An upcoming leadership vote "will reveal a lot about this new City Council and whether it will be a contributor or an obstacle to the city’s turnaround," as Nolan Finley sees it.
Brenda Jones as council president "would confirm the worst impressions of Detroit’s dysfunctional leadership," Finley writes.
Members will decide whether to elect Saunteel Jenkins or Brenda Jones as their president, and that's a no-brainer for The Detroit News' editorial page editor.
"Jones . . . would be a horrible president," he writes, citing her role in "the old-school blocking bloc on the council" alongside JoAnn Watson and Kwame Kenyatta.
It’s impossible to imagine her leading the council in constructive, cooperative engagement with either the emergency manager or the newly-elected mayor. Her elevation to the presidency would confirm the worst impressions of Detroit’s dysfunctional leadership.
Saunteel Jenkins "has a long-term vision for Detroit, and understands the city won’t reach a better future by clinging to the past," The News' columnist says.
By contrast, Finley praises Jenkins, 43, as "cool-headed" and part of "Detroit’s new direction."
She’s youthful and tapped into the movement of young creatives and professionals who are committed to transforming Detroit. She understands the status quo is failing Detroit, and in her first four years on the council has supported change, even when it meant stepping on the toes of the unions and other special interests that control City Hall.
She has a long-term vision for Detroit, and understands the city won’t reach a better future by clinging to the past. With a few notable exceptions (Belle Isle) during during her first term, she ended up on the right side of decisions.
With Kenyatta gone and Watson leaving at the end of this month, the editorial page columnist says, "the new council must confirm early that it won’t take on the obstructionist role its predecessors embraced."
