As mayor, Dave Bing wasn't ever ready for prime time, dithering aimlessly through three largely unimpressive years as mayor and spending much of this, his fourth, on the bench and in the shadow of emergency manager Kevyn Orr.
Guess it's no surprise then that now, in crunch time, Mayor Bing seems even more clueless, even more ill-suited for the challenges of his office and the demands of creative leadership.
Consider his remark to the Wall Street Journal this weekend when asked about about a federal bailout for the city:
“I’m not sure exactly what to ask for. I mean, money is going help, no doubt about that, but how much?”
Say what?
Look, most of us can agree that a federal bailout for the city is unlikely, certainly anytime soon. And while I definitely would prefer a bailout for Detroit to a court declaring the city bankrupt, I know it's essentially wishful thinking to believe a Congress full of right-wing kooks or a White House run by a risk-skittish president would seriously entertain the idea.
No Wish List, Really?
But when you're a struggling city's mayor and the national media asks what your administration could do, even in theory, with a massive infusion of federal aid, I don't think it's too much to ask that you have ideas at the ready. Maybe not a 12-point plan, but damn, at least a wish list. If nothing else, show that you've been thinking seriously about the problems that confront your city, show that you have at least an inkling of what the solutions could be, even if they're solutions you can't necessarily afford to implement.
In a city marred by blight, hamstrung by crappy public transportation, overrun with crime, bowed by crushing unemployment and severely limited in its tax-collection capabilities, you mean to tell me that the mayor hasn't once considered the price tag for addressing even one of these issues? Hasn't once thought about how the same federal government that he claims to be having such productive talks with can help?
I'm not asking that Bing be a fighter or a firebrand, not saying he march to Washington and demand that the Obama sdministration cut the city a check. First off, that's stupid. Second, that's not who he is. OK, cool.
Coming Up Empty
But at times since Thursday's bankruptcy announcement, Bing has seemed not just ill-prepared to discuss alternative ideas such as a bailout, but almost averse to any idea that hasn't been stamped with Gov. Rick Snyder's approval. It's almost like he's coming up with excuses not to entertain any idea other than bankruptcy.
"I think it’s very difficult right now to ask directly for support," he said on ABC’s "This Week." "We’re not the only city that’s going to struggle through what we’re going through."
Well, it's nice that Dave Bing is so sensitive to the problems that plague places like, say, Stockton, Calif., or Columbus, Ohio -- but he isn't the mayor of those cities. A nod to real politick is fine. It's OK to tell Detroiters not to expect anything given the national political climate -- but the mayor of Detroit should leave it to others to come up with reasons why his city isn't deserving.
Of course, Snyder was quick to downplay the idea of a bailout, too, telling "Face the Nation" that he doesn't see federal intervention into Detroit's problems "as the right answer." No surprises here.
Snyder thinks the real solution to Detroit lies in breaking unions, stripping voters of local control and privatizing or selling off municipal assets. A sudden infusion of cash to Detroit only gets in the way of these kinds of schemes.
Some Detroiters may be appalled at the plan that Snyder and Orr have laid out, but at least, they're leaders enough to actually have one.
At least, they know what to ask for.
