Last week, I met up with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I asked him how he was doing.
“It’s pretty good considering that,” he said.
“What are you thinking?”
He frowned, as if it were obvious.
“It’s an election.”
“ah”
Many people seem to feel the same way. Regardless of who they voted for, they feel that our government is destined to be like the Hatfield and McCoy feud, and somehow they are too.
So today, I offer a ray of hope to the world of politics. It’s right here in Detroit, where Mike Duggan, a 66-year-old white man, is the mayor of a city that is 78% black and has an average age of 35.
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But Mr. Duggan has been a popular and effective mayor for nearly 11 years, and Detroit has avoided many of the divisive issues that have torn other metropolitan areas internally and externally.
Of course, it wasn’t always like that…
drama and dissonance
When Duggan took office, politics in Detroit had often become a clown show. The Mayor’s Office and the City Council have always been at odds, and the City Council’s actions over the years could make the reality show look tame.
There were scandals, accusations, and heated debates. Like when Monica Conyers had a crush on Kenneth Cockrell and called him “Shrek!” Or when he threatened to call off the meeting and she yelled, “Do it, baby!”
This was not an isolated incident. It often seemed like Detroit politics was destined to become a WWE cage match. Former Mayor Dave Bing, who regularly clashed with the City Council, once lamented, “We cannot tolerate this kind of conflict and discord.”
But under Duggan, such behavior has all but disappeared.
Do you think it’s impossible? But it happened.
So last week on my radio show I asked him how he did it.
“I promised the people of Detroit that we would put an end to us-versus-them politics,” Duggan responded. “You remember what that City Council meeting was like. It was a high-profile meeting. … The city couldn’t pay the salaries, there were only eight ambulances, and it took an hour for the ambulances to get there. At the time, this was a national embarrassment.
“I came in and said, ‘We’re not fighting the suburbs.’ We’re not fighting unions. We’re not attacking businesses. I We are not attacking Lansing.
“We will build partnerships.”
partnership.
What a word!
decide to make friends
It’s amazing what happens when you don’t think of someone as untouchable. When you realize that it’s not your choice to actually value the “servant” part of “civil servant” and find common ground with the other person, it’s your duty.
Of course, it takes two people to tango. And Duggan was quick to point out that once the City Council reached out, they were happy to do so.
“Brenda Jones, who was City Council President, was on the opposite philosophical side of me on most issues.[But she]strongly agreed that the City Council was an embarrassment. conducted those council meetings in a very professional manner.
“She and I have had some pretty intense disagreements in private, but I’ve never heard us attack each other in public.”
See how easy it is? The two leaders agreed to keep the wrestling private and the handshake public.
Current City Council President Pro Tem James Tate agreed.
“Both the Hatfields and the McCoys have to decide not to fight, right?” he said. “…I think times have changed.…To be honest, there were a lot of people who watched City Council for the drama.
“We intentionally squashed that, and I think people are now expecting a more productive and collaborative council.”
detroit model
The result is a more productive and collaborative city. It’s far from perfect. There were some problems during Duggan’s three terms, and some bad behavior by city council members.
But most of the time we got cooperation. Remember to take all flammable materials with you.
white mayor. The majority of the population is black. Third term mayor. Disturbing rivals.
But as long as we have a philosophy, like Duggan’s, to “find a way to get along,” we will keep moving forward.
Mr. Duggan recently announced that he would not seek a fourth term. And it is essential that whoever succeeds him brings the same philosophy of working together with open arms.
The template was forged here in Detroit. And you would think that would encourage people who are depressed by the presidential election and solidify the idea that we can never work together.
Remember, back when Conyers was dropping verbal bombs and Kwame Kilpatrick was being sent to prison, it was possible to think that Detroit politics would always be like that.
If people want change, it won’t always happen.
I hope this makes your friend feel a little better.
Contact Mitch Albom at malbom@freepress.com. Check out MitchAlbom.com for updates on his philanthropy, books, and events. Follow @mitchalbom.
Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters. May be published online and in print.
