Detroit can pave future for Mich.

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Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus” is the official motto of the city of Detroit. Translated from Latin, it means “we hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes.” I hope it is true that better things will come, as the city has been a smoldering fire for years now and we are up to our knees in ash.

While there are still many fires that must burn out before the city can experience any meaningful revitalization, and though the past few weeks have been riddled with reminders of just how painful and ugly those fires can be, the ashes of opportunity are there.

In many ways, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s guilty plea on charges of obstruction of justice last year was just the tip of the iceberg. City Council member Monica Conyers pled guilty last week to conspiring to commit bribery associated with a billion-dollar sludge contract. A number of federal investigations related to political players and practices in the region continue.

The Detroit Public Schools (DPS), once great but now a bloated and largely ineffective system, is under the control of an emergency financial manager, Robert Bobb. Bobb has made rooting out and bringing the thieves and enablers of corruption to justice a top priority. Simply put, he recognizes that any other efforts related to educating the children of Detroit will be wasted if corrupt individuals are allowed to continue cannibalizing the system.

In February 2008, in the midst of the Kilpatrick scandal, The State News published an editorial about how Detroit could be the next Chicago if Kilpatrick cleaned up his act. I wrote a column in response about how Detroit should aspire to be Detroit, not Chicago. While there is plenty to admire about Chicago, there is plenty to dislike as well, not the least of which is the level of political corruption. From the crooked alderman system all the way to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Senate Seat Sales Event, the Windy City takes the cake for political corruption.

With Kilpatrick, Conyers and the crooks that literally stole from the children of DPS fresh on their minds, the people of Detroit have some important decisions to make about the path their city is taking. On the one hand, they can continue to elect people to office based on their charm or their last name. Perhaps this will give Detroit its own Mayor Daley, a strong albeit controversial political figure, or another leader that will bring a new renaissance to Detroit. But more likely this path will lead to the type of deep-rooted corruption and cronyism that defines Chicago’s politics today.

On the other hand, Detroiters can take the reins and demand accountability, transparency and results from their elected officials. Every seat on the City Council is up for grabs this November and despite a screwy City Charter that creates a dizzying field of hundreds of candidates, it is hard to not see this as a defining moment and opportunity for a new political culture in the city and region.

Whether the people like it or not, all of Michigan’s fate is in one way or another tied to the fate of southeast Michigan and Detroit, and thus all of Michigan should want to see Detroit do well. But when it comes to choosing the path of corruption or that of accountability, only Detroiters can pick which way the city will go.

Ryan Dinkgrave is a State News guest columnist and public relations graduate student. Reach him at dinkgrave@gmail.com.

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