DETROIT — Detroit Mayor Dave Bing will not run again for mayor but is considering a run for Wayne County executive. In a speech at the Charles H. Wright African American History Museum May 14, Bing said he had an “unwavering devotion” to the city and announced that he would not seek reelection but would form an exploratory committee for a county run. It is not clear if he could or would be a resident of Wayne County in time to file.
He said his administration should be credited with building a new public safety headquarters for the police, fire and IT departments. He also said his Detroit One initiative “put a dent in violent gun crimes.” According to the mayor, that initiative confiscated $8 million in drug money seizures.
Bing also believes the new Public Lighting authority will be good for Detroit, although it will actually reduce the number of streetlights in the city. He said he worked to “improve transportation options,” but he was widely criticized for reducing bus service, supporting regionalization and a regional rapid transit bus line that negated a rail system up Woodward to Eight Mile Road.
Mayor Bing also criticized Detroit residents and the media saying “we” all have to be “more accountable.” He urged Detroit citizens to vote more and said pundits who do not live in the city should not “pass off their opinions as reality.”
Bing also believes his findings are the guidelines for Detroit EM Kevin Orr’s first report and upcoming action. Bing says his administration helped “prepare the runway.”
He also criticized the state, saying that it is not a good partner and Gov. Snyder and his administration could have done “many things to help stabilize the finances” of the city.
Staff Report