'We can now put Detroit back on the right path,' Bing says

BY JOHN WISELY, SUZETTE HACKNEY and CECIL ANGEL

As results poured in Tuesday evening giving Mayor Dave Bing a full 4-year term, the basketball Hall of Famer sat on a couch with his wife watching the HBO documentary about President Barack Obama's ascension to the White House.

The two sat close and whispered, with their two daughters and some close friends nearby. The quiet time was a respite for Bing after a campaign that covered four elections in eight months. He defeated his challenger 58% to 42%.

He now moves on to try to steer the city through its most difficult financial crisis since the Great Depression.

"Together we can now put Detroit back on the right path," Bing said Tuesday night in his victory speech at the Fort Shelby Doubletree Hotel downtown. "Thank you for your confidence. I see progress and I know we are headed in the right direction."

Bing's victory was widely predicted before Tuesday but still brought hope and support from leaders across the state.

"He's taken a job that ain't gonna be easy," House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, told the crowd. "The change is coming and residents of the city are going to benefit."

Former Mayor Dennis Archer touted Bing's relationship with elected officials in Washington, D.C. Archer said those alliances are key to helping Detroit rebuild.

"We've got some real challenges out there," Archer said, "But they can be met."

The Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit Branch NAACP, just proclaimed that Detroit's best days are now in front of it with Bing as the captain.

"We can be fixed, we can be nourished and we can be transformed, and we have the right man at the right time to move it," Anthony said of Bing.

Bing supporters took turns speaking as election results rolled in.

"It's been a long haul, and as the mayor has stated this is the fourth quarter," said Emmett Moten, an owner of the Doubletree Hotel where Bing's party was held. "As of 8 o'clock tonight the ball crossed the goal line, and it's in for the next four years."

Moten said the Bing administration is business friendly because Bing, a longtime Detroit business owner himself, understands the needs of those willing to invest in the city.

At a party in a loft in Corktown, challenger Tom Barrow entered with his family shortly after 11 p.m. He shook hands with supporters as he made his way through the building to the stage. As he neared the stage, he paused and cheers broke out. He continued shaking hands, then began his concession speech.

"We're going to fall short and I'm happy though, that we fought the good fight," Barrow said.

As his supporters applauded, he pulled out notes.

"I didn't write a prepared speech," he said. "I'm going to talk from the heart."

He thanked God for the election and told his supporters he knelt down to pray this morning.

"Now is the time we can leave our mark on this city in a positive way," Barrow said.

He said: "We offered Detroit hope. We said there's a difference between despair and hope. People said, 'Are you sad, Tom?' I'm not. I'm only sad we're not able to make the changes."

He later went on to say that he'd accepted the will of the people of Detroit.

"I said it was wrong to have someone who's never lived in Detroit to be our mayor. The people of Detroit said that's OK," Barrow said.

He told his supporters he didn't want them to second-guess anything they'd done.

"We had an opportunity to change and we decided not to, and I accept that," Barrow said.

He addressed part of his speech to Bing, urging him to be sensitive to the residents.

"This is not a business. It's not a steel business. It's a municipality," he said.

Barrow ended his speech by saying: "For those in Detroit who didn't vote for me, I accept your will." Then, he went on to say, "I thank all 50,000 of you who left a good name for my son."

