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On MiWeek: The DIA art appraisal and the bankruptcy vote
- A new report on the value of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection was released just days before creditors and retirees’ votes are to be counted, but will the new appraisal have any impact on the bankruptcy vote? The MiWeek team weighs in on this DPTV program. Here’s a link to a preview of the segment, which airs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday
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The DJC and Duggan: A Wrap Up of Coverage
At the beginning of the year, newly elected Mayor Mike Duggan said to watch what happens in six months. The media partners of the Detroit Journalism Cooperative did just that, examining how the city is functioning while in bankruptcy and how the leadership of Mayor Duggan is impacting services and neighborhoods.
Next Chapter Detroit posted the DJC’s coverage of the mayor’s first six months in office as it was released…and now brings this compilation of all the partners’ work:
We start with a look at the mayor himself. Here’s a profile by Michigan Radio’s Lester Graham. Also Bridge Magazine’s Mike Wilkinson looked at Mayor Duggan’s penchant for creating his own performance measures, both how they’re defined and reported.
Benchmarks from Bridge
After this introductory piece, Bridge magazine published a series of stories looking at how well Mayor Duggan is meeting certain benchmarks, some of which he set for himself, at the beginning of his term. They are:
City Services, written by Michigan Radio’s Lester Graham Jobs, written by Rich Haglund Livability, written by Nancy Derringer Public Safety, written by Michigan Radio’s Sarah Hulett Public Transportation, video by Hailey Zureich and John Zyski Schools, written by Michigan Radio’s Sarah Cwiek
The Craig Fahle Show
Craig hosted guests for several segments to talk about aspect of the mayor’s work and the Detroit Journalism Cooperative coverage. He was joined by Bridge Magazine’s Nancy Derringer, Michigan Radio’s Lester Graham and WDET/Next Chapter Detroit’s Sandra Svoboda to discuss what the mayor has — and hasn’t — done.
Craig also spoke with listeners on June 23 to hear their assessments of Duggan’s performance. Generally they think he’s doing a good job — but say the city needs more.
In Mayor Mike Duggan’s first six months in office, one of the biggest difference between him and previous mayors has been his relationship with the City Council: Council member Saunteel Jenkins tells Craig it’s a cordial one that works. “It’s different because the mayor has actively pursued a relationship with council,” she says.
Detroit Public Television
On the television airwaves, DPTV aired two programs with discussions about Mayor Duggan’s first half year. First, the MiWeek team evaluated some of the mayor’s biggest successes and remaining challenges. Then American Black Journal dug into the Blight Removal Task Force, one of Mayor Duggan’s signature efforts.
Michigan Radio
Every Detroit mayor for decades has talked about blight. One of the biggest problems facing Detroit is the huge number of abandoned houses, buildings, and vacant lots. Here’s a look at what’s changed in how that issue is addressed since Mayor Mike Duggan took office, by Michigan Radio’s Lester Graham.
Graham also reported that one out of every three Detroit households doesn’t have a car. They rely on the bus system. But it’s broken. People at the Rosa Parks Transit Center in downtown Detroit disagree whether it’s gotten any better since Mayor Mike Duggan took over the Detroit Department of Transportation, but officials at the department say they’re working to get more buses on the roads.
Michigan Radio’s Stateside program on June 23 featured Detroit Reporter Sarah Cwiek and Investigative Reporter Lester Graham who talked about Mayor Duggan.“He’s showing some real leadership skills for a guy who has been elected to serve a city with no power,” Graham says on the program. Stateside also hosted a conversation about transportation in the city.
Until recently, almost half the streetlights of Detroit were dark. Thousands of new streetlights are replacing the old broken ones. Michigan Radio’s Lester Graham caught up with one of several crews installing streetlights in neighborhoods around Detroit and discovered fewer, less expensive lights to power and maintain means a big drop in cost.
When elected, Mayor Duggan took over a city run by someone else: state-appointed Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr. Still, Michigan Radio reports that doesn’t mean Duggan has been denied all the rites of passage of the job including the schlep to Lansing to ask the state Legislature for something. Every mayor has to do it. And Duggan had to go to Lansing with a really big ‘ask.’ We’re talking about the $195 million dollar rescue package for his city (that’s right, ‘rescue,’ ‘settlement.’ Just don’t call it a ‘bailout.’)
WDET
WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter found some Detroit residents say the initiatives undertaken by the Mayor are producing mixed results as he works to create what he calls a “livable” city – one that attracts new residents and maintains a stable tax base. WDET’s Pat Batcheller looks at efforts to improve the city’s bus system and transportation department.
