 
Themax
Member
Username: Themax
Post Number: 19
Registered: 09-2005
Posted From: 69.246.123.118
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 9:14 am: |    |
I am not a native Detroiter so I really don't know much about Detroit's history. Does anyone have any stories about Detroit's past mayors that might help me understand how Detroit is where it is today? |
Haydenth
Member
Username: Haydenth
Post Number: 189
Registered: 05-2005
Posted From: 67.107.50.35
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 9:16 am: | |
I suggest you read "Hard Stuff" by Coleman Young. This is a long and complicated history. |
Hamtramck_steve
Member
Username: Hamtramck_steve
Post Number: 3031
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 136.181.195.17
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 10:20 am: | |
I'll be the first (but not only) to mention Thomas Sugrue's "Origins of an Urban Crisis" for the best place to start. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 4391
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 141.217.173.8
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 10:22 am: | |
Try the Detroit Almanac. There you will find those who corrupt the City of Detroit. |
Gary
Member
Username: Gary
Post Number: 141
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 70.228.0.25
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 11:13 am: | |
For starters, you might want to search on mayors Pingree, Reading, Bowles, Jeffries, Cavanaugh, Murphy, Lodge, Cobo and Young. Not saying ALL these guys were corrupt, but a few of them were. All of them were very significant in one way or another and you'll start to get some insight into how the city developed (or failed to develop) under their leadership. |
Gary
Member
Username: Gary
Post Number: 142
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 70.228.0.25
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 11:15 am: | |
Forgot to include Miriani and Archer. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 4394
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 141.217.173.8
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 11:24 am: | |
Gary,
Dennis Archer didn't do a a whole lot of corruption. He's was just putting Detroit back together again. But KING KWAME tore to it up in a few minutes. |
Alexei289
Member
Username: Alexei289
Post Number: 1186
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 68.61.183.223
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 11:43 am: | |
what politician isnt corrupt?
No, really..
I like the line taken from the godfather...
Michael Corleone: my father is just like any other powerful person, like a congressmen or senator
Mary: Senators and politicians dont have people killed Michael!
Michael: Oh (cynically) |
Gary
Member
Username: Gary
Post Number: 143
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 70.228.0.25
| | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 12:31 pm: | |
Danny, I wasn't trying to imply that Archer was corrupt, I just mentioned him because I think he was significant. The same applies to most of the others I mentioned; only a few of them were blatantly corrupt, the others were mostly just old fashioned politicians who did business the way old fashioned politicians used to do, for better or worse. |
Themax
Member
Username: Themax
Post Number: 32
Registered: 09-2005
Posted From: 69.246.123.118
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 10:34 am: | |
It seems to me that a person needs a lot of people and money to get elected. Unfortunately, at least some of those people feel they deserve a job in the city bureaucracy whether they can do the job or not after the election. So the city bureaucracy becomes filled with incompetent people from prior administrations. Why is this OK instead of picking the best people for the jobs? I guess once you are elected, people will just keep re-electing you no matter what you do. The author of Fight Game Politics said that with the present gerrymandering, incombents in Congress have a 98% chance of getting re-elected. This is because the big money heads for the people in power, and the biggest voting block is over 60 who tend to have poor short term memories for details.I'm over 60 myself. Too many people are more concerned with American Idol than finding out about their local government.
(Message edited by themax on June 24, 2006) |