WXYZ Detroit mayor race poll Mayor's Race Tightening

From WXYZ As we close in on the November Election, an exclusive Action News poll shows that Detroit Mayor Dave Bing still holds a sizable lead in the race for Mayor. However, the latest poll numbers show that race has tightened. We asked 400 Detroiters for their take on the mayor's race. If the election were held today, current mayor Dave Bing would come out on top with 47% of the vote compared to just 26% for candidate Tom Barrow. When asked why Mayor Bing would be their pick, 13% say they would choose him because of his business background. Eleven percent of voters polled say he should be given the chance to finish the job. Out of the 26% of people who said they would vote for Tom Barrow, one out of five say they would vote for Barrow just because they don't like Dave Bing. As far as Mayor Bing's job performance, most Detroiters think he's doing pretty good with only 15% giving him a poor grade. When asked what the mayor's biggest accomplishment in office is so far, 25% of voters polled said "nothing at all." Nine percent gave Bing credit for balancing the budget. Four percent gave him credit just for getting elected. The controversial DDOT bus cuts top the list for Mayor Bing's biggest failure. Twelve percent say he hasn't done anything wrong. The rest are split between his relationship with the unions and his communication with the residents of Detroit. Results carry a margin of error of +/- 4.9%. All polling was done between October 18 and October 20, 2009. Read the Poll Below: What are the chances that you will be voting in the upcoming November 3rd general election for Mayor of Detroit and City Council -- are you very certain to vote, somewhat certain, will you probably vote, are the chances only 50-50, have you already voted by absentee ballot, or, will you not likely vote? 79% Very certain to vote 14% Already voted by absentee ballot 5% Fairly certain 2% If the November 3rd general election for Mayor were held today, would you vote for Dave Bing or Tom Barrow? 44% Dave Bing 23% Undecided/Don’t know /Refused 22% Tom Barrow 3% Lean toward Bing 4% Lean toward Tom Barrow 4% Other candidate (VOLUNTEERED) 3% Lean toward Bing What is the main reason why you plan to vote for Dave Bing? 13% Business Background 12% Best Choice of the Two Candidates 11% Give Him a Chance to Finish the Job 8% Done a Good Job So Far 7% Dislike Barrow 5% His Integrity 5% Vision for the City 5% Most Qualified Candidate 4% Agree With His Positions 4% Making Progress 3% Christian 3% Committed to the City 3% Most Familiar With Him 2% Like – In General 2% Makes the Tough Decisions 2% Needed Change 2% Strong Leader 2% Understands the City’s Needs 1% Brings Jobs to the City 1% Conservative 1% Improving the Neighborhoods 1% Other (less than 0.5% each) 3% Undecided/Don’t Know/Refused What is the main reason why you plan to vote for Tom Barrow? 21% Dislike Bing 10% Against Bing’s Policies 8% Best Choice of the Two Candidates 7% Agree With His Positions 6% He is a Detroit City Resident 6% Most Qualified Candidate 6% Understands the City’s Needs 5% Against Bing’s Budget Cuts 5% Needed Change 4% Pro Union 3% Vision for the City 2% Against Bing’s Bus Cuts 2% Against Bing’s Privatization 2% Communicates with People in Community 2% Supported Him Before 1% Against Bing’s Administration Choices 1% Against Bing’s Wage Concessions 1% Bing is Tied to Kilpatrick 1% Christian 1% Democrat 1% Give Him a Chance 1% Integrity 1% Progressive 3% Undecided/Don’t Know/Refused Overall, How would you rate the job that Dave Bing has done as Mayor of Detroit? Would you give him a positive rating of excellent or pretty good, or a negative rating of only fair or poor? 38% Pretty good 36% Only fair 15% Poor 8% Excellent 4% Undecided/Don’t know/Refused Specifically, how would you rate the job Dave Bing has done cutting government spending and balancing the City budget? Would you give him a positive rating of excellent or pretty good, or a negative rating of only fair or poor? 30% Pretty good 33% Only fair 23% Poor 6% Excellent 8% Undecided/Don’t know/Refused Specifically, how would you rate the job Dave Bing has done working with the unions in seeking wage concessions and making budget cuts? Would you give him a positive rating of excellent or pretty good, or a negative rating of only fair or poor? 34% Only fair 27% Pretty good 28% Poor 6% Undecided/Don’t know/Refused 5% Excellent What would you say is the single biggest accomplishment Dave Bing has had as Mayor of Detroit? 25% Nothing At All 9% Balancing the City Budget 4% Getting Elected as Mayor 3% COBO Agreement 3% Cutting Government Spending 3% Getting the City On the Right Track 3% Integrity in His Position 2% Communicates the City’s Needs 2% Less Negative Press 1% Added Police 1% Bring Order to the City 1% New Police Chief 1% No Legal Troubles 1% Run the City Like a Business 1% Strong Leader 1% Too Early to Tell 1% Took No Salary 1% Union Relations 6% Other (less than 0.5% each) 31% Undecided/Don’t Know/Refused Would you say is the single biggest failure that Dave Bing has had as Mayor of Detroit? 14% Cuts to Bus Service 12% Nothing at All 9% Union Relations 4% Communication with City Residents 3% Cut City Employees 3% Not Involved in the Communities 3% Selecting His Administration 2% Budget Cuts 2% Cut City Services 2% He’s Unfamiliar with Detroit 2% Wage Concessions 1% Attempted School Takeover 1% Close Minded 1% False Promises 1% Failed – Overall 1% Hard Line with Young People 1% No Balance Budget 1% No Improvement in Crime 1% No Leadership 1% Rapid Job Loss in the City 1% Taking the New Car 3% Other (less than 0.5% each) 31% Undecided/Don’t Know/Refused