The great thing about the American political system is we can disagree on specific issues and remain united in our common desire for a more perfect union. Even those who support the Belle Isle lease plan should respect cogent and valid arguments against the arrangement.
Take City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson. While she may not like the deal, but she's keeping a cool head and offering construction solutions designed to build real consensus.
Detroit News: “It’s an absolute treasure, and Belle Isle is ours,” she said. “I question the authority of the emergency manager. I question whether Belle Isle was really ever off the table.”
She called the prior announcement that it was off the table “curious.”
“It flies in the face of all the public pronouncements of the state trying to help the city,” Watson said. “It sounds like a rape to me. It should never be touched. It’s a disgrace before God to have this outrageous seizing of an asset.”
She shouldn't worry too much about it. If it's a legitimate rape of a city asset, and Council can come up with an alternative plan to save the city the same amount of money as the Belle Isle lease, they have ways to shut the whole thing down.
