WSU Communication Lecturer, Jack Lessenberry, comments on Detroit's fiscal situation...

Wall Street Journal

"Detroit struggles for a fiscal fix"

by Matthew Dolan

With the clock ticking on Detroit's fiscal time bomb, the mayor and Michigan's governor are struggling to reach a plan to patch up the city's finances and avert a state takeover. After rebuffing a proposed consent agreement last week that called for a nine-member oversight board to help govern Detroit, Mayor Dave Bing pledged to find his own solution, something he has not been able to do after three years in office. The mayor and the City Council met Friday and were expected to do so again Monday in an attempt to retain almost all of their power under any consent agreement with the state. Bing, who is up for re-election next year, wants to reassure Detroiters historically wary of outsiders that he won't accept state interference lying down. "He doesn't want to alienate the base," said Jack Lessenberry, a Wayne State University professor and political commentator.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303863404577285860173679668.html?mod=googlenews_wsj