Mayor Mike Duggan acknowledged one of the single biggest hurdles city residents face when it comes to transportation during his State of the City address in January: the high cost of auto insurance. WDET’s J. Carlisle Larsen takes a look at what the situation is for drivers in the city.
To get a sense of how a candidate plans for success and how they go about implementing such a strategy when elected, WDET’s Travis Wright spoke with former Mayor Dennis Archer. Twenty years ago this week, Archer, a former Michigan Supreme Court Justice was wrapping up his first six months as mayor. When Archer looked back on those crucial first months in 1994, he said it all started when he tapped six University of Michigan professors to help him craft a city improvement plan in 1990.
-By WDET’s Sandra Svoboda
@WDETSandra and nextchapter@wdet.org
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On DPTV: American Black Journal examines the Blight Removal Task Force
“Every Neighborhood Has a Future…and It Doesn’t Include Blight,” is the title of the comprehensive plan and set of recommendations to eliminate blight in the city of Detroit. DPTV/American Black Journal Host Stephen Henderson speaks with Glenda Price, co-chair of the Blight Removal Task Force, about how Mayor Mike Duggan plans to accomplish the goal of removing the blighted structures within five years.
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Mackinac Policy Conference and Bankruptcy: What to Watch
Of course we never know what any of the speakers might spontaneously say about Detroit’s bankruptcy, but following are a few of the sessions where we expect issues related to the Chapter 9 to be front and center.
WDET will be following the conference at this link.
Detroit Public Television is broadcasting live for much of the conference and can be viewed here.
Wednesday
The first full day of the conference is largely focused on entrepreneurship, but two sessions promise some specific Detroit mentions:
1 p.m. Gov. Rick Snyder speaks as part of official “conference welcome.”
4:45 p.m. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will be interviewed by Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley. DPTV is hosting an online screening and chat during his appearance with Next Chapter Detroit’s Sandra Svoboda as a panelist.
Thursday
The second day centers on STEM – science, technology, engineering, math – but we’re watching and listening for Detroit bankruptcy topics primarily in the following sessions:
9:30 a.m. Author Malcom Gladwell gives a keynote address and is interviewed by Detroit News columnist Daniel Howes, who has written extensively about the Detroit bankruptcy. As Gladwell’s writing pushes a message of how entrepreneurship and education can help overcome obstacles, he’ll explain how these lessons can apply to Detroit as well as the entire state.
2:45 p.m. Gov. Rick Snyder will be interviewed by Vickie Thomas, WWJ city beat reporter, and is expected to review the highlights of his administration.
5 p.m. WDIV and The Detroit News conducted a survey for the Mackinac Policy Conference, and the results will be discussed at a town hall meeting. They include the statewide view of Detroit as well as attitudes and opinions about this year’s political races and policy issues.
Friday
This is the bankruptcy day with several sessions and speakers focused on the topic:
8:55 a.m. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, interviewed by WDET’s Craig Fahle, will explain how rebuilding from natural disasters transformed the Crescent City and how lessons learned there could help Detroit’s revitalization.
9:40 a.m. Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr will be interviewed by Vicki Mabrey, former ABC News correspondent. He’s expected to discuss how Detroit is being positioned for success post bankruptcy and what his plans are toward the city’s long-term sustainability.
10:15 a.m. The panel titled “Detroit Next: Positioned for the Future,” will be moderated by Detroit Free Press editorial page editor Stephen Henderson. Speakers include Detroit City Council president Brenda Jones, Kresge Foundation CEO Rip Rapson, and Jase Bolger, Michigan speaker of the house, and others who will address how “bankruptcy is positioning Detroit to establish financial stability and sustainability and redirect its efforts in city development. With a newly elected mayor and city council in place to guide the city through the post-bankruptcy phase, Detroit offers an environment for unprecedented innovation and collaboration.”
Here’s the link to the full agenda.
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MiWeek: DPTV’s team talks Detroit
Detroit’s bankruptcy and the “Grand Bargain” have taken center stage in Lansing, and creditors are still looking to the Detroit Institute of Arts collection for compensation. Michigan voters were polled about what they really think about the bankruptcy — and their answers might surprise you.
in Detroit Public TV, DIA, DJC, From Lansing -
MiWeek: Is the Grand Bargain too hard a sell?
This week on MiWeek: Money to aid Detroit may come from the state’s rainy day fund. The MiWeek Crew discusses if that will be a hard sell. Also, John Bebow, the president and CEO of the Center for Michigan, a Detroit Journalism Cooperative partner, joins to discuss the Center’s annual “Michigan Speaks” report about voters’ priorities.