(Reuters) – The Big Three automakers may be on the rebound but the original Motor City, Detroit, is still battling to turn the tide of decline. One of the people leading the fight is Charles Pugh.
An ex-television broadcaster known for a swanky wardrobe and outspoken presence, he was solidly voted in as president of Detroit’s city council two years ago, carrying a mandate to clean up corruption and undo decades of mismanagement. But battles over strip-club legislation, water bills and inflated budgets defined his early days in office.
“We were the public piñata,” he recalls. “I wanted to quit.”
Two years later, the auto industry’s Big Three — General Motors, Chrysler and Ford — have moved on from the worst of the financial crisis, but the city has fallen further into the mire. With $350 million in annual retiree pension and health-care costs and a shortage of cash, Michigan state officials are considering installing an emergency manager to run the finances of the state’s largest city.
Under the worst-case scenario, Pugh’s city council —
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