Rasheed Wallace, Dave Bing and Derrick Coleman photo by steed media service
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President, Bing Enterprises
Dave Bing came to Detroit to play basketball
and after ending a very successful basketball career, he decided to
stay in Detroit and build his life and automotive supply empire here.
Now, Bing has thrown his hat in the ring in a bid to become mayor of
Detroit.
“It’s going to be a tough situation for anybody to manage through …
you don’t know who’s going to be left on the City Council. You don’t
know who’s going to be left as far as the Board of Education is
concerned. You don’t know who within the administration may or may not
be there,” Bing says.
The reluctant candidate, who had been courted for the position for
years, certainly long before the Kilpatrick debacle, says he has
decided to run now for a several reasons.
“I’m not a ‘quote-unquote’ politician, but I will have a better chance
to garner good people to come in and fill positions than anybody else
because that’s going to be huge,” he said. “Having somebody with a
clean, fresh outlook is a major positive,” explains Bing.
His change of heart may also have resulted from a closer look at
Detroit’s myriad of problems: a budget deficit, labor contracts that
expired in June, and those pesky FBI investigations into the City
Council, the school district and the former mayor.
Bing plans to participate in the Feb. 24 special primary, where he will
face former City Council President Ken Cockrel, who is the interim
mayor. At least a half dozen contenders may run. –roz edward
