But the most interesting to me is no longer Kilpatrick, but an older, wiser industrialist who also happens to belong to the NBA Hall of Fame. ...
Dave Bing, a former Detroit Pistons' guard who was elected one of the NBA's Greatest Players of All Time, who grew to be one of the city's most important businessmen after launching Bing Steel, is now giving thought to running for mayor himself next year.
And who could blame him? The city is going through so much turmoil right now, what with not only the mayoral crisis, but the auto industry eating itself alive, the housing crisis getting so bad there that the West Side neighborhood I grew up in has damn near every other home sitting empty, impossible to sell. Really, if he did run, what does he have to lose?While talking to Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley, Bing said something that really struck me:
The unfortunate thing for those of us who are strong supporters of the city is that it becomes more and more difficult to circle the wagons and be protective," he said. "It's just a matter of time for those people, regardless of how much they love the city, to find options to move, and we could see an outpouring of whatever middle class we still have here, and that's a death knell because we've lost so much of our middle class. You can't just have all poor people and think the city's going to do well. And that's what happening right now. We've got to change that.
Very profound.
This kind of thinking shows that there are black people in a black city who think progressively. I happen to know that there are a LOT of Detroiters who think like this, and understand why any urban area needs a substantial middle class in order to survive.
Is Bing the man to create this kind of change? I don't know, I mean, this is a working man's town and social democracy has been an important component of Detroit's culture for many years. So it would take Bing not only understanding the American worker, but helping him or her to develop the skill set needed to compete in the 21st century global economy.
WIth that said, Bing does make a good point about Kilpatrick needing to split. On Wednesday the controversy gets deeper with a judge deciding which lawyer gets to represent the city. What this means is that this scandal has reached a point where the city government is spending boatloads of taxpayer dollars over freaky text messages.
Even I have to ask: why would he put the city through this?
Comments: (10)
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By: dbysan on 7/22/2008 1:52PM
Kwame is one reason why you should never vote for a candidate based on his or her ethnicity.
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By: Get Togetha on 7/22/2008 3:36PM
I second that first comment. Kwame needs to go. He's brought nothing but more shame and pain in serving Detroit.
http://www.gettogetha.com/blog/
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By: Jarvis on 7/22/2008 5:34PM
Bing could be just what Detroit needs, a mayor with a Business background. These CAREER LIBERAL DEMOCRATS needs to go. They are holding back black progress with their "government is the answer" mentality.
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By: Cecil Jones on 7/23/2008 8:16AM
Like Detroit didn't learn anything from DC's Marion Berry? If the man didn't do the job, then make the case that he is a failure. Don't make the case that the man loves women and therefore he is not qualified. If his woman says it's okay, then he can stay regardless of color. Judge him on his job not his morality. We don't know what type of relation he had with his wife. We don't know what type of relation Clinton had with Hillary and 18 million people wanted to vote for her.
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By: Will on 7/24/2008 8:59AM
AmeriKKKa is probably one of the most HYPOCRITICAL nations on the planet!Morality is treated like every-
thing else here--that is,as a "political expedient"!
There's no real substantive basis for "morality" here
given the ugly legacy of our history!
I mean,I do NOT recall ANY outrage for those publicly
elected officials who blatantly violated the civil &
constitutional rights of African-Americans just two
generations ago!
Indeed,the late Jessie Helms,an avowed "racist", was NEVER held to ANY degree of morality when it came to his political propagations,practices,& provocations as
these relate to African-Americans!
Spare me "the-holier-than-thou" rhetoric of racism on-
ly cloaked as "religious values of morality"!
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By: Cheryl on 7/23/2008 11:03AM
What is wrong with you people??? Kwame made a mistake, like the white politicians dont cheat, have affairs with men, and the list goes on. And yes, they also do drugs, still and rob from the public. He probably needs to resign, but please dont criticize him because of his race when other men of different races are doing the same thing and some are doing even worser things - we all need to pray for the men in America regardless of what their positions are.
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By: Cheryl on 7/23/2008 11:05AM
We need to pray for our men in America, regardless of their color, race, positions in politics, religion, etc. Men of all color are making some serious costly mistakes: cheating, stealing, lying, sex with children/men/prostitues.
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By: Kwameisguilty on 7/23/2008 9:39PM
Kwame is a Thug; guilty and will be convicted. Maybe he can sell cell phones in the mall, he sucked at football!
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By: zuzu on 7/24/2008 9:24AM
But isn't that just more of the us and them mentality, meaning we as middle class blacks are so quick to try and prove to whites that we're not like those poor blacks that we run from the role we can play in revitalizing the community.
Don't get me wrong Detroit needs a strong leader and I don't know enough about Bing to judge him. But we can have a leader that leads with a mind towards entrpeneuralism, education, and pride without the elitist attitudes that keep us divided.
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By: mispinster on 7/28/2008 3:11PM
I do not know how many of you who have posted live in Detroit but I am a native of the city and I can assure you that Kilpatrick was not elected because he happens to be African-American. Kilpatrick grew up in politics and is the son of Congresswoman and Chair of the CBC Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick; he is a licensed attorney and previously served as Minority Leader in the Michigan State House of Representatives. On Kilpatrick's watch Detroit has hosted a Super Bowl, MLB Allstar Game, NCAA Men's Sweet Sixteen and next year will host the Men's Final Four. Detroit now has a beautiful riverfront riverwalk, new development is springing up all over the city, we finally have a balanced budget for the first time in God knows when (how many urban cities can make that claim), and Quicken Loans is scheduled to break ground this fall for it new Detroit headquarters. As for Dave Bing, he does not even live in Detroit.
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