Detroit Public Lighting - Detroit in Darkness

Mayor Bing released his plan to address public lighting across the city on August 10. The graphic shown here demonstrates the phases of the plan as it would occur from now to 2016.

The plan addresses the most desirable and populated areas of the city first, leaving neighborhoods that are experiencing darkness now in the dark for years. This usurping move to the bill introduced by Senator Maureen Stapleton drew her criticism. 

“That’s absolutely offensive,” Stapleton said. “Everybody deserves lights. When you start putting neighborhoods in tiers, that defeats the purpose of the legislation.”

The bills that went before Michigan Senate were defeated August 15.

It seems that as hard as they (Mayor Bing, COO Chris Brown, and City Fellow Beau Taylor) try - public lighting has become a hot issue. They are the public face behind something that resembles the film Neverending Story - the darkness of nothing is spreading throughout Detroit and even these plans are not saving it soon enough to prevent people from being killed  due to insufficient lighting on busy streets.

Mayor Bing's 2010-11 budget plan included mothballing Mistersky Power Plant and the layoff of Public Lighting Department staff (re: Michigan Citizen, May 26, 2010, Diane Bukowski). Statements in opposition were given by analysts to City Council and published in the article mentioned.

In the PLD letter, James Anderson said he and other street lighting workers had given the council the productivity plan that would save money without cutting their jobs, adding further to Detroit’s unemployment rate. 

“Ten Street Light Maintenance Workers will be eliminated and work given to Overhead Lineman at $11 an hour more,” said Anderson. “They replace and not repair. More waste. Thousands of lights are already out city-wide, calls still coming in, and an untrained [contractual] work force is handling a heavy load.” 

Anderson said the city charter mandates a vote of the people before shutting down Mistersky. It was built in the 1920s to power the entire city, including homes, not just street lights and public buildings, as does the Lansing Public Power and Light. 

“It is a multi-fueled plant with six generators,” he said. “Managed properly it can make money, an asset the city can’t afford to waste.”

The public has been outspoken at meetings saying the Mistersky Power Plant needs to be turned on. There are objections to the city's continued dependency on DTE for power. At the September 10 Financial Advisory Board meeting COO Chris Brown stated "The city doesn't want to be in the business of generating power." If the public could respond we would have asked why not?

A new generator was delivered to the Mistersky Power Plant and still has yet to be turned on. However the current administration has been seeking assistance in the usual places - corporation sponsors, municipal bonds, and privatization of municipal interests. But it isn't truly assistance - the administration is committed to the selling off of assets and placing the city into contractual arrangements with corporations and state government for services.

A solution would be to relieve the city of this administrative nightmare and bring in leadership that can perform in the best interest of the people. Free Detroit No Consent has been asking people to turn in Ethics Complaints - these have been pouring in at the Board of Ethics and investigative steps are in process. We need to keep the pressure on, showing each time the administration is jeopardizing the public which it has sworn oath to serve. We need people to continue coming out for community meetings and speaking of the violations those who are running the meetings have committed. Educate your neighbors, church members, the seniors, students, and business owners near you.