The Worst City Government
The Worst City Government Don't let anyone tell you Detroit Mayor Coleman Young isn't concerned about crime. He is. But it's not Detroit's drug-stoked murderers that keep him awake nights; it's...
...Nor did they notice that only $1,500 of a $1 million fund earmarked for public drug prevention and education was ever used for the intended purpose— until the county prosecutor took the city to court...
...But when Barry cried poor and canceled the city's largest celebration earlier this spring, few complained...
...Katherine Boo The Monthly depends on its readers to keep track of the breakdown of big-city government...
...You know, all work and no play makes Washington a dull city," he explained to reporters before taking off with 200 of his nearest and dearest...
...Using a special fund—or a secret one, as some city councilmen have charged—Barry went forward with a $17,000 moonlight cruise for 200 city employees aboard the copperceilinged stem-wheeler The Cherry Blossom...
...Nobody noticed...
...Those nagging worries about terrorist blitzes may have distracted Young's attention from other goingson in his police force...
...So imagine local amazement in May, when it was revealed that only part of Riverfest had been canceled— the part that regular D.C...
...Something is askew here," protested one News editorial...
...During Young's 16-year tenure, by the way, there have been no threats on his life...
...And as The Cherry Blossom sailed off into the evening, you could hear Mayor Barry lead his guests in a spirited cheer of "Washington's great...
...It didn't feel like a great time for a party...
...citizens to dance at the river's edge...
...Despite widespread public pressure, Barry refused to put the private party into drydock...
...Although Mayor Barry insisted the shadowy Riverfest fund—which contained a total of $109,000—was "in the budget books," council members protested that it wasn't...
...According to a recent report by Detroit's auditor general, $160,000 in police funds earmarked for undercover drug buys was diverted to armorplate the mayor's two Cadillac limousines, while another $17,000 was spent to buy six Uzi automatics and other sophisticated weapons for Young's posse of security guards...
...folks could attend...
...The threat of terrorism is hardly more pressing than the daily terrorist attacks against law-abiding citizens on Detroit streets...
...Please send your nominations to: Worst City Government The Washington Monthly 1611 Connecticut Ave...
...FBI agents investigating police corruption recently charged that a former deputy chief diverted $1.3 million in secret funds to his own dummy corporations over a period of 10 years...
...after all, a city budget crisis had already scuttled meals for the homeless, housing programs, and other human services projects for D.C...
...This spring the Detroit News reported that as Young proposed to layoff 500 police officers during a budget crisis, he sent the chief of his 27-member personal security force off to Paris to learn how to protect the midwestern mayor from international terrorists...
...The city auditor chimed in that Barry had repeatedly denied the existence of any special funds...
...it's European revolutionaries packing bombs...
...But paranoia seems to be a regular problem for Young—one he treats at the expense of public safety...
...Throughout Marion Barry's tenure as Washington's mayor, "Riverfest"—a rowdy weekend celebration held on the banks of the Potomac—has been a favorite rite of spring, attracting hundreds of thousands of D.C...
...NW Washington, DC 20009...
...poor...
...Coincidentally, city employees happen to be candidate Barry's primary political bloc in the upcoming mayoral elections...
Vol. 22 • July 1990 • No. 6
