Pension Bribery Scandal Leads to More Indictments in Detroit, Including Funds’ Former General Counsel May 2013 The longtime general counsel and a former trustee of Detroit's pension funds are the latest two city officials to be indicted in a bribery and kickback conspiracy that has been under investigation for several years and cost the pension funds $84 million in losses. Ronald Zajac, who served as General Counsel of Detroit's General Retirement System and Police and Fire Retirement System for more than 30 years, allegedly forced people seeking business with the pension funds to spend thousands of dollars on entertainment and other gifts for certain pension trustees involved in the scheme. Zajac also allegedly organized “birthday parties” for certain pension trustees, at which people with pension fund business would give cash gifts to the trustees. In return for directing cash, lavish vacations and other items of value to the pension trustees involved in the bribery and kickback conspiracy, the trustees voted to raise Zajac's salary by a substantial amount.
Nine Reasons Why Detroit Failed My hometown of Detroit has been studied obsessively for years by writers and researchers of all types to gain insight into the Motor City’s decline. Indeed, it seems to have become a favorite pastime for urbanists of all stripes. How could such an economic powerhouse, a uniquely American city, so utterly collapse? Most analysis tends to focus on the economic, social and political reasons for the downfall. Everyone seems to know the shorthand narrative for Detroit’s fall. But here’s the thing. So why has Detroit suffered unlike any other major city? Detroit’s decline has been going on far longer than most people realize, because of the city’s lack of attention to creating a pleasant built environment. If ever a city stood as a symbol of the dynamic U.S. economy, it was Detroit. Emphasis added. So what exactly did Detroit get wrong on the planning side of things? 1. Neighborhood identification is important because ideally residents live in a neighborhood context. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Amid Scandal and a Potential Break with the EAA, DPS has a Lesson to Learn | Green And Write - Education Policy Research Insights By Kacy Martin More Mess in DPS: Principal Kickbacks The federal government uncovered an alleged $1 million kickback scheme that involved 12 Detroit Public School (DPS) principals, a district administrator, and a vendor on Tuesday. For the past 13 years, businessman Norman Shy has reportedly been paying bribes to principals and skimming money off the top of exchanges involving school supplies. Shy apparently made a habit of submitting falsified invoices and delivering only a portion of what was ordered while keeping the remaining revenue for himself and the co-conspiring principals. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons This is bad timing for scandal of this magnitude as DPS’s future is already in flux. Learning from the Mistakes of the EAA Sarah Reckhow, professor of political science at Michigan State University, wrote an op-ed last week that outlined the lessons that can be learned from Detroit’s failed experiment with alternate governance structures and political arrangements.
Detroit Mayor Runs on Hip Hop A Politician Who Runs on Hip-Hop Detroit mayor's use of rap lures young voters and suggests the music has electoral juice. By Geoff Boucher, Times Staff Writer DETROIT — Amid thundering rap music and the cheers of 8,000 young fans, the handsome star moved to center stage and, the way hip-hop heroes usually do, called out the name of that night's arena crowd. The man at the microphone, though, was no rapper. Rap music is already one of the most potent forces in American youth culture, and its imprint has changed the rhythms in film, advertising, fashion and television. At the arena appearance last month, for an event billed as a "hip-hop summit," the towering Kilpatrick hailed the local energy of rap, youth and inner-city political activism, and said it could be a model for urban hubs across the nation. "Detroit," the mayor announced to loud cheers, "is a shining example in this world of revolutionary change."
