It's a slap as strong as any public official can get.
"After promising a new era of open and honest government when he was first elected mayor, [Mike] Duggan is now facing scrutiny over a lack of transparency that is similar to what took place during the [Kwame] Kilpatrick era," Bankole Thompson writes at The Detroit News.
Detroit's second-term mayor and a notorious 2002-08 predecessor.
That's the columnist's second shot in four days at Detroit's mayor. (We also summarize the first.)
In his latest opinion page essay, headlined "Detroit lacks transparent government," Thompson cites examples of "the extent to which the administration will keep the public in the dark:"
- Deleting "emails that are related to Dr. Sonia Hassan and her prenatal nonprofit that is under intense scrutiny because of its ties to the mayor."
- "Questions about Motor City Match, a program designed to help entrepreneurs in low-income areas of the city."
- "Many unanswered questions about the Duggan administration's way of conducting the business of the city."
Thompson, former Michigan Chronicle editor (2006-15), makes another Kilpatrick comparison while urging Detroit journalists to investigate vigilantly:
The media must use the same zest it applied during the Kilpatrick administration in confronting what is clearly becoming an open government crisis under Duggan.
Detroiters who are being adversely impacted by the recovery because it has yet to reach their neighborhoods have a right to know if the administration is a diligent caretaker of their interest and needs.
Related coverage:
Bankole: Duggan's silence on Trump, other racial issues is deafening, July 18, 2019
