That's too bad, as it means that there isn't a competitive horse race for the top spot right now. As WXYZ's Editorial Director Chuck Stokes explains, Benny Napoleon is in the driver's seat.
WXYZ Editorial Director Chuck Stokes analyzes Mike Duggan's decision not to challenge a local courts ruling knocking him off the Detroit Mayoral ballot.That written, the contest will still be competitive, if not for the number one spot, at least for the other general election slot. Napoleon isn't going to get 50%+1, so there will be an election in November. Also, it continues to promise to be entertaining, as Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press minces no words describing the field.
There’s also grand irony in the efforts of candidate Tom Barrow, a convicted felon (who has long asserted his own innocence, but has not prevailed in convincing the courts to overturn his conviction for bank fraud and tax evasion) who was thrice rejected by Detroit voters, to toss Duggan from the ballot.This is not good for the city, but it definitely will be worth watching. Pass the popcorn.
The race also features: a sheriff (Benny Napoleon) who has never met a budget and whose tenure as Detroit police chief ended with the imposition of a federal consent decree; the city’s former general counsel, whose behavior in defiance of the mayor helped earn Detroit an important credit downgrade and cost tens of millions more in interest payments, and a state representative who just got outed as a chronic truant, choosing at least one recent day to water his grass in Detroit rather than vote in Lansing.
Yes, there are other quality hopefuls, including some young Detroiters who are stepping forward earlier than they probably should, but who are showing what kind of leadership we might expect in the future.
But the field as a whole, combined with the legal and logical gymnastics to disqualify Duggan, reinforce the idea that politics in Detroit are a joke.
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