Kwame Kilpatrick facts, information, pictures Former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was the youngest mayor to lead the city of Detroit, Michigan, and the city's first mayor to resign the office after being charged with a felony. What began as an administration full of promise for both Kilpatrick and the beleaguered city in 2002 ended in scandal, ignominy, and near financial disaster after several years of rumors and reports that tied the mayor to everything from lying under oath to the murder of an exotic dancer. When Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony counts in a plea agreement in September of 2008, he addressed the people of Detroit: "For those who have supported me through the years … I thank you with all my heart…. Raised in a Politically Active Family Kwame Malik Kilpatrick was born in Detroit and raised on the city's west side. Kilpatrick attended the arts-focused magnet school Lewis Cass Technical High School. Elected to State House of Representatives Ran a Successful Bid for Mayor At a Glance … Addresses: Home—Detroit, MI. Sources
Text Of Kwame Kilpatrick's Speech (Detroit Mayor) Skip to comments. Text Of Kwame Kilpatrick's Speech (Detroit Mayor) ClickonDetroit ^ | January 30, 2008 Posted on Thu 31 Jan 2008 03:29:47 AM CET by ShadowDancer Text Of Kwame Kilpatrick's Speech POSTED: 7:42 pm EST January 30, 2008 UPDATED: 7:57 pm EST January 30, 2008 Mayor Kilpatrick Good evening, Detroit. To all of you who have believed in what we have been doing in this city since 2002 … to all of you who have believed in me and my leadership … to all of you who have stuck with me through difficult times … to all of you who have prayed for me … I’m sorry. For the embarrassment and disappointment the events of the past few days have caused you … For what you, as my supporters, have had to hear when you go to the beauty shop or the barber shop … Most of all tonight, I want to make a public apology to my entire family, and specifically to the four people who I love the most in this world. Our marriage has not been perfect, but it has been great. I have truly been hurting. Carlita Kilpatrick
Decision Making: Factors that Influence Decision Making, Heuristics Used, and Decision Outcomes - Inquiries Journal Every day, people are inundated with decisions, big and small. Understanding how people arrive at their choices is an area of cognitive psychology that has received attention. Theories have been generated to explain how people make decisions, and what types of factors influence decision making in the present and future. In addition, heuristics have been researched to understand the decision making process. Several factors influence decision making. Heuristics serve as a framework in which satisfactory decisions are made quickly and with ease (Shah & Oppenheimer, 2008). People make decisions about many things. The present paper will address decision making, in the context of types of decisions people make, factors that influence decision making, several heuristics commonly researched and utilized in the process of decision making. There are several important factors that influence decision making. Past experiences can impact future decision making. Abraham, C., & Sheeran, P. (2003).
The Other Detroit - The Atlantic Karen Batchelor’s family moved into Palmer Woods in 1967, part of the first cadre of African Americans to integrate the affluent neighborhood on the outskirts of Detroit. They moved in December, after the long-simmering city had burst into racial violence that summer. Batchelor’s father, an internist, had witnessed Detroit’s previous race riots in 1943. Out on a date at Belle Isle—the flash point of the ’43 riots—he was injured in the melee. He had no interest in reliving the experience, so he and his wife decided to move their family out. Their 16-year-old daughter liked her old home, and was leery of being on the vanguard of integration. Batchelor’s parents eventually moved from Palmer Woods, but many of her friends and neighbors did not. Even as Detroit groaned under the weight of crime, failing schools, and high taxes, Palmer Woods held steady. I took my first tour of Palmer Woods on a chilly fall evening with Barbara and Spencer Barefield and their Saint Bernard, Devo.
Rhodes: Community feels ‘outrage’ over DPS corruption Detroit Public Schools’ new emergency manager announced sweeping policy changes Tuesday to combat fraud in the wake of felony bribery charges against 13 current and former DPS employees and one vendor. Fourteen people — including 12 current and former principals — were charged Tuesday in a nearly $1 million bribery and kickback scheme. Emergency Manager Steven Rhodes, installed by the state March 1 to run DPS, placed current staffers on unpaid leave and suspended business with the vendor charged in the case. He also suspended all purchases by individual schools until further notice. Rhodes said the alleged actions of the individuals charged are reprehensible and represent a breach of the public trust that has deprived DPS students of more than $2.7 million in resources. “I cannot overstate the outrage that I feel about the conduct that these DPS employees engaged in that led to these charges,” said Rhodes, a retired federal judge who oversaw Detroit’s bankruptcy. U.S.