 
Retroit
Member
Username: Retroit
Post Number: 1113
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 12:56 pm: |    |
Well she is handicapped isn't she?
Oh, I guess mental handicaps don't count, do they?  |
Retroit
Member
Username: Retroit
Post Number: 1114
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 12:59 pm: | |
I'll be sure to call the Special Olympics and apologize on my plane trip back to Washington D.C. |
Hornist9
Member
Username: Hornist9
Post Number: 224
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 2:38 pm: | |
Hells bells, after all Musicians are usually late night people, but I take great offense to her using City monies and City personnel to party on her own time. She should have to account for all of the overtime and car depreciation costs. But hell, it's Detroit where politicians can literally get away with murder (where are the charges against King Kwame for Strawberry's murder) and the morons just think that it's ok for Ms. Reeves to party in the streets... |
Brg
Member
Username: Brg
Post Number: 80
Registered: 02-2009
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 3:32 pm: | |
"But hell, it's Detroit where politicians can literally get away with murder (where are the charges against King Kwame for Strawberry's murder) and the morons just think that it's ok for Ms. Reeves to party in the streets..."
What morons are you referring to? Just a general question but I think it is fair to ask and have answered. |
Original63
Member
Username: Original63
Post Number: 498
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 4:14 pm: | |
Martha Reeves once said she should be given things,she is a celebrity!!
Who cares. |
Lodgedodger
Member
Username: Lodgedodger
Post Number: 1742
Registered: 05-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 6:31 pm: | |
Well now, it WAS Ms. Reeves. Why do these people think they can lie and get away with it? Did you listen to her pathetic excuses? |
Dannyv
Member
Username: Dannyv
Post Number: 631
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 7:05 pm: | |
Steve Wilson didn't have an answer for Martha Reeves when she challenged him. He came across as unprepared in an attack interview to confront her about her use of a city car and city-funded driver. He should have used FOIA to get the pertinent information and been prepared for her challenge and present her with the rules about the use of vehicle and driver and the running cost to the taxpayer for their use. Steve Wilson should have scheduled an interview with MR rather than ambush her the way he did. Detroiters are going to be sympathetic to MR as a victim of the harassing nature of the perceived suburban press rather than the legality and morality of the situation. |
Steve_wilson_wxyztv
Member
Username: Steve_wilson_wxyztv
Post Number: 38
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 7:53 pm: | |
Dannyv, it's not a matter of being unprepared. Sometimes issues like these--especially in Detroit--have to be handled like this. Let me explain why.
Ideally, I would have the answer to every question I could ask BEFORE I do the interview. In Detroit, however, thanks to leftover policies of the Kilpatrick Administration (which I understand are "under review"), you cannot get the time of day without filing a FOIA request.
Then, once you file, a couple of things happen. First, the FOIA office automatically notifies you it will take an extension of time, meaning a response is not due until three weeks after you file. Then, when that time is up, they advise you if you want to see the records, please send in $837 for the time and effort it took for them to get them together.
But worse, while all this is going on, they immediately notifiy the people who are being investigated that Steve Wilson (or M.L. Elrick, or Scott Lewis, or whomever) has requested thus-and-such documents.
Now, this being Detroit, how long do you think it will be before records are, um, lost, changed, or otherwise "cleansed?" Excuses are carefully crafted so that when you ask, you will get a prepared song and dance, not the kind of spontaneous and unrehearsed reply that will help you ascetain the truth.
So, in this case, we watched for weeks. We saw Ulyssus Council drive Martha in the morning, in the evening, late into the night. We confirmed these trips had nothing to do with city business. We confirmed Mr. Council is, in fact, a full-time "administrative assistant" to Ms. Reeves. And we learned from reliable sources that he does virtually nothing else but drive her.
Okay, so there we have a story in and of itself but in addition to getting a full-time paycheck to squire her around, how much over-time is he also racking up at city expense during those late nights? Absent a FOIA and all the problems that go with it, the only thing you can do is ASK the councilwoman--and ask her to document her answer by showing you the public records you are entitled to see.
