Forget the spin about exploratory committees and listening parties, Mike Duggan unofficially made it official this morning on WDET’s Craig Fahle Show. Duggan announced that he will formally announce his candidacy for mayor in February.
“We’ll have a formal kick-off day with a major event in late February and at that point it will be official,” Duggan said.
“So you’re a candidate for mayor?” Fahle pressed. “You’re not officially, but you’re running.”
“You know, I quit my job, a job I loved, at the Detroit Medical Center December 31st and I was—I knew what I was doing but I don’t want to step on my campaign team’s formal announcement process, which will be late February,” Duggan said.
Duggan also weighed in against the Belle Isle state park plan rejected this week by City Council
"I was against the state lease of Belle Isle," he said. "I did not believe we needed to turn that island over to the state of Michigan. On the other hand, I am completely in favor of a fee to get on the island. I believe we should be charging a fee and proceeds should be going to upgrade that island...I believe that fee should be set by the City Council, it ought to be collected by the city, and the city ought to run its own capital improvement program."
The proposed capital improvement program for a Belle Isle state park would have been funded by state bonds. Michigan currently has a Aa2 bond rating, which determines how cheaply an entity can borrow money, and a "stable" outlook from ratings agencies.
Given the city's Baa3 junk bond rating and "negative" outlook from ratings agencies, one wonders what it would cost Detroit's taxpayers to fund such a capital improvement program for Belle Isle or anything else. -- JTW
