The Light At The End Of (Detroit's) Tunnel...

well, we know he won't be WORSE than Kwame Kilpatrick.  There's only 1 way to go and that's up.

Detroiters embrace his upbeat but tough message

DETROIT -- Kenneth Cockrel Jr. sought to lift a scandal-scarred city during his inaugural speech Friday as the city's 61st mayor -- a message that resonated in living rooms and halls of power throughout Metro Detroit.

"I was blown away," said Detroiter Jonathan McClinton, who listened to the new mayor's speech on his home computer. "I was really impressed, although nothing in his speech really surprised me."

The address was short, about 1,500 words, self-deferential and included quotes from science-fiction movies. But it also was a stirring call to clean up a city weary of the turmoil that led to the resignation of his predecessor, Kwame Kilpatrick, and propelled Cockrel to office.

"It's time that we, and others, stop making jokes about our city," he said. "It is time to be proud of where we live.

"Because of the events of the past several months, it is critical that we find closure, mend our wounds, treat our bumps and bruises, and heal as a city," Cockrel said. "It is also important that after that we go to work."

Delivered in the 13th floor auditorium of City Hall, Cockrel's speech also pledged to cut down on crime, invest in green initiatives, reduce blight and make the city more attractive for business. Cockrel acknowledged the FBI investigation into City Hall corruption. Federal agents are probing whether council members and staffers took money to approve a $47 million sludge-hauling contract to Synagro Technologies Inc.

"Let the government investigators do their work and we will do ours," Cockrel said.

Capacity in the room was 477. At least 600 people attended, including Joshua R. Elling, the executive director of the Jefferson East Business Association, who praised Cockrel's message as "very exciting."

Said Bob Slattery, a Midtown developer: "This is a time of new vision."

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said he was impressed.

"He set some important priorities, and he was strong and to the point," Ficano said. "I appreciated the fact that he mentioned (the expansion of) Cobo Hall, which I think is important to the region. But he also talked about things like keeping the city clean and coming down hard on crime, which is exactly what the citizens needed to hear."

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said Cockrel faces "significant challenges."

"He's going to be judged by his first 100 days, and he knows that," Patterson said. "But he's hit the ground running; he's calling upon residents of the city and the region to support his efforts, and we stand ready to do just that."

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said she is impressed with Cockrel's first appointments: Saul Green as deputy mayor, and James Barren as police chief. Worthy said she plans to meet monthly with Barren, as she did with retired Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings.

"It's imperative to move the city forward that my office, the Mayor's Office and the Police Department work together," Worthy said.

Not everyone was happy. Activist Ron Scott said he was upset that Cockrel did not meet with community leaders prior to appointing a police chief.

"He talked about wanting to meet with the community, but that's an after-the-fact statement," Scott said. "If he wanted to meet with people in the community, he should have done that before he started making decisions."

Councilwoman Alberta Tinsley-Talabi said she was encouraged by Cockrel's speech and said that there was a mood of "resurgence" Friday that she hasn't felt at City Hall in months.

But Councilwoman Martha Reeves said she's withholding judgment. "I heard a lot of promises," she said. "I would like to see them fulfilled." source

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And on that note...