Council's nonaction clears way for Cobo expansion
A compromise to expand Cobo Center seems all but guaranteed after the Detroit City Council today failed to muster the votes to block the plan.
On the council's last scheduled meeting before a Saturday deadline to block the deal, Councilwoman JoAnn Watson attempted to bring the issue to a vote. But she couldn't persuade enough colleagues to join her, and the panel recessed without considering the deal.
"I know this has been an emotional issue and a controversial issue," Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said. "But it's real simple: We don't have the money to do this on our own.
"This thing is a go, and it's something they should be happy about. It's going to allow us to re-position Cobo to make it competitive, to secure the (North American International) Auto Show and attract other kinds of convention business."
The plan -- approved by the Legislature -- calls for the city to lease the facility to a regional authority, which would oversee extensive improvements and an expansion to the home of the show that generates some $500 million for the economy.
The council didn't have to approve the deal, but could have rejected it -- as they did an earlier version of the plan that called for the city to transfer ownership outright to the authority, which would comprise representatives from the state, city and Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
"This is a victory for the region," Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said. "Our dedication and due diligence is paying off. Our goal was to make sure that we did not lose our trademark -- the North American International Auto Show. This will enable us to retain about 16,000 jobs and $500 million in economic impact annually."
But several residents at today's session urged the council to reject the deal.
"We don't want to give up something as special as Cobo," Michael Hailburton said.
But it wasn't until near the end of the nearly three-hour meeting that Watson decided to bring up the issue. She initially did not have a resolution prepared, but it was quickly drafted by the council's research team.
"I don't subscribe to the notion that we do nothing with an asset," said Watson, who traveled to Washington, D.C., Friday to seek a bailout for Detroit residents. "The council should speak, and it should not morph into an authority. We should speak."
Council's nonaction clears way for Cobo expansion | detnews.com | The Detroit News
On the council's last scheduled meeting before a Saturday deadline to block the deal, Councilwoman JoAnn Watson attempted to bring the issue to a vote. But she couldn't persuade enough colleagues to join her, and the panel recessed without considering the deal.
"I know this has been an emotional issue and a controversial issue," Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said. "But it's real simple: We don't have the money to do this on our own.
"This thing is a go, and it's something they should be happy about. It's going to allow us to re-position Cobo to make it competitive, to secure the (North American International) Auto Show and attract other kinds of convention business."
The plan -- approved by the Legislature -- calls for the city to lease the facility to a regional authority, which would oversee extensive improvements and an expansion to the home of the show that generates some $500 million for the economy.
The council didn't have to approve the deal, but could have rejected it -- as they did an earlier version of the plan that called for the city to transfer ownership outright to the authority, which would comprise representatives from the state, city and Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
"This is a victory for the region," Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said. "Our dedication and due diligence is paying off. Our goal was to make sure that we did not lose our trademark -- the North American International Auto Show. This will enable us to retain about 16,000 jobs and $500 million in economic impact annually."
But several residents at today's session urged the council to reject the deal.
"We don't want to give up something as special as Cobo," Michael Hailburton said.
But it wasn't until near the end of the nearly three-hour meeting that Watson decided to bring up the issue. She initially did not have a resolution prepared, but it was quickly drafted by the council's research team.
"I don't subscribe to the notion that we do nothing with an asset," said Watson, who traveled to Washington, D.C., Friday to seek a bailout for Detroit residents. "The council should speak, and it should not morph into an authority. We should speak."
Council's nonaction clears way for Cobo expansion | detnews.com | The Detroit News
