Detroit Mayor Dave Bing had called a special meeting of the City Council today to ask them to reconsider approval of a contract with the law firm Miller Canfield. The contract’s approval is required before the state will release emergency funding for the city and was rejected last week by Council.
Bing, out-of-town apparently because of a family emergency, sent his deputy Kirk Lewis in his place to speak to Council.
However, that conversation never happened because Council decided that meeting was improperly called and noticed. The meeting notice wasn't posted until 5:00 PM Wednesday in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center after the building closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Holding the session without proper notice could therefore be a violation of the Open Meetings Act.
A representative from the city’s law department acknowledged that a miscommunication from their office to the mayor's staff may have led to the problem, prompting City Councilman Ken Cockrel to quip: “Did the mayor consult the law department or Miller Canfield?”
In the end, Council couldn’t even adjourn the session because, as Councilwoman Joann Watson pointed out, technically there was no session to adjourn. So Council President Pugh declared the gathering “closed,” and Lewis was sent back down to the mayor’s office on the 11th floor just 25 minutes after the special session was scheduled to begin.
If you’ve ever wondered how many city departments are required to call a special meeting of City Council, just know the answer is no less than three. Council, the mayoral administration, and the law department apparently lack the skills to make a meeting happen.
Maybe next time, Bing can reach out to the Detroit Film Office or Historic Designation Advisory Board. Perhaps with their help a proper meeting can be called and held.
