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Detroit
City
Council
overrides
mayor's
budget
veto
By Karen
H.
Samuels/Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
DET) -
The
Detroit
City
Council
deliberated
for
close
two
hours
Friday
evening
before
voting
to
override
Mayor
Dave
Bing’s
budget.
The
Mayor
issued
statement
saying
"Council
has
chosen
politics
over
people.
Slashing
vital
services
without
attention
to the
impacts
on our
residents
is the
wrong
approach."
Battle
lines
may be
drawn
between
the
Executive
and
Legislative
branches
of
Detroit
government.
The
Mayor
has been
adamant
that the
additional
Council
budget
cuts of
$31.8
million
over and
above
the
proposed
$101
million
in
budget
reductions
would
severely
impact
services.
Police
layoffs,
reductions
in
firefighters
and
closure
of
recreation
centers
are just
some of
the
services
the
Mayor
cites in
an
8-page
statement
listing
reasons
he
disapproves
the
amended
budget.
Councilman
Ken
Cockrel
Jr. said
it was
unfortunate
that the
Mayor
was
“using
the
politics
of fear
to drum
up
support”
a
sentiment
repeated
by other
Council
members
throughout
the
evening.
Speaking
before
the
Council,
Deputy
Fire
Chief
Reginald
Amos
said the
$3
million
in cuts
to his
department
could be
achieved.
"Those
cuts
will not
have an
adverse
impact
on the
Fire
Department."
The city
budget
must be
finalized
by July
1st and
the
Mayor by
next
week can
issue
budget
amendments
to
restore
services.
The
Council
vote on
the
budget
was
expected
to
brief.
But the
session
was
extended
by
discussion
on the
legality
of
tactics
used by
Bing to
cut the
budget,
frustration
with
lack of
communication
from the
Mayor’s
office
and a
strong
turnout
of
southwest
Detroit
residents,
including
State
Representative
Rashida
Talib.
Residents
from the
“48217”,
as they
identified
themselves,
were
distraught
over the
possible
closure
of the
Kemeny
Recreation
Center
which
they
said
provides
young
people,
center
citizens
and the
their
community
a refuge
from an
area of
the city
that has
been
sorely
neglected.
Councilwoman
Joann
Watson
said
talk of
the
center’s
closure
was a
scare
tactic
by the
Mayor’s
office
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