It was just before dawn as Benny Napoleon stepped onto the Grand River Avenue bus near Seven Mile last week, when memories of his late father came to mind. He was 10-years-old when his dad taught him how to catch a bus alone from their home on the westside to his grandparent’s house on the eastside.

“By the time I was in high school, I was riding the bus downtown everyday to my first job at Sibley Shoes," said Napoleon. “However, I doubt my dad would have allowed me that kind of autonomy at age 10 in times like these where I could have waited at a bus stop for hours, caught in limbo with no streetlights and tensions high because other riders are angry the bus is late.”

But on this day, Benny is 53-years-old and the leading candidate for mayor of the city of Detroit and using this opportunity to talk to a busload of the 106,000 Detroiters who struggle to rely on an inefficient and unreliable bus system to get to school, work, and other important appointments everyday.

Just a few days before, the SEMCOG voted 22-9 to strip $7 million from the already struggling Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and its 106,000 riders in the city – and transfer those funds to support the 35,000 bus riders in the suburbs. The vote was to change the federal transit funding formula from the 65% allocation that DDOT has received for decades, to a 48% allocation.

"Funding should be focused on improving service for the majority of citizens who utilize the bus system,” Napoleon said.

“If we are going to have reliable transportation in this region; and if we also want to move to a true spirit of regional cooperation, I think that this moves us in the wrong direction,” Napoleon said. “If Detroiters are going to ever trust the notion of regional cooperation, there can’t be a continual grab for Detroit resources and assets.”

Napoleon has a unique understanding of how inefficiencies harm not only bus riders, but also how they put bus drivers in harms way, as late and no-show buses anger some riders who have their livelihoods tied to the bus line. His sister Alicia was a bus driver for more than 40 years. Like most bus drivers, she loved her job and considered it an important service to the public.

“I believe that public transportation is key to transforming this city; not only through buses, but through light rail and bus rapid transit,” Napoleon said. “As mayor, I will make sure that we are investing in reliable and cost-effective public transportation, and we fight to ensure that the resources are there to sustain a reliable system.”

Nearly an hour later, Napoleon and bus 1235 pulled into the Rosa Parks Transit Center downtown where he was met by Henry Gaffney, president of the bus drivers union – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26. The ATU is the largest labor union representing transit and allied workers in the U.S. and Canada. Together, they walked across the street where other bus drivers assembled to endorse Napoleon in his candidacy for Mayor of Detroit.

The group emphasized the critical role public transportation plays in a city where more than 30 percent of its residents are without reliable transportation. They were all in agreement that regional transit is vital to a strong Detroit and region, but not at the cost of Detroit citizens who currently rely on DDOT bus service.

"Benny understands how much we value serving this community and is committed to keeping our drivers safe and to ensuring that we are equipped with a reliable fleet to get our residents safely to their destinations on time,” Gaffney said. “We take pride in the role we play for our riders on a daily basis, and when leaders don't place a priority on efficient operations for DDOT, it angers the public and ultimately puts our drivers at risk – and Benny gets that."  

Napoleon launched his mayoral campaign on March 26 at the Masonic Temple, which was the largest gathering of any political event in Detroit’s history. More than 2,000 residents, members of clergy, labor union members, public safety officials, and business leaders joined Napoleon in his announcement

Black Slate, Inc. Eastside Community Slate and the Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee will join together to hast a series of City Council District and Police District Forums to help educate voters for the City of Detroit’s upcoming 2013 elections.  This announcement was made at a press conference held today, Wednesday, May 15, 2013, at 10:00 A.M. at t Fellowship Chapel located at 7707 W. Outer Drive in Detroit.  Voters in the City of Detroit will be electing Council Members by District for the first time since 1918 and for the first time electing Police Commissioners.  The City Council District/Police Commissioner District forums will be held at three different locations throughout the City.  The dates and locations for the forums are as follows:

May 22, 2013. 6:00 P.M.

Fellowship Chapel

7707 W. Outer Drive

Detroit, Mi 48235

For Districts 1,2,7

May 29, 2013, 6:00 PM.

