car7858det2ny's Blog

 

Is mayor scandal symptom of bigger problems?

Sometimes the worst of times are the best times to move forward together. During the past 18 months, a series of self-inflicted body blows have damaged Michigan's image across the country and around the world.

• State lawmakers couldn't pass a balanced budget before a constitutional deadline, resulting in a partial shutdown of state government.

• To implement that balanced budget, policymakers adopted a tax that simply made no sense, and had to go back to repeal it within hours of its effect.

• We went through months of worldwide ridicule about whether or not a Ph.D. from India or anyone else who immigrated here to work for one of our major companies could get a driver's license.

• We left our many voters out of the most hotly contested presidential selection process in recent history.

• And now, the mayor of our state's largest city faces trial.

For too long, Michigan has been in a fight with itself: Republican vs.Democrat; city vs. suburb; West Side vs. East Side; Downstate vs. Up North; black vs. white. For too long, this fight has been more important than progress. We've often focused more on placing blame than achieving results. Now our state faces another test. It is not my intent to condemn Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick or to condone his actions. Decisions about his future can only be made by legal processes, or by the mayor himself. But the voices of those who want to blame an entire city for the alleged actions of one person are already whispering across Michigan. That "blame game" has prevented progress in Michigan on critical needs long ago resolved by other regions with signature cities: mass transit; shared regional infrastructure and shared responsibility for important cultural and exhibition spaces that happen to be in the central city; and acceptance that a state, its regions, and its cities must work in concert to compete in the global economy.

During the past several years, decisions made by Detroit, together with the help of both the business community and state government, have allowed Michigan's largest city to turn the corner. Anyone who visits the stadium district or the riverfront or Greektown must agree that momentum exists. But what we have accomplished thus far is not enough. Here's the simple truth: Michigan cannot be a world-class state until Detroit is a world-class city. This is not a goal. It's a requirement. To accomplish it, we cannot allow the mayor's legal problems to distract us from working together to develop what Detroit critically needs. We cannot allow the future of Detroit and Michigan to be squandered in ongoing and fruitless argument.

Now is the time for all who care about our state's future to step up, focus and act. Michigan leaders, Detroit's legislative delegation, its business leaders, other regional leaders and all engaged residents must not be distracted from taking the critical steps that will bring prosperity to Detroit and Michigan. We have come too far, and have too far yet to go, to stop now.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, top right, and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty are accused of lying under oath about an affair and their roles in the firing of police officers.