After the mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kenyatta, was ousted from office last year, sentenced to a short stint in the county jail and ordered to pay the city of Detroit one million dollars in restitution; and after his aide, Christine Beatty, was sentenced to a short stint in the county jail and ordered to pay restitution of a quarter of a million dollars to Detroit, well, it seemed reasonable to think that the Detroit scandals were over for good.
Nope.
Next thing to break was a sludge scandal. The short version is that the feds indicted Detroit City Councilwoman, Monica Conyers, for bribery and she's off to serve five years in a federal prison. In case her last name sounds familiar to you, she's the wife of Congressman John Conyers.
Ms. Monica's aide, Sam Riddle, is himself facing federal prosecution for bribery. His girlfriend, I can't think of her name, has been charged as well.
It was recently discovered that the woman appointed to oversee the Detroit Police Department to make sure that they complied with a federal mandate, was having a 'personal relationship' with Kwame Kilpatrick while he was mayor. 'Personal relationship' is polite-speak for having an affair with him. During her tenure the DPD was only 39% in compliance. She has been fired and is, perhaps, being prosecuted. Her contract cost the city 10 million dollars.
The governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm hired Robert Bobb, a troubleshooter if you will, to investigate the Detroit school system. Robert Bobb has uncovered so much corruption it would make your head spin to hear all of it.
Among other things, Bobb discovered that there were people on the school payroll that didn't even work for the schools. Despite everyone throwing a hissy fit, Bobb made everyone come in person one payday to pick up their checks. No direct deposit. Show up with your school id if you want your check. Those who didn't show up, and there were a number of them, are being prosecuted.
The Detroit school board has vigorously protested Bobb's power. They are angry that Bobb controls all of the school monies. They insist he is over stepping his bounds. They wanted to sue him but in order to do so, they'd have to request money from him and he laughed and said, no way.
The Detroit schools are in a deficit of millions and millions of dollars. There is talk that they may have to declare bankruptcy.
The city of Detroit, in severe deficit itself, is fighting to stay out of receivership.
Yesterday was a primary election in Detroit. Six people ran for the right to get on the November ballot for mayor. Dave Bing, (yes, the former basketball player) has been the mayor since the last election a couple of months ago. Yes, I know, how many elections does one city need? But when Kilpatrick was dethroned, Ken Cockrel Jr. (the president of the Detroit City Council) became interim mayor until the election a few months ago, which Bing won. Bing is mayor until the election in November.
Dave Bing was the frontrunner in the primary, winning 77% of the votes, I think, and will run against Tom Barrow in November. Whoever wins that election will be mayor for the next four years.
Over 150 people ran for 9 seats on the city council. 18 people won the right to run in the November election.
The Detroit City Council has been a madhouse. Monica Conyers, aside from being on the take, was a nutcase. Barbara Rose Collins, who declined to run again, was a nutcase. She began singing 'Onward Christian Soldiers' during one of the meetings. And several of the nutcases joined in with her.
Martha Reeves (of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) didn't make the cut in yesterday’s election and that's a good thing. Ms. Martha, when questioned by the press as to why she misses so many days of Council business while she's off doing tours for Motown, insisted that she was unique and she could do what she wanted. She's done/said numerous other crazy things too, far too numerous to mention here.
JoAnn Watson, who did make the cut yesterday, was busted by the press for not paying her fair share of property taxes. Ms. JoAnn was paying roughly less than a hundred dollars a year in taxes on her home, while her neighbors were paying upwards of four grand a year. Ms. JoAnn said it never occurred to her that her tax assessment was wrong. She is now repaying the city.
Hopefully, of the new folks running for council, only the sane ones, only the ones who are honest and decent, will be elected.
Detroit is in a horrible, no good, very nasty, bad way. The schools are for crap, the streets and neighborhoods unsafe, virtually no EMS when you need them, etc.
I suppose other large cities are a mess too, but I'm betting Detroit takes the cake.
Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
I've been watching TV news reports of the town hall meetings being held around the country regarding health care reform. I've seen the people, predominately senior citizens, throwing hissy fits, yelling and screaming their displeasure towards the newly proposed health care plan.
