Detroit's city council and mayor would cut the electricity to Henry Ford Hospital's intensive care unit if they thought it would balance the budget. Well maybe not, but times are getting a whole lot darker amid proposals to further slash essential city services and government-backed pensions. If you haven't been reading the daily headlines of Detroit's budget woes, spare yourself the dizzying redundancy. It seems the only thing this regime is good for is telling Detroiters what they can't have.
I know it's complicated: Detroit has lost most of its tax base, the city is too big to support itself, and the U.S. economy isn't doing any state or local government favors. But this isn't a new problem. For years, Detroiters have watched in horror while their elected officials repeat the same tired Washington ethos that the only way to slow economic hardship is for governments to cut essential services and/or raise taxes.
Revenue raisers and better budgeting will always be part of a fiscally sound economy, but before we fall into the same petty arguments that don't fix our problems here in Detroit, why don't we start talking how our city officials can be thought leaders instead of followers. What Detroit desperately needs today is new ideas, "aha moments," not fewer teachers in the classrooms.
Detroiters should encourage their officials to listen to new ideas, be more nimble and responsive to future challenges, and to start new dialogs. And if they need a place to start, here are a few cool ideas I've read about and thought of on my own:
- Eliminate voter polling stations. In Oregon, for example, the state has eliminated them completely. All registered voters receive their ballots in the mail three weeks before an election, and then can mail them back or drop them off at collection sites.
Surely the systemic issues plaguing public safety, education, and economic development will demand an elixir of investment, leadership, new business and community involvement. Still, we must look to Mayor Bing and the city council to inspire us with thoughtful leadership. Just as a stoic quote helps motivate self-reflection, one idea can be the impetus for a new conversation, a conversation that inspires action instead of perpetuating defeatist policies.