Bankruptcy shadows Detroit's mayoral election

[November 05, 2013]  DETROIT (AP) -- A former write-in candidate once thought to have little chance of surviving Detroit's primary election is favored to become the majority black city's first white mayor in 40 years, a job with limited power as the debt-ridden city moves toward the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history under a state overseer.

Voters began going to the polls Tuesday morning. Both front-runner Mike Duggan, a white ex-health care executive, and Benny Napoleon, the black Wayne County sheriff, say they oppose the Michigan takeover of city finances by gubernatorial appointee Kevin Orr.

"I'm going to try to shorten Kevyn Orr's stay," Duggan told The Associated Press.

The emergency financial manager filed for bankruptcy in July and says Detroit's debt is at least $18 billion, much of it for retiree pensions and health benefits.

"I don't understand how anyone could suggest that citizens of the city of Detroit should be happy about having a person imposed upon them who has absolutely no vested interest in the outcomes of the actions they take," Napoleon told business leaders last month.

Detroit has undergone a sharp economic and demographic decline over six-plus decades, with the population falling from 1.8 million in 1950 to a remnant of 700,000, largely low-income residents today. That process has been brought about by a mix of global economic forces, political corruption and municipal mismanagement.

Duggan, an ex-county prosecutor and former chief of the Detroit Medical Center, said he wants to persuade Gov. Rick Snyder to craft a plan to resuscitate the city's fiscal condition.

Snyder has repeatedly defended his decision to put Orr in the driver's seat at City Hall.

"Detroit's fiscal crisis was six decades in the making," Snyder said in a statement last week. "My job is to make the tough decisions to resolve the problems we face today, not ignore them."

Despite being kicked off the August primary ballot due to a residency issue, Duggan received about 48,700 write-in votes. Napoleon, the sheriff and a former Detroit police chief, was on the ballot and received about 28,300 votes.

Current mayor and ex-NBA star Dave Bing did not seek re-election.

A poll released last week showed Napoleon lagging well behind Duggan, who also holds an almost 3-to-1 fundraising and spending edge. If Duggan is elected, he would become Detroit's first white mayor since Roman Gribbs, whose term ended at the end of 1973. The city now is more than 80 percent black.

Napoleon and Duggan have campaigned on fixing Detroit's deteriorating neighborhoods and reducing the high crime rate in a city that struggles to respond to 911 calls on time. Detroit has more than 30,000 vacant houses and buildings.

Either candidate would face challenges with any initiatives because Orr must OK all spending requests.

"I think they're kidding themselves if they think they are going to regain financial control of this city," said Detroit-based bankruptcy attorney Kenneth Schneider. "Even after Kevyn Orr, there will be a financial advisory board that will maintain control of the city's finances indefinitely. The first part for any new mayor is to accept that and work with the state on how to right this city's finances."

[Associated Press; By COREY WILLIAMS]

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