Let’s take a deep breath, savor the moment and celebrate that the election is finally over.
Now, let’s move on to the politics of it all.
Mike Duggan, Benny Napoleon and yes, maybe even Dave Bing, aren’t done seeking another office.
For one, expect Duggan to run for governor in 2018 -- if he can work some of his magic and “turn around” Detroit like he’s promised. That means, if he’s re-elected as mayor in 2017 -- he’ll leave in the middle of his term.
Some see Detroit as a stepping stone. He's accused of being an opportunist -- a label that fits many other politicians.
Of course, a tepid or poor performance in his first term as mayor will kill his chances for governor and leave him as a one-term mayor. Voters have very very high expectations.
Napoleon is likely to run for Wayne County executive. Being sheriff just doesn’t do it for him, it seems.
In the mayoral race, voters were looking for a turnaround guy to reverse the decline of the city. Napoleon -- at least image-wise -- simply didn’t fit the bill.
But for county executive, people aren’t likely to be looking for a turn around guy. After the Ficano administration scandals, voters simply want honest government. Napoleon will campaign on that. Of course, he can’t play up too much the idea that he’s a sheriff here to clean up things, considering Ficano was a sheriff.
Additionally, Napoleon must run a sharper campaign than he did as a mayoral candidate if he wants to win. Sure, it's great that you're a native Detroiter and Duggan lived in Livonia. But how well did that resonate among voters? Even before, voters showed with Bing that they didn't care that he had lived in Franklin.
And speaking of Bing:
He’s talked about running for Wayne County executive.
The only thing you can ask is: What planet is that man living on?
He’ll soon come to a realization that he punched his, use-once-only “I’m a famous Detroit Piston” card. It won’t work again. Honest Dave. Like a losing lottery ticket, you can’t use it for the next drawing.
All you have to do is drive down major streets like Woodward and Grand River at night and see blocks of street lights off. It symbolizes dysfunction and failure.
Bing has to know when the lights are off when it comes to his political career.
