Publications both locally and across the country have produced literature that details Detroit’s road to bankruptcy and the future implications this declaration will have on the city and its residents. Some of the most commonly cited reasons why Detroit finds itself in this position include a collapse in city revenue, widespread debt present in various city offices and departments, and a declining tax base that leaves little hope for the future. All of these factors have played a role in Detroit’s path to bankruptcy and it is not my purpose here to determine just how influential each has been. Instead, I want to focus on an issue that often goes overlooked in this discussion, one that has plagued Detroit for years: the lack of competent and moral leadership at the pinnacle of Detroit city government.

“Lead” is one of the pillars of the Challenge Detroit program, and it makes sense why. Strong leadership is at the heart of every successful organization, governmental or otherwise. Good leaders exhibit behaviors and actions that come from their own personal character, character which is in turn grounded in sound and ethical principles. Over the course of the year, Challenge Detroit fellows participate in a curriculum designed to enhance these leadership skills. Why, if developing strong leaders is such a key aspect of the Challenge Detroit program, has it been so secondary in the recent history of Detroit city government? The simple fact is that the Kwame Kilpatricks and Monica Conyers of the world forgot that integrity and accountability are the necessary precursors to good leadership. This isn’t to say that good leaders never make a mistake, only that when they do they own up to it and make it right. Perhaps the most important point in all of this, and one that has been largely forgotten in Detroit for too long, is that good leaders must build trust with those they seek to lead if they wish to have an influence.

I don’t want to dwell on conversations surrounding the incompetent leaders of Detroit’s past -instead, I think it is important to point out something that is easy to overlook: there can be and, in the case of Detroit, are victims of bad leadership. A football coach leads his team to a bad season and the fans suffer. A CEO mismanages a company and the laid-off employees suffer.  For the last 15 years in Detroit, the city’s people have been the victims…and there are over 700,000 of them. While Monica Conyers accepted bribes, Detroit residents drove on crumbling roads. While Kwame Kilpatrick partied in the Manoogian Mansion, Detroit residents waited 45 minutes for police to respond to 911 calls. While city government was plagued by incompetent leadership, Detroit residents watched their neighbors move away, their schools deteriorate, and their city fall further and further in debt.

Today, though, there are several reasons to be hopeful that strong leaders and, consequently, a stronger Detroit have arrived. For the first time in nearly a century Detroit voters elected a city council by district. Councilmembers will now answer directly to their neighbors and it will be up to each district to hold their representatives individually accountable. Detroit also elected its first white mayor in 40 years. With this, voters made their message clear: that experienced, responsible, and moral leadership is the most important characteristic for Detroit’s mayor to possess.

When the city of Detroit does return to its former glory (and it will), it won’t primarily be because of the genius financial policies of the emergency manager, or because of the revival of business or industry, or because of all the national attention being given to fixing Detroit. When Detroit returns to glory, it will be because of a recommitment to strong and moral leadership, it will be because of the people’s willingness to hold elected leaders accountable, it will be because of the collective group recognition that integrity and accountability precede good leadership. Challenge Detroit recognizes that to positively impact Detroit’s future, there must be a commitment to on-going leadership skill development, because strong leaders mean successful organizations. It is imperative that the rest of Detroit, and most notably those in city government, come to the same conclusion. Here’s to hoping that they do.

Until next time,

Max