Governor Rick Snyder is trying his best to reassure Detroiters he’s looking out for them while trying to save the city from financial ruin. Well, more financial ruin than it’s already suffered in the last 50 years at least.
A foxDetroit.com article quotes Governor Snyder as saying “Why would I want to take over Detroit? There is no good reason. I’m there to represent the citizens of Detroit.”
“The urgency I see is we’ve had a lot of discussion for a long time, and now we need action. So let’s wrap up the discussions and get to the point of implementing good things that make a difference.”
That said, the plan proposed so far has managed to leave Detroit relatively autonomous, so the Governor’s reassurances here have a grain of truth to them; it was bound to happen sooner or later. Is this financial oversight good for Detroit, and will it help in the long run?
An editor from the Detroit Free Press thinks so. Stephen Henderson’s article states the “concrete plans” of the proposal for fixing the budget and prepping the city for renewed growth are both big steps toward fixing Detroit. Assuming it can get done properly, of course.
Government oversight is always tricky. On the one hand, you have the efficiency of a vast bureaucracy to ensure everything is done properly and precisely. On the other hand you have the “efficiency” of a vast bureaucracy to ensure everything is done properly and precisely.
Fortunately the oversight and control here is limited, and that’s a good thing. Not only is there a definite plan in place for how to help Detroit, there’s just enough oversight that the constant squabbling and infighting of the city leader’s can’t stop the process in its tracks.
The oversight isn’t all good news, at least for Detroiters. Besides the obvious government control, no matter how temporary or limited, another issue is the affect on unions. Collective bargaining and other union rights under the agreement could take a backseat to getting Detroit on its feet, in a sort of “the ends justify the means” sort of way. This could be a deal breaker for the Motor City, but Detroiters can’t let it be one.
The city can be great again. Not as powerful or prominent as it used to be, but still a major city worth looking at and being proud of, instead of trying to avoid as much as possible. Sacrifices will be needed to save the city, and the question in the end is whether those sacrifices will be worth it. From what I’ve seen of Detroit and this proposed agreement between the city and the state, yes it will be.
It’s not up to me though. It’s up to Detroit and its citizens to think long and hard about what is best for their city, not just what they think is best for it.
Saving Detroit won’t be easy, it won’t be pretty and it probably won’t happen quickly. It will be a slow, arduous process, and I doubt it will be a smooth ride either. At the end of it all though, Detroit will once again be a city we can be proud to call our own.
