Bing to overhaul City Hall culture

Detroit -- Mayor Dave Bing addressed the City Council for the first time Tuesday and brought one clear message: The culture of City Hall is changing.

And it starts in his office, he said. Bing said he's now asking appointees to adhere to a dress code that requires men to wear ties, start work at 8 a.m. rather than 8:30, and sign letters agreeing to ethics policies and also swearing they have no conflicts of interest.

"It's a matter of getting people to think differently," Bing said.

"Let them know that somebody is here and watching it and setting expectations because in the end we all work for the citizens of Detroit. They have expectations of us, and we have to live up to those. You can't do that in a six-hour day."

Bing held court in a surprise appearance for about half an hour.

Timed to coincide with his first two months in office, Bing touched on several issues including plans to expand Cobo Center and his plans to hold off on 315 proposed layoffs and a 10 percent wage cut that were slated to take effect today.

"I want to look at all of the inefficiencies in the system and work on those first," Bing said. "There are some low-hanging fruit we can correct before we get to layoffs."

Later Tuesday, during the debut episode of his television show "From the Mayor's Office," Bing acknowledged he's not as visible as his predecessors had been, but said residents should make no mistake: The city is in "crisis mode."

"I don't want anybody to think differently," Bing said. "We have some tough decisions to make. I'm not overly concerned about being liked. I want to be respected on what I bring to the table."

"I am not some pop star. I've got work to do," Bing added.

Councilwomen Barbara-Rose Collins and JoAnn Watson praised the visit.

But colleague Sheila Cockrel said that while she agrees with Bing's assessment of the city's financial problems, he's adding $7 million to the deficit by not agreeing to the wage cut.

Bing's predecessor, interim mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr., proposed the cuts as part of a $3.6 billion budget. The deficit is estimated at approximately $300 million.

"He's bringing a particular experience of a CEO of a corporation that is a value to the table, but none the less this is a very serious financial situation that requires some real serious attention," Sheila Cockrel said.

Bing said he's about 90 percent done with his appointments and hopes to fill the remainder soon.

His transition team, which now exceeds 45 people, will continue to work for another 50 days before making recommendations.

Watson asked Bing to approach the federal government for a bailout for Detroit, an issue she's championed before.

"Detroit is in a unique economic position," Watson said. "This is a golden opportunity to lay out a whole plan to the president. We are not like any other city. This city is in a need of a federal bailout."

The mayor said discussions with Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb have resulted in a new initiative called "Safe Route" that targets blight around schools.

He said not to expect a big announcement.

"I'm not into ribbon-cuttings or trying to impress the press," Bing said.

dnichols@detnews.com">dnichols@detnews.com (313) 222-2396