From City Councilwoman Joann Watson to state Sen. Roger Kahn (R), a far left-far right coalition appears to be developing to oppose the Belle Isle state park plan.
Detroit City Council can reject Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's plan to lease Belle Isle if they can craft an alternative proposal, by Sunday, that would also save the city $4 million annually. Some City Councilpersons and both mayoral candidates are pushing for just such an alternative.
Detroit Free Press: “I think, overall, the spirit of the lease we agree with,” council President Pro Tem Andre Spivey said Monday. “But some things have to be changed.”
Council President Saunteel Jenkins said she, too, is looking at alternatives to the lease. The council will vote Friday on the proposal emergency manager Kevyn Orr and Gov. Rick Snyder agreed to last week, Jenkins said. However, the matter may come up at today’s council meeting.
Both Mike Duggan and Benny Napoleon are also pushing for an alternative plan to the proposal to convert the publicly-run city park into a publicly-run state park. Napoleon goes as far as to say he would prefer outright privatization of Belle Isle to transferring management to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Detroit Free Press: “I have always maintained that we should invite entrepreneurs to bid on leasing the island in order to consider all viable alternatives,” Napoleon said in a statement. “I believe a qualified entrepreneur could lease Belle Isle from the City of Detroit to make it a destination with outdoor activities, such as canoeing and golf, and open restaurants on the island.”
Duggan is less specific about how he would avoid Belle Isle's state park fate, telling reporters yesterday that he's "assembling a team" to craft alternatives. Something, presumably, they will do by Sunday.
Detroit city leaders may have some odd allies in this battle with at least some Republican lawmakers in Lansing who simply do not care for the idea that the state would operate a state park in the state's largest city.
Detroit News: Sen. Roger Kahn, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said it’s “doubtful” the $11-per-car annual Recreation Passport could cover the cost to run Belle Isle as a state park.
“I don’t know where the Snyder administration believes they’re going to get the money to back this support,” said Kahn, R-Saginaw. “If there’s going to be state money in it, the last I looked the state Legislature is going to have some input on how it’s spent. This isn’t a given.”
Kahn, of course, doesn't mention that revenues from the state park system's annual vehicle registration fee isn't expected to completely fund other state parks. Really, Kahn would just prefer it if the state's park budget was spent in his district rather than Detroit. Seriously, that's what he told the News.
