Rep. John Olumba filed the motion calling for a special mayoral election in February to aid the struggling city.
A state representative has filed a petition for recall efforts for Detroit's mayor, Dave Bing. State Rep. John Olumba (D-Detroit) filed the motion calling for a special mayoral election in February.
On Tuesday, Bing spoke with reporters on the Detroit city council's need to work with him to cut the deficit, which is expected to reach $84 million by June 30. To make this happen, The Grio reports, Detroit will issue "unpaid furloughs and other cost-saving actions" that will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013.
In addition, Bing recently put the city's $68,000 search for a new police chief on hold because the city doesn't have the funds to complete it.
The recall also claims that Bing reduced public hours to police precincts, which has jeopardized public safety. To alleviate the pressure from police, Bing announced the opening of 13 mini-stations in several communities that will house officers and volunteers. The mini-stations will organize foot patrols and neighborhood watch programs, and provide assistance with filing police reports.
The Grio writes:
"The recall effort, which needs to have 43,000 approved signatures to trigger a special election in February, comes at a peculiar time. There is already a mayoral election in 2013 with a primary scheduled for May and a general election set for November.
If there were a recall election, it would cost the city between $500,000 and $1 million. It could become an even larger mess in the event that Bing – currently finishing his first full term as mayor and likely running for a second – is recalled from office, setting up an identical situation to what occurred in 2009.
Bing was initially elected mayor during a May 2009 special election to fill the seat of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. He then won the regularly scheduled primary and general elections in August and November, with the elections costing the city millions of dollars in the process."
Read the entire story here.
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(Photo: REBECCA COOK/Reuters /Landov)
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