point of fact, their message hasn’t exactly struck a cord with voters to date.

If they stick to the same strategy: "'Virg was down by a similar margin in the primary and won in a landslide," [Bernero spokesman] Cullen Schwarz said. "Voters are just beginning to learn more about Snyder's real record of outsourcing jobs and comparing that to Virg's record of creating jobs, reforming government and balancing budgets in Lansing.'"

If they bleat out that tired polls don’t vote, people do talking point: "Schwarz said voters who favor Snyder have plenty of time to change their minds."

And if those trend lines above don’t start moving in a different direction, Team Bernero is cooked.

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That annoying donkey won’t bother Ken Cockrel anymore
Barring a Fugitive-like run from the law or a Ruby Ridge-style standoff, Mrs. John (Monica) Conyers is going to jail tomorrow. According the Detroit News, the most recent appeal of her unappealable plea deal was denied because:

...a three-judge panel found the appeal did not raise a substantial question of law or fact "so integral to the merits of the conviction that it is more probable than not that reversal or a new trial will occur if the question is decided in the defendant's favor.' "

The probation hearing of the century enters phase two
It only took several daylong hearings over eight months for Judge David Groner to decide that Kwame Kilpatrick violated his probation. Maybe he rushed that decision because Kilpatrick attorney Arnold Reed (described by a client as legal Godzilla) says Groner made a mistake. Despite Reed’s advocacy for his client, according the Free Press, he’s not exactly Kipatrick's biggest fan:

“You can hate this guy’s guts,” Reed said, “but where the law’s concerned, he wasn’t done right.” He said that he acknowledged that Kilpatrick had destroyed his own political career. “He ought to be ashamed of what he did.”

Al-Queda’s dumbest terrorist to go Sammy “The Bull”
For a brief moment last Christmas, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was the single greatest threat to America’s freedom. A man wholly unable to light his own underpants on fire. The failed Metro Airport underpants bomber is looking to cut his losses and take a plea bargain. He has been cooperating with federal prosecutors since his arrest. Per the AP:

Lawyers for a Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a plane near Detroit on Christmas said Thursday they've talked to prosecutors about resolving the case with a deal.

The disclosure was made in a court filing that seeks a new deadline to challenge evidence against Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The deadline to file motions is Friday.

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For a guy sitting in jail on probation violations, as well as facing a multiple Federal charges (for tax evasion, like Al Capone!), Kwame Kilpatrick remains remarkably active on Facebook and Twitter. You can still "invite Kwame to speak at your event” from his friendsofkwame.com homepage. Your event will probably have to go to Kilpatrick's place of residence to actually hear him speak, at least for the next ten months or so. I'm sure they can work something out.

Despite Kilpatrick’s digital media acumen, there’s been nary a tweet from Kilpatrick about Bobby Ferguson’s indictment in the 24 hours since it was announced. Kwame Kilpatrick may be a visionary who speaks passionately about healthcare collaboration and connectivity, but he doesn't have much to add to the Bobby Ferguson discussion. Even though the Feds' case includes recordings of the two men talking about partnering on potential business deals.

That’s not to say Kilpatrick has been silent since yesterday’s indictment. Kilpatrick’s recent activity on the Facebook includes “liking” Taylor Made Burgers on 7 Mile. Not that we can blame him. Taylor Made’s chili mac burger looks delicious, although one’s arteries do harden just thinking about it. He also used his Twitter machine to remind followers (as he does every few days) that he was Detroit’s youngest mayor. And he asked Twitterers to be his Facebook friend. Kilpatrick's friend count is up to a respectable 415, including prominent locals such as mayoral communications director Karen Dumas, City Councilman James Tate, and Detroit Police Commissioner Michael Reeves.

The lesson here is this: while Kilpatrick will be your Facebook friend, you'll probably have to invite him to your event to get his thoughts on Bobby Ferguson's legal troubles. Incidentally, if you do extend an invite, drop me a line and tell me how it worked out.

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While Judge Edward Sosnick's investigation into the “fake” Tea Party  shenanigans is probably the first time most people even heard the term one-man grand jury, this legal tool was used to attack political corruption before. In fact, a one-man grand jury was responsible for one of Detroit’s biggest anti-corruption cases ever.

According to a May 6, 1940 Time Magazine article, Circuit Court Judge Homer Ferguson was empanelled as a one-man grand jury to investigate public corruption under former Detroit Mayor Richard Reading. Ferguson implicated Wayne County prosecutor Duncan McCrea in a multi-million dollar baseball betting operation. That's when the case took a decidedly Dirty Harry-esque turn:

Righteously indignant, Mr. McCrea attempted a raid on Judge Ferguson's grand-jury chamber, alleging that witnesses had been tortured until they squealed. The judge's guards slammed the door on McCrea's deputies, stuffed the judge's records into a vault. Next day. Judge Ferguson produced a second dripping forkful. Gambling dens, bawdy houses, running wide open in Detroit and Hamtramck, had long enjoyed official cooperation, said he. Among many officials, he specifically indicted Prosecutor Duncan McCrea.

Frantic was the scurrying in Detroit. Judge Ferguson slapped a bond on all those he had accused (including Mr. McCrea), held them for trial, continued his hearings. Last week he came up with the biggest gobbet of all.

On a charge of conspiring to protect and operate policy houses (which did an estimated $10,000,000 annual business in Detroit and have been operating unscathed for more than ten years), Judge Ferguson indicted 151 persons, including ten police lieutenants, 34 sergeants, 37 patrolmen, six detectives, Negro John Roxborough (comanager of Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis), pompous ex-Mayor Dick Reading—and Prosecutor McCrea.

Apologies to Messrs. Strunk and White for Time's cumbersome writing style. Anyway, I’d like to think that after the case was finished a superior chewed Ferguson out for violating departmental regulations and spending the taxpayers money. As Judge Ferguson turns to leave, his boss says to the streetwise-jurist-who-gets-results: “And one more thing, Homer, I like your style.” Fade up funky jazz score and roll credits.

If the name Homer Ferguson (who eventually became a U.S. Senator) sounds familiar then you’re probably a fan of lesser Francis Ford Coppala films. Lloyd Bridges portrayed him (with middling historical accuracy) as the Big Three’s lackey in Washington in the 1988 Preston Tucker biopic Tucker: The Man and His Dream.

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