After much debate and name-calling, the Detroit City Council passed a number of measures Mayor Dave Bing and Gov. Rick Snyder agreed to: contracts for companies to probe deep inside the city's finances and one to pay for attorneys for the mayor.
Now, the real test begins, writes Matt Helms in the Free Press.
Whether the council's approval of five key measures Tuesday will signal enough progress to stop the state from appointing an emergency financial manager remains to be seen.
And only time will tell whether Bing and the council's cooperation Tuesday will bring more of the same over the next few weeks, as Bing seeks approval of additional contracts aimed at overhauling how Detroit does business.
Bing won the council over -- albeit narrowly -- with 5-4 approval of a contract with the Miller Canfield law firm he hired months ago for advice on the city's financial stability agreement with the state. The city's chief attorney, Krystal Crittendon, using powers enshrined in the new city charter, has opposed the mayor on many aspects of the city consent agreement with the state, forcing Bing to seek help elsewhere.
