Editorial: Bing must build consensus for reform

Detroit mayor and council should work together to bring city's costs and spending under control

The Detroit News

Mayor Dave Bing's decisive margin of victory Tuesday shows that his tough-minded message of fiscal discipline and straight talk on the city's problems resonated with Detroit voters. Now his task is to build consensus with members of the new City Council to maintain momentum for reform.

The mayor correctly noted in comments to reporters Wednesday that with some new council members in leadership positions, "it's going to be a learning curve." The mayor also said that "collectively, we'll be able to make the changes necessary that can be positive for this city."

The key word in that comment is "collectively." The mayor has headed his own corporation and has been used to having his directives followed. But he has to get budgets and contracts through the council.

All agree he is going to have to continue to upset some city employees and their unions and cut back on some services for residents. He will need to enlist the aid of council members in getting the city's finances on the right track.

It is important that the mayor obtain their cooperation through consultation, so they have a role in the process. Level-headed veterans such as Kenneth Cockrel Jr. and Brenda Jones can play an important role in advising their new colleagues.

For their part, the council members are going to have to keep the long-term best interests of the city's residents at the forefront of their deliberations. Too often, council members have been focused on the demands of particular interest groups -- especially the city's employees -- at the expense of the general good.

The election of so many new council members should also tell them that the voters have lost patience with the unseemly squabbling and petty personal conflicts that marred council proceedings.

Above all, neither the mayor nor the council members should lose the passion for reform and the will to honestly confront the city's problems that prompted them to run and propelled them into office.