Detroit 2013 - Mike Duggan announces run

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I heard yesterday via the twitter that Mike Duggan, current head of the Detroit Medical Center, is running for Mayor of Detroit. While not necessarily pretty to look at, he seems to have a pretty good record, though his chances may be slim.

A career biography can be found at his website. In short, he has served as Wayne County Deputy Executive under which a series of new and successful initiatives took place. He then served as Wayne County Prosecutor (2001-2003) "ushering in many new tactics and strategies". Finally, as head of the DMC from 2004 to present, he has delivered a profit every year, and for the first time since 1997. While I can't find it on the site, I recall reading that under him, the 29 minutes or less emergency room guarantee. Overall, it looks like a successful record and the type of guy who might be able to turn around Detroit. Not that I expect him to win...

[Benj]

Is Bing term-limited? Because he's been solid, as far as these things go, though unable to accomplish very much due to the intransigence of the city council.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Is Bing term-limited? Because he's been solid, as far as these things go, though unable to accomplish very much due to the intransigence of the city council.

To my knowledge, he isn't term limited. The real question is whether he'll choose to run again this year, on which he hasn't given a definite answer, to my knowledge.

Wikipedia page for the race is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_mayoral_election,_2013

[Gass3268]

Will it matter who the Mayor of Detroit is? Especially when Synder is going appoint a dictator... I mean an emergency manger for the city.   

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Will it matter who the Mayor of Detroit is? Especially when Synder is going appoint a dictator... I mean an emergency manger for the city.   

I really don't see where you on the left get this contempt for Governor Snyder. I suppose it's the typical liberal opposition to actual leadership as opposed to peacenik compromisers and moral cowards.

[Zioneer]

Will it matter who the Mayor of Detroit is? Especially when Synder is going appoint a dictator... I mean an emergency manger for the city.   

I really don't see where you on the left get this contempt for Governor Snyder. I suppose it's the typical liberal opposition to actual leadership as opposed to peacenik compromisers and moral cowards.

Excellently done.

[Gass3268]

Will it matter who the Mayor of Detroit is? Especially when Synder is going appoint a dictator... I mean an emergency manger for the city.  

I really don't see where you on the left get this contempt for Governor Snyder. I suppose it's the typical liberal opposition to actual leadership as opposed to peacenik compromisers and moral cowards.

Since when is it considered leadership to appoint an overlord that has the ability to take away the powers of elected officials? Especially considering the people of the state just voted to remove the whole idea of emergency mangers, only to see their will overturned by the legislature. The whole scenario spits in the face of democracy. Also almost all of the EFM have sucked: http://www.eclectablog.com/2013/03/rachel-maddow-shows-how-emergency-managers-in-michigan-dont-exactly-have-the-best-track-record.html#.UTH-sSNU_m8.twitter

I love his Q&A in the Detroit Free Press:

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I can't wait to see what powers the overlord allows the mayor and council to have! All I know is that they should be so grateful for whatever he gives them! Seriously, how in the hell is it legal to take away the power of local governments?

[Dave from Michigan]

I'm going to use this thread as the Detroit mayor election thread rather than start a new thread. This thread hasn't been updated in a while though. I found this thread way back and meant to start posting on the Detroit mayor election but forgot.

Mike Duggan the white candidate for mayor and one of the front runners was kicked off the ballot due to not meeting the residency requirement. Below is the article on why

http://www.freep.com/article/20130611/NEWS/306110110/Mike-Duggan-Detroit-mayoral-race

He appealed to the Michigan court of Appeals and lost, but it was announced yesterday he will start a write in campaign for mayor of Detroit. This will be interesting to see if he can pull it off. The primary is August 6th and the top 2 candidates move on to the general election in November. Duggan and Benny Napoleon were both polling around 30% each with no other candidate over 10%. Also if he finishes in the top 2 places he will be on the November ballot.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130628/NEWS01/306280062/mike-duggan-detroit-mayor-write-in-ballot

Of course Detroit is under a emergency manager and still may end up in bankruptcy so the new mayor may not have much if any power. Although once Detroit leaves the emergency manager or bankruptcy it will need a good mayor to keep the city from going back, so this mayor election is important assuming they will take back control of the city during their term.

Duggan is the best candidate by far although he has his problems. I really hope he can pull off this write in campaign and win.

[TX Conservative Dem]

I think there might be some "Black Mayor Fatigue" in Detroit (as you saw in New Orleans after Nagin's screw-ups after Katrina and backlash afterwards).

Duggan, I believe is the only white candidate in the race and hoping the black candidates split the black vote, enabling Duggan to sneak in.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Gonna be living in Detroit starting in August while going to U of D. Since it's probably complicated, I won't make it my permanent residence and thus won't be able to vote--final round would've been on my 18th birthday!--but I'm considering volunteering for Duggan.

[Bacon King]

I think there might be some "Black Mayor Fatigue" in Detroit (as you saw in New Orleans after Nagin's screw-ups after Katrina and backlash afterwards).

That's not really what happened in New Orleans, tbh. Nagin was never really a member of the black political circles - and was first elected as the de facto white candidate, even - so he was never really seen as a "black" mayor except at the height of his reelection campaign when he was using intense racial rhetoric to replace all the white voters he'd lost. The only reason a white guy won the next election in a landslide was because his last name was Landrieu.

[Dave from Michigan]

The Primary is Tuesday. This poll shows Duggan with 40% of the vote to 29.5% for Napoleon. Tom Barrow was third with 7.6% of the vote. Duggan is running a write in campaign though so we will see how that goes with people having to write him in. Of course since the top two candidates move on to the November election, he has a lot of room to lose since the 3rd place candidate is only at 7.6%.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/08/01/news/doc51fa5b7dca99e142105191.txt

Also the Detroit Free Press has endorsed Duggan as expected.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130728/OPINION01/307280076/free-press-detroit-mayor-endorsement

[Dave from Michigan]

Mike Duggan has finished first in the primary with 46% of the vote and  44,395 write in votes spelt exactly right. There are other votes for Mike Duggan that misspelled his name somehow. Benny Napoleon finished second with 30% of the vote and 28,352. Third place was Krystal Crittendon with a distant 6% of the vote. Duggan and Napoleon will advance to the November election. The 16% difference was bigger than expected between the two candidates. Hopefully this race doesn't get ugly. Duggan would be the first white mayor of Detroit since 1974, Roman Gribbs was mayor from 1970 to 1974, he declined to run in 1974 and was replaced by Coleman Young. Of course in 1970 census Detroit was 55.5% white, but by 1980 it was only 34% white. At that rate by 1974 the city was probably majority black.

[url]http://www.freep.com/article/20130806/NEWS01/308060161/[/url

[TX Conservative Dem]

I hope Duggan wins the Detroit Mayor's office in November, but I'm not that optimistic about that because the other candidates will likely endorse Napoleon, many of whom will be desperate to keep the mayor's office in the hands of a Black person.

[publicunofficial]

I hope Duggan wins the Detroit Mayor's office in November, but I'm not that optimistic about that because the other candidates will likely endorse Napoleon, many of whom will be desperate to keep the mayor's office in the hands of a Black person.

You're not exactly that optimistic about anything are you?

[TX Conservative Dem]

I'm betting Duggan wins, but he's gonna need Mitch Landrieu-like LUCK and lots of it.