DETROIT: Is Bing capable of sweeping the "Detroit Culture" out the door?

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I have been very vocal in my praise of Dave Bing, the former Piston star, as mayor of Detroit. In my mind, he was what the city needed after the reign of corrupt and incompetent Kwame Kilpatrick. He was the one that would put an end to the culture of corruption and incompetence that Detroit has been mired in for decades. Well…I am having some doubts…

I have no doubts about Bing’s honesty and desire to turn the city around but I feel he may have bitten off more than he can chew or in other words, he may not be up for the huge task in front of him.

Recently, the local newspapers have been filled with stories about how Bing’s administration cannot keep people; they seem to quit after a few months. To me a CEO is only as strong and smart as the people he surrounds himself with; a good CEO knows how to pick good people.

When asked about this problem, Bing has turned testy and has blamed Michigan business leaders and the governor for not helping him find the competent staff that he desperately needs which to me, is admitting that he cannot seem to hire competent help on his own.

Bing did have a steel business but unfortunately, it went bankrupt which does not bode well for his CEO skills.

This is why Mayor Bing needs an absolutely competent second in command (deputy mayor) to fill some of the inadequacies that he may have as a CEO.

The problem, I think, is that he is going to the same corrupt or incompetent pool of employees that have worked for the city before; he needs to expand his search to outside the city or even the state.

A good recent example of his administration’s seeming incompetence is the Human Services scandal. This department handles over $50 million in federal money to help the poor who need jobs, transportation, home improvements, education and food.

The local papers have uncovered that the department is staffed by totally incompetent people that use federal dollars to buy new furniture for their offices and give themselves raises and award contracts to their friends.

Bing reacted immediately and fired the head and promised an investigation BUT this should not have happened in the first place. He has to review all departments and make sure they are run competently and honestly…who knows how other departments are doing since it seems no one is watching…no oversight!

This culture of corruption and incompetence appears to be very hard to dislodge and it might necessitate a state take-over to sweep it clean.

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