So...that's why when she asked whether his being paid by the city was a problem, I could not allege what I suspect is overtime abuse, too, because I haven't seen the records. I think most viewers will draw a conclusion based on her attitude when asked to produce an accounting of the public money he's paid...and now that the cat's out of the bag, I can wait for the FOIA to report every penny I suspect.
As for a scheduled interview, there are times--and this is one of the very, very few--where we determine it is not appropriate to do that because we are seeking answers for which she should not have to study and prepare herself--she knows off the top of her head. Will she tell the truth?
And even in cases like this, we offer the official the chance--before we go to air--to sit down with me in a calm, professional setting of their choosing, to have a more-thoughtful discussion about these matters. Where an official is doing no wrong and is truly interested in being accountable, that frequently happens. Ms. Reeves was offered that opportunity and turned it down, telling me "if I never see your face again, it'll be too soon."
I think she--and others like her--are getting the point: I'm not going away...and neither are other good reporters who do this kind of work here where it, IMHO, truly needed. |
Roq
Member
Username: Roq
Post Number: 42
Registered: 02-2009
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:04 pm: | |
"I think she--and others like her--are getting the point: I'm not going away...and neither are other good reporters who do this kind of work here where it, IMHO, truly needed."
Thank God. Great coverage and keep their feet to the fire. |
Lodgedodger
Member
Username: Lodgedodger
Post Number: 1743
Registered: 05-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:05 pm: | |
Mr. Wilson, keep up the wonderful work. You kept shining a light into the dark corners of the Kilpatrick administration. I laughed out loud every time you would say, "Don't hurt me, Mr. Mayor! Please don't hurt me!"
Keep exposing these arrogant, self-serving officials for the crooks they are.
One question you neglected to ask Ms. Reeves was whether or not she had a gambling problem. A few nights a week at a casino? That sounds like a problem to me.
Many blessings to you. |
Gplimpton
Member
Username: Gplimpton
Post Number: 316
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:13 pm: | |
Hey Martha (aka DannyV), when's your next song coming out? |
Gplimpton
Member
Username: Gplimpton
Post Number: 317
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:15 pm: | |
http://www.wxyz.com/news/story /WILSON-EXCLUSIVE-Driving-Ms-M artha/Jjxvt74SPUC5d-czbN6VTw.c spx
I like how, in the last exchange, her answer changes about 11 times. |
Lilpup
Member
Username: Lilpup
Post Number: 5476
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:31 pm: | |
Isn't overtime abuse arguably irrelevant if she stays within her office's allotted budget? This issue should be purely misusing taxpayer funds for non-city business. Tho' it might not hurt to check to see if everyone is staying at or under budget. |
Gplimpton
Member
Username: Gplimpton
Post Number: 318
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:40 pm: | |
Huh? If Kwame gives his friends a bunch of jobs for no-nothing service, but stays within his budget, does no one get hurt? The point seems to be that this woman is using OUR tax dollars to employ a "friend" who only drives her around in a vehicle that WE paid for. And at the same time this city is absolutely crumbling. |
Dannyv
Member
Username: Dannyv
Post Number: 632
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:46 pm: | |
When Scott Lewis did his expose of Alonzo Bates having ghost employees on his staff, he had time cards of his girlfriend, her daughter and perhaps the guys who cut his lawn to prove his case. Mr. Wilson should have requested the time cards for Mr. Council to show how much it was costing the taxpayer for Martha Reeves personal driver. This story is premature and has not been fully vetted. I believe it was rushed to cast yet another negative light on the City Council because of the Cobo deal. I believe there is a story there and I hope Mr. Wilson pursues it to it's completion but to air what he has now seems designed for some other purpose.
Gplimpton, I'm not Martha but if I had her wig I could look like Rick James. |
Gplimpton
Member
Username: Gplimpton
Post Number: 319
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:49 pm: | |
I think you're kinda missing his point. The guy is paid to be her DRIVER. THAT is the story. Whether he gets overtime is another story all its own, and one I'm sure he's pursuing. |
Retroit
Member
Username: Retroit
Post Number: 1115
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 8:57 pm: | |
So Mr. Ulyssus Council and Mrs. Useless Council are carpooling. You couldn't make this schitt up!
