A Real Shame

As most of us who live in the Detroit area know, the Detroit City Council voted earlier this week to disapprove the transfer of the Cobo Center to a regional authority, putting a halt to a proposed $288 million expansion and renovation deal approved by the state Legislature late last year. This is a deal that had been in discussion for a number of years and one that, when announced, was met with great excitement.  It was pretty much a given that this deal was critical if Detroit wanted to hang on to one of its last headline events, the annual North American International Auto Show.  Apparently, the only ones who didn’t feel the same way were the five council members who voted to oppose the deal. Detroit News columnist Daniel Howes captures the general sentiment in his column.

What this all means I’m not sure.  Like most, I am still in disbelief. I can only hope that the voices of the over 4 million people who live in the metropolitan Detroit area and want desperately to see it thrive are loud enough to overcome the voices of the five people who don’t.