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During a Wednesday morning
news conference, Mayor Bing applauded the judge's quick move
on the matter. "This legal challenge has been an unfortunate
distraction, but now it’s time for the city to move
forward," said Mayor Bing. (Photo by HB Meeks/Tell Us
Detroit) |
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Bing
pleased
with
judges
ruling,
'consent
agreement'
back on
track..
for now
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) - A
lawsuit
that was
promoted
by
radical
factions
on
Detroit
City
Council,
which
threatened
financial
stability
in the
debt-ridden
city was
thrown
out
Wednesday
by
Ingham
County
Court
Judge
William
Collette
after a
legal
'hired
gun' for
Mayor
Dave
Bing
intervened
saying
the
city's
top
attorney
had no
authority
to
challenge
the
agreement.
During a
Wednesday
morning
press
conference,
Mayor
Dave
Bing
praised
the
Ingham
County
Circuit
Court
judge
for
dismissing
a
lawsuit
that
challenged
the
consent
agreement
"This
legal
challenge
has been
an
unfortunate
distraction,
but now
it's
time for
the city
to move
forward,"
said
Bing. "I
am
hopeful
that all
of us
from a
leadership
standpoint
here in
the city
can put
this
behind
us and
start
concentrating
and
focusing
on the
work
that
needs to
be done
to bring
our city
back."
Collette
dismissed
Crittendon's
lawsuit
to stop
the
city's
consent
agreement
with the
state,
saying
she
lacked
the
authority
to bring
the
challenge.
"The
capacity
to bring
this
lawsuit
resides
with the
mayor
and the
City
Council,"
Collette
ruled.
"This
lawsuit
will not
move
forward.
The
judge
said
he's
never
seen a
case
"where
the
corporation
counsel
acts
outside
the
mayor's
authority.
"This is
such an
obvious
issue."
Spokeswoman
Sara
Wurfel
said
Gov.
Rick
Snyder
is
"gratified"
by the
ruling,"
"It
allows
the
state to
continue
working
collaboratively
with the
city of
Detroit
and
making
sure
that we
are
moving
forward,"
Wurfel
said.
"Moving
forward
is
exactly
what the
citizens
of
Detroit
need and
deserve."
This
dispute
involving
Detroit's
elected
leaders
and the
head of
the
city's
law
office,
Krystal
Crittendon,
who said
she
could
act
independently
and
didn't
have to
obey the
mayor's
plea to
yank the
lawsuit
was
spurred
on by
members
of a
radical
wing on
City
Council.
Crittendon
filed a
lawsuit
in
Ingham
County,
the home
of state
government,
claiming
the city
can't
enter
into a
deal
with the
state to
fix its
finances
because
the
state
owes
Detroit
money.
Bing
sent his
own
lawyer,
Michael
Hodge,
to court
to ask
the
judge to
dismiss
the
case.
State
officials
denied
the
allegations
and had
warned
Detroit
that the
lawsuit
would
jeopardize
millions
of
dollars
in aid
if it
wasn't
dropped.
Bing
said
this
week
that
"without
that,
we're
dead."
Crittendon
did not
appear
in court
Wednesday
and sent
another
lawyer
to argue
the
case.
James
Noseda
told the
judge
that
Detroit's
newly
revised
charter,
or
constitution,
makes
the law
department
an
autonomous
agency.
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