Thank You, Mr. Wilson for exposing the corruption of the city "leaders". You were completely in the right for doing exactly what you did. |
Orange_barrel
Member
Username: Orange_barrel
Post Number: 101
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 9:45 pm: | |
If our tax dollars are paying her driver to chauffeur her to the casino, then that's very much our concern. If she's personally paying his salary, then it's none of our concern. Simple. Hopefully, the freedom of information request will provide the answer.
(Message edited by orange_barrel on March 30, 2009) |
Gplimpton
Member
Username: Gplimpton
Post Number: 320
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 - 9:50 pm: | |
We are paying him to drive the woman. I guess I don't really care where he's going to be pissed. |
Switchmanjim
Member
Username: Switchmanjim
Post Number: 35
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 12:23 am: | |
...and no one is gonna say anything about MR running red lights??????
she could hurt someone! |
Redvetred
Member
Username: Redvetred
Post Number: 214
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 2:20 am: | |
Way to go Steve! The clowncil members are getting funnier and funnier and so bizare you can't make this up.
BTW, who was Carmen Slowski? We still don't know. |
Angry_dad
Member
Username: Angry_dad
Post Number: 357
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 5:48 am: | |
Did I hear Martha right?
That's she's afraid to drive in certain parts of the city?
Must be the suburbs that's she's afraid of. |
Bobl
Member
Username: Bobl
Post Number: 727
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 12:21 pm: | |
Driving through red lights. Parking in handicapped spaces. Gambling at Greektown several nights a week, while she owes 280,000 dollars in federal and state taxes.
Another great role model for the youth of Detroit! |
Dianeinaustin
Member
Username: Dianeinaustin
Post Number: 228
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 12:22 pm: | |
Why are the council members entitled to a car, insurance and gas? And to top it all off then a driver???? Why hasn't this policy been stopped since Cockrell came into office? |
Blueidone
Member
Username: Blueidone
Post Number: 531
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 12:27 pm: | |
I don't understand how a person can hold a position of such authority and still owe taxes to the State, let alone the Federal government.
What she chooses to do on her own time..gamble or whatever...doesn't bother me so much. However, if the taxpayers of the City of Detroit are paying the cost of the "driver" for her personal activities, it should not be allowed. If she is doing nothing wrong, she should have no problem showing the records.
It just galls me how these people think they are above the rule of law and that just because they "can"...they should. |
Lodgedodger
Member
Username: Lodgedodger
Post Number: 1748
Registered: 05-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 12:32 pm: | |
>>Why are the council members entitled to a car, insurance and gas?<<
Amen, Diane. |
Fnemecek
Member
Username: Fnemecek
Post Number: 1994
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 12:39 pm: | |
quote:I believe it was rushed to cast yet another negative light on the City Council because of the Cobo deal.
No one needs to do anything to cast the City Council in a negative light. They do that entirely on their own. |
Detroitbred
Member
Username: Detroitbred
Post Number: 295
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 12:39 pm: | |
I am about to have knee replacement surgery ( both knees ), and I rely on my handicapped tag. I cannot walk very far and I am outraged that she and her driver think it is ok to take a handicapped space. I cannot do the simplest things, grocery shop, dr. etc. without it. SHAME ON THEM |
Dianeinaustin
Member
Username: Dianeinaustin
Post Number: 230
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 1:35 pm: | |
Thanks Lodgedodger. My parents own houses in NW Detroit which they rent out. Some to Section 8 and other to individuals. The amount of taxes being paid for these properties is a lot of money. It's going to support the idiot Clowncil members spendthrift ways. I hate seeing tax dollars being wasted, it's not like there is an excess of money in the budget. Course they don't care because they were working under the all entitled KK. "They're special" |
Russix
Member
Username: Russix
Post Number: 241
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 2:26 pm: | |
If you can fool enough of the people some of the time you can make the rules as long as you don't get caught lying under oath. |
Hornist9
Member
Username: Hornist9
Post Number: 226
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 3:19 pm: | |
Brg, to answer your question. The morons are the voters that NEVER read a Newspaper, or watch the TV News, that can only turn off the Disney Channel long enough to vote ONLY on name recognition! They can be of ANY race, so for Christ's sake, don't read any alleged racist remark into what I wrote.
