Candidates vary on city finances

At debate, six mayoral hopefuls discuss their plans to make cuts and balance Detroit budgets.

David Josar / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Six leading candidates for mayor agreed on one thing Tuesday: The city's in rough shape financially.

But solutions about how to plug the city's $300 million deficit varied among the rivals who sparred at the Fannie Lou Hamer political action committee's forum at Fellowship Chapel on the west side.

The PAC, an outgrowth of the church led by Detroit Branch NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony, only invited candidates it felt had a reasonable chance in the Feb. 24 election: Dave Bing, Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr., Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans, Freman Hendrix, Nicholas Hood III, Sharon McPhail and state Rep. Coleman A. Young II. Another eight are on the ballot.

Cockrel did not show, one of his aides said, because he got tied up at City Hall.

Bing and Hendrix traded barbs involving the future of the city's Water and Sewerage Department, which has been the focus of squabbling between Detroit and municipalities over control of the system.

Bing said he had been invited by U.S. District Court Judge John Feikens to consult on the future of the city's water system. He told Hendrix that if Hendrix was viewed as a leader, "you would have been one of the ones at the table."

Hendrix, a former deputy mayor under Dennis Archer, responded: "I'm not selling out. That's the difference ... maybe that's why I'm not invited to those meetings."

Young, speaking to a crowd of about 500, said any turnaround of Detroit starts with "good jobs."

Hood vowed he wouldn't lay off workers in his first 100 days, but would cut wages among the city's 15,000 employees. Cockrel has said layoffs are coming.

"I would not go for layoffs ... the previous mayor cut the work force by 39 percent," Hood said. "I'd go to a four-day work week, hire more accountants and put in a turnaround team especially to deal with the deficit and have them work out of the mayor's office."

McPhail, the city's former general counsel, touted a city job training program that was launched under her old boss, ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. She and Young said they'd oppose a pending deal to transfer ownership of Cobo Center to a regional authority, which Young said would hurt union workers.

Evans said the city's "biggest problem is what money is there" and vowed to "get our hands around the budget."

"Clearly the processes in the city of Detroit to do that are not there," Evans said.

Bing, the former NBA star turned businessman, asserted Detroit's budget would be his priority.

"It boggles my mind we don't know where we are," said Bing, who took a shot at Cockrel and questioned why the mayor still doesn't have a bottom line on the city's budget deficit.

Hendrix reminded the audience that while he was deputy mayor, Detroit had seven years of balanced budgets.

"We grew the economy," Hendrix said.

The debate was moderated by radio and TV host Frankie Darcell.

You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.