The date today is 3-13 and Detroit happens to be 313 years old. And of course, the area code for Detroit is 313.
That being said, Dan Austin of the Detroit Free Press picks Detroit's five best mayors. If you had guessed that imprisoned ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick didn't make the list, you'd be right.
He writes:
Detroit has had 75 mayors in its 313-year history, and like the city itself, there's plenty of good — and plenty of bad.
Two of our mayors are considered among the 10 best that the United States has ever seen. Yet, coming up with three others to round out a top five is more challenging — and certainly more controversial — than you'd think.
The list includes:
Hazen S. Pingree: Mayor from 1890 to March 22, 1897
Frank Murphy: Mayor from Sept. 23, 1930, to May 10, 1933
John C. Lodge: Mayor from Dec. 5, 1922, to April 9, 1923, then again from Aug. 2, 1924, to Nov. 21, 1924, and from Jan. 10, 1928, to Jan. 4, 1930
Coleman A. Young: Mayor from Jan. 1, 1974, to Jan. 3, 1994
James Couzens: Mayor from 1919 to Dec. 5, 1922