Mr. Wilson, thank you for digging for real issues that are attempted to swept under the rug. I do not live in the City of Detroit proper, but do think that Ms.Reeves and others members of the Detroit City Council that are afforded such luxuries as Chauffeured cars, all paid for at tax payer expense, exhibit a true lack of respect for working tax paying residents of not just Detroit, but the entire region!. For a number of years, my place of employment was in the City, but I resented the fact that the City could take income tax from me, and I had NO VOICE as to how my tax dollars were spent. Now my daughter works in the City, and it's more of the same. The City is in so much debt, but these officials can act as if they are the President of the United States, and have to have all kinds of security, City cars, paid drivers, and only God knows what else that has not even seen the light of day.
More over, as a disabled person, how dare she allow her driver to park illegally in a handicapped place that someone who is disabled needs? Is her "administrative assistant" too infirmed to walk a few extra feet? I also thought her answer in her feeble attempt to placate you as to who is actually paying her "administrative assistant" was pure bunk. Please keep us in the Metropolitan Area informed of abuses by these people that think they are better than everyone else just because they hold political office. |
7miledog
Member
Username: 7miledog
Post Number: 82
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 3:32 pm: | |
Well, just one more nail in the coffin of Detroit. I am so through with this cesspool.
For all of those pollyannas out there who believe Detroit's brighter days are ahead, wake up, take off your blinders, it ain't gonna happen.
I do love this city, but not the city of today, rather the city of the 70's and 80's when there were strong neighborhoods, good neighbors, at least acceptable city services, etc.
Detroit has lost more than half of its population, and AT LEAST 1/3 of the remainder are poor and 1/2 are illiterate. It definitely shows. Neighborhoods: ghetto. Residents: ghetto (majority). Elected officials: ghetto. It's almost as if the elected leadership are TRYING to fuck the city even more.
Yep, Detroit's brightest days are behind her. The ONLY thing Detroit is good for is as a case study of how to totally fuck up a city.
I work in Lansing, and the mere mention of attempting to assist the city is responded to with a very cyncial, and just, smart remark and smirk. It is virtually impossible to get any assistance to this hell-hole. I now realize that it is completely justified.
Good luck to all of you believers. I guess miracles do happen, and that is what it would take. |
Swingline
Member
Username: Swingline
Post Number: 941
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 3:34 pm: | |
Ms. Reeves attempted to justify her need for a taxpayer-paid driver by claiming that she is a public figure and a celebrity and she needs security when she is out in public. Discounting for the moment the point made in the report that her driver has no personal security training, perhaps a better question is what kind of driver/bodyguard did she use before she got a job on the public dole? How likely is it that Ms. Reeves, who has been a public figure and a celebrity for 40 years, was coming out of her own pocket for these kinds of personal services before she got elected?
(Message edited by swingline on March 31, 2009) |
Dannyv
Member
Username: Dannyv
Post Number: 634
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 3:45 pm: | |
John Bennett reports that Federal indictments are expected to come down soon, according to rumors he's heard. I know it won't be soon enough. There seems to be a cult of privilege and excess among certain elected officials. For more detailed info, check Mr. Bennett's web site.
(Message edited by dannyv on March 31, 2009) |
Lodgedodger
Member
Username: Lodgedodger
Post Number: 1749
Registered: 05-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 4:40 pm: | |
Bennett is wrong more often than he's right. |
Bobl
Member
Username: Bobl
Post Number: 729
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 4:47 pm: | |
Just got a warning from my antivirus when I clicked on the above link to detroituncovered! |
Dannyv
Member
Username: Dannyv
Post Number: 635
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 5:17 pm: | |
To be on the safe side, I've removed the link to John Bennett's Detroit Uncovered page. |
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