Detroit special mayoral election

Cockrel aides deny decision delays are vote tactic

They attribute debate absences, inaction on deficit to being prudent, but foes say he's ducking issues.

Leonard N. Fleming / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- He has been late to mayoral forums, left early or not shown up at all. His announcement on layoffs and other budget reductions is coming Friday after weeks of delays. In at least one poll, he's lost the lead.

Some foes say Kenneth Cockrel Jr., the city's mayor and former City Council president, may be trying to win the Feb. 24 special election by running out the clock and postponing tough decisions until closer to Election Day. It's a charge the mayor's advisers vehemently deny.

Critics accuse him of playing politics over making hard decisions, delaying the budget cuts so long that layoffs are unlikely to occur until after the election. By contract, unions receive 30 days notice before they go into effect.

"He doesn't want people to be angry at him if he lays people off," said Sharon McPhail, a mayoral opponent, one-time councilwoman and the former general counsel to former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

"I don't think he knows what to do. He's way over his head."

Cockrel, who took over after Kilpatrick went to jail last fall, has declined interviews, but his advisers say he has been busy forming plans to balance the city's $300 million deficit. Cockrel will deliver it to the council at 9 a.m. Friday. Among the options reportedly considered: layoffs, the sale of city assets and closure of recreation centers.

Jim Edmondson, the mayor's campaign manager, said Cockrel is less focused on politics than on running the city, which he says was left in financial shambles by Kilpatrick's deceptive administration.

"It's really hard to judge him so prematurely given what he stepped into," Edmondson said. "Most mayors have two months of transition. The mayor had two weeks."

Businessman Dave Bing, who is neck-and-neck with Cockrel in most polls, said it's hard for "me to get inside his head" and figure out the reason for the delays.

"The deficit is growing because the decisions have not been made, whether it's layoffs or union negotiations," Bing said. "Those are two big issues right now that need to be dealt with. I think I would have preferred to move forward aggressively and deal with the problem and try to come to a solution as opposed to waiting."

Cockrel realized early on that "he had to step up and try to work on the economic challenges" facing Detroit now without worrying about politics, Edmondson said.

"The difference between the mayor and everybody else is he's doing to job," he said. "The rest of these folks are all just talking."

But this week, without naming Cockrel directly, former Mayor Dennis W. Archer said experience as council president isn't sufficient to deal with Detroit's problems. The comments came during his endorsement of his former deputy, Freman Hendrix, who blames Cockrel for the city's recent bond downgrade to junk status.

"Missing that opportunity caused that downgrade because these rating agencies look first and foremost at who the leader is, what is his or her plan and how he plans to execute," said Hendrix, adding there's "no question" Cockrel is delaying tough decisions until after the election.

Although Bing and other candidates also have missed forums, Cockrel has borne much of the criticism. McPhail said he's missed several she's attended. In late November, Denise Ilitch, the publisher of Ambassador Magazine who sponsored a forum at Wayne State University with all the top candidates, told the audience she was puzzled why Cockrel decided not to show up at the last minute.

Cockrel and Bing also skipped two forums from Call 'Em Out, an activist grassroots group.

"You can't run for office and hide at the same time," said Agnes Hitchcock, lead organizer of the group. "He needs to come out and explain to the people what is going on. He can't use the excuse that he's running the city."

Edmondson scoffed at that notion, saying the mayor takes the public and campaigning seriously. But his job comes first, Edmonson said, explaining that Cockrel has attended many forums but missed some that were organized at the last minute.

"You can't hide behind the office of the mayor," Edmondson said. "It's the most transparent elected position. The people of Detroit have seen him working."

Cockrel's pastor, the Rev. Oscar W. King III of Northwest Unity Baptist Church, said the mayor realizes how some perceive him, but feels he's done good for the city in a short period and "assumes people just know."

"In certain campaigns, that's not good enough," King said.

Dan Cherrin, the mayor's spokesman, said Cockrel has taken his time to roll out the budget cuts because it's the right thing to do.

"The mayor is not concerned about politics, he's concerned about people," Cherrin said. "He wants to make sure that when he puts together a plan, he has all the facts and information he can have that is accurate and up-to-date to present a plan of how to deal with the problem."

"He will take his time when it affects people's lives," Cherrin said.