Rip, "The Rip-Off" Rapson concurs.
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Duggan's power now rivals Putin, Bill Clinton jokes
June 12, 2015
Former President Bill Clinton heralded Detroit's turnaround after the Motor City's exit from a record setting Chapter 9 bankruptcy restructuring — and jokingly compared the city's mayor to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Former President Bill Clinton heralded Detroit's turnaround after the Motor City's exit from a record setting Chapter 9 bankruptcy restructuring — and jokingly compared the city's mayor to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
At a Clinton Global Initiative event Wednesday in Denver, Clinton held a panel discussion with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Kresge Foundation president and CEO Rip Rapson and a Detroit business owner, April Anderson, who owns Good Cakes and Bakes on Livernois.
During the nearly 40-minute discussion on neighborhood revitalization, Clinton said that being mayor of Detroit could be America's "most coveted municipal job" — and noted that with the Detroit land bank, much of the city's 139 square miles is controlled by the city.
Detroit's 2013 bankruptcy restructuring allowed Duggan to "basically become the most powerful municipal official in the country. He controls over half the land mass in the city of Detroit now. He's making old Putin look like a piker — and people actually like (Duggan)," Clinton said to laughter, according to video of the event posted online by the Clinton Foundation.
Rapson said Duggan may not live that image down: "That's a great image. I like to think of Mayor Duggan as our Mayor Putin. That's terrific. I think that's going to stick," Rapson said.
The city owns nearly half the city's property, Duggan said, or about 40,000 vacant parcels. Clinton compared Detroit to the "Homestead Act" in 1862 that convinced Americans to help settle the west by offering them free land. Duggan didn't directly respond to the Putin comparison.
Kresge was one of the nonprofits that helped Detroit exit bankruptcy more quickly by contributing to a fund that saved city-owned art at the Detroit Institute of Arts from being sold and defrayed pension losses for retirees.
Clinton praised the city's revitalization, but noted that the city lost 60 percent of its population since the 1950s — and is down a quarter since 2000.
Duggan, 56, said that he is focused on boosting the population — and has said he wants to be judge when he is up for re-election if the city is growing again. Detroit has lost population for every year that Duggan has been alive.
"You can drop Manhattan, Boston and San Francisco in the city of Detroit boundaries — and still have room left over," Duggan said. The real challenge is revitalizing the neighborhoods after the dramatic turnarounds in downtown and midtown, he said.
Duggan said there are 5,000 new housing units under construction in Detroit. Duggan said he is working to sell the 40,000 vacant houses in the city. The city is auctioning three homes a day. On Tuesday, three homes sold for a total of $100,000, Duggan said.
Duggan noted that the city is offering to allow homeowners to buy next door vacant lots for just $100. The city is now also offering to lease vacant land if the neigbhorhood association signs off on the use — such as a playground or urban farm.
During the event, Duggan said Clinton is the single biggest customer of Detroit watchmaker Shinola. Clinton bought customized watches for the Secret Service agents on his security detail that featured the presidential seal as Christmas presents.Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
