- Photo by John Minnis
Miller Canfield associate Boyd White III (left) was with good company, Chairman Emeritus Thom Linn (center) and Managing Director Doug Kilbourne, at the annual meeting of the Downtown Detroit Partnership held in the Renaissance Ballroom at the Ren Cen.
By John Minnis
Legal News
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said future development will proceed up Woodward Avenue with the planned light rail line running from downtown to Eight Mile Road.
His remarks were made at the annual meeting of the Downtown Detroit Partnership held recently in the Renaissance Ballroom at the Ren Cen.
“We have identified Woodward Avenue as the spine, the backbone, of Detroit,” he said. “We are going to focus on the Woodward corridor and a light rail system.”
Bing’s remarks followed those by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.
“The DDP does not work alone,” said Chair Cynthia J. Pasky, who emceed the meeting. “One of the key players is Bob Ficano. He cares deeply not just about Wayne County but about the entire state.”
“I am very excited,” the county executive said, “because I see the future — not just what we are building today but what we are building for the future.”
Ficano pointed to the $221 million expansion and renovation of Cobo Center — “Three years ago they said it couldn’t be done” — and a regionally functional Detroit Water Board as positive steps for Detroit and southeast Michigan.
Other Detroit highlights cited by Ficano included the recent Detroit International Film Festival, Vanguard Health Systems’ $1.5 billion purchase of the Detroit Medical Center and the respective consolidations of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Quicken Loans offices downtown.
“Detroit is growing,” he said. “Detroit has a bright future.”
In a refrain over the past several years, Ficano concluded his remarks by stating, “Our job is to make sure none of you have to get on a plane to visit your grandchildren.”
Introducing Mayor Bing, Pasky said, “He wasn’t born here, but due to the luck of the NBA draft, he became a Detroiter.”
“The job that I have is not always good times,” the former NBA star told the DDP members present. “I believe Detroit is going to come back, and it is
because of people like you.”
He said the beginning of the turnaround was two years ago with the extension of a poured-liquor tax approved by the state Legislature that will pay for the expansion and renovation of Cobo Center.
“All my career I played at Cobo Arena,” Bing said. “There was no other place like Cobo Arena except maybe Madison Square Garden.”
While improving downtown and the Woodward corridor, the mayor said he does not want to ignore the neighborhoods.
“That is where a lot of our folks live,” he said, “and we are going to make investments in our communities.”
A successful businessman, Bing promised to knock down barriers to business in Detroit.
“Our business community has to realize we are open for business in downtown and in Detroit,” he said. “You have an administration that from top to
bottom appreciates you.”
Representing the Gov. Rick Snyder administration at the annual meeting was State Budget Director John E. Nixon.
“I think it says something about what the governor thinks of Detroit that he pried his budget director out of Lansing while he and the lieutenant governor
are before the Legislature,” Pasky said in introducing Nixon. “I’m sure the governor would rather be here with us today.”
Nixon held a similar position in Utah before being wooed to Michigan by Snyder.
“It didn’t take me long to catch the governor’s vision,” Nixon said.
Nixon described Snyder’s budget, which, released a month ago, addresses a $2 billion deficit, as “one of the strongest ever put together.”
He said the budget not only eliminates the “structural deficit” but is balanced for 2012 and 2013 as well.
The state’s top CPA iterated Snyder’s mantra: “Job One is Jobs.”
Nixon said the positive efforts made by Bing and Ficano have been noticed by Snyder.
“I’ve been in many meetings where the governor has said Detroit is key to our success,” he said.
Noting that the top exports from Michigan right now are college graduates, Nixon said, “We want to reverse that trend and keep our young talent here in
Michigan.”
Nixon said Gov. Snyder is a “great man” and that “we are here to listen to you.”
“There is a big turnaround in store,” he said. “No state is as ripe as Michigan for a turnaround.”
Following the speakers, nine urban and suburban 11- to 17-year-old students from Youth Neighborhood News, which “Brings You the Younger Side of
the News,” presented a professionally produced video of two of the DDP’s signature projects, 2-1-1 On The Go! and Clean Downtown.
“There are a lot of reasons why we believe in Detroit,” Pasky said, “but these young people are part of the reason the DDP believes in Detroit.”
2-1-1 On The Go! seeks out the homeless and provides them food, shelter, clothing and an address and phone number so that they can seek
employment. Clean Detroit, whose trucks and workers are ubiquitous in downtown Detroit, hires workers from Goodwill Industries to keep downtown — from Rivertown to Wayne State University — clean.
Clean Detroit and 2-1-1 On The Go! were made possible through the creation of the Roger Penske Detroit Fund, which began with $2 million in seed money captured from the bankruptcy of auto supplier Collins & Aikman. So far $350,000 have been raised toward another $2 million in matching
donations.
“As far as we know,” Pasky said, “it is the only endowment to perpetually endow a social program.”
“We’ve made a lot of progress,” said Penske, former chair of the DDP who now serves as vice chair, “but we can’t stop now.”
Dave Blaszkiewicz, who replaced Ann Lang a DDP president & CEO, said, “There is a lot going on Detroit.” To prove his point, he presented “100 slides in 10 minutes” of things going on in or planned for Detroit.
They included renovation and repurposing of the Broderick, Whitney and Madison Theater buildings, Quicken Loans’ move to downtown, the M1 Rail
and transit-oriented development up Woodward and the Detroit River Walk and Dequindre Cut Greenway.
“We are sending out a call to action to reinvigorate downtown Detroit,” Blaszkiewicz said. “We have come a long way, and we have much to do. We
want everyone to know that this is a good place to live, work and play.”
One of those who work downtown is Kathryn L. Ossian, a principal at Miller Canfield who shared a table with her colleagues at the annual meeting.
“The program and speakers did a nice job highlighting the many important initiatives going on in and around downtown Detroit,” Ossian said following the meeting. “Hearing about the positive changes already accomplished, as well as ongoing and future projects, makes me proud to be a Detroiter.”
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