Alkebu-Lan Village

7701 Harper Avenue

Detroit, MI 48213

For Districts 3,4,5,

June 5, 2013, 6:00 P.M.

Shrine of the Black Madonna Church

7625 Linwood Street

Detroit, MI 48206

For Districts 5,6,7

“The presence of an Emergency Manager should not dampen the spirit of Detroiters on selecting their local elected officials,” says Yvette McElroy Anderson, Field Director, Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee.  “It is our hope that these voter forums will provide the best and most comprehensive information to help voters make informed decisions.”

The collaboration is a part of the organizations Voter Education Initiative Network (VEIN).  VEIN was formed in 2012 and seeks to provide voter education to the community.  This partnership seeks to empower and encourage voters to stay engaged in the electoral process.

“ Everyone should care about voting,” says Baye Landy, Assistant Coordinator, Black Slate, Inc.  “The City Council and Police Commissioner forums apart of our VEIN initiative will be the life blood voters need to get energized and involved for this 2013 election cycle.”

In 2009 City of Detroit Voters decided to elected City Council members from seven districts and only allow two at-large seats.  Additionally, in 2011 voters elected to approve the changes to the City Charter that would allow for seven of the eleven Board of Police Commissioner seats to be chosen by districts as well.

“We stand ready to help voters as we begin to elect our officials by district” said Lamar Lemmons, Co-Founder, Eastside Community Slate.  “The decisions made by these lawmakers have an impact on our everyday life and our engagement in this process sends a clear message to them to respect us as voters.”

Candidates who are interested in being a part of the forums should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information on Black Slate, Inc. please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call

313-872-1127l.

For more information on Eastside Community Slate please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 313-477-1146.

For more information on Fannie Lou Hamer please visit www.flhpac.org. or call (313) 538-3001.

By Bankole Thompson
CHRONICLE SENIOR EDITOR

Gary Brown, the man whose battle with political leaders inside Detroit
government led to the downfall of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is the latest
member of the Detroit City Council to announce he is not seeking re-election to the legislative body.

Brown is leaving at a precarious time in city government when many Detroiters questioned the competence and effectiveness of the Detroit City Council as the check and balance of local government.

Brown now joins members Charles Pugh, Kwame Kenyatta, Kenneth
Cockrel Jr., and JoAnn Watson who will not be returning to council.

That opens wide the field of candidates for council at a time when districting has made the race more competitive. Some council members are facing stiff challenges from other known candidates who are also running in districts for council.

But Brown's departure also signals the changes coming to city hall after Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced Tuesday he won't seek re-election, which also sets the stage for an electoral showdown this summer.

Despite what the outcome of the races for council and mayor might be, it still won't change the reality of Detroit's financial crisis now being managed by
Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr.

This week Orr released a financial report that found the city insolvent and
unable to borrow cash.

"We are in the first steps of a very long journey. I believe the Chinese say a trip of a thousand miles starts with the first step. I think that's what it is,"
Orr said in an interview with the Michigan Chronicle before the report's
release.

"This just means that the numbers are going to be bigger than have previously been discussed. It means that the challenges and negotiations with the interested parties are probably going to be a little bit more intense because there's more at stake. There's more money on the table. There is more attention."

Orr said the city's revenue projections are precarious because historically when the city is budgeted and takes on a debt to try to make a balanced budget, it always deferred payments with some obligations that are due.

"We've done some borrowing to make some shortfalls. When I say it's worse than expected, if the city were to try to run and meet its debt obligations on a going forward basis, based on what it takes in revenue fees and other incomes and balance that against what its obligations are paid in the ordinary cause, that would be very challenging," Orr said.

Orr also named Cincinnati police chief James Craig as Detroit's newest top cop, another development that marks the power shifts at city hall.

Craig, who is excited about his new assignment, is already saying he would focus on crime, the top issue for most Detroiters.

His Detroit assignment comes on the heels of brand new ambulance trucks and police cars donated to the city by members of corporate Detroit.

But even as the Detroit Police Department ushers in its new leader, it still faces many other issues that include the morale of officers and the ever present Justice Department Decree.