DETROIT – It was a packed house for the Detroit City Council public hearing on whether to send a $250 million blight bond request to voters.
READ: Detroit mayor outlines 2020 ballot proposal to fund blight program
The meeting started late because there weren’t enough council members to establish a quorum.
City Council President Brenda Jones warned the crowd that she wouldn’t tolerate any outbursts. “Keep your feelings to yourself,” Jones told the crowd.
She also made it clear she was furious that her office had been inundated with what’s known as push through calls.
“I disagreed with every call I got today from a telemarketer (that) called my office to say, ‘Tell council President Brenda Jones to vote yes,'" Jones said.
Those calls are basic politics and elected officials get them often.
The first two hours of the meeting were a back and forth between the Duggan administration, City Council, Detroit Building Authority and Auditor General, primarily over the efficacy and honesty of how the Detroit Building Authority has handled demolitions and money.
Public opinion was split between those wanting to send the issue to the voters to decide and those who don’t. The Duggan administration would like to see the bond proposal on the March 2020 ballot.