Haiti Solidarity Book Fair – Feb. 20, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Wayne State University Engineering Building. A call to all local authors to donate
some proceeds from the sale of their books at the book fair to organizations like the Red Cross of Southeast Michigan and other relief groups helping in Haiti. To
register, call Truth Bookstore at Northland Mall at (248) 557-4824.
www.michronicle.com
VOLUME 73 – Number 20★ Jan. 27 – Feb. 2, 2010
479 Ledyard • Detroit MI 48201 313.963.5522 $1.00
News Briefs
Democrats urged to make history in tough gubernatorial election
Small business
leader to head
regional chamber
Effective March 15, Sandy
K. Baruah will serve as presi-
First Black Lt. Gov.?
dent and CEO of the Detroit
Regional Chamber, succeed-
ing Dick Blouse who will
retire on June 30.
Baruah served as the last
administrator of the U.S.
Small Business Administra-
tion under
President
George W.
Bush. He
was respon-
sible for
SBA’s $18
billion small
business
loan portfo-
Dennis Archer Alma Wheeler Smith Hansen Clarke Alberta Tinsley-Talabi
lio, helping
to shape
the federal
Baruah
governance
response
to the 2008 credit crisis and
supporting the government’s
efforts to provide assistance
to the automotive industry.
Baruah also served as the
U.S. assistant secretary of
commerce, with the responsi-
bility of leading the Economic
Development Administration.
He is credited with helping to
transform the agency into one
of the top-performing federal Brenda Lawrence Harvey Hollins Denise Lanford Morris
agencies.
He currently serves as
By Bankole Thompson
The cassock-wearing men and women an-
a distinguished fellow and
nounced that they had reached an agreement
executive vice president of
CHRONICLE SENIOR EDITOR
with some insurance companies to lower rates
the Council on Competitive-
t a time when many are laying Michi-
for urban consumers.
ness (compete.org) based
in Washington, D.C. Baruah
leads their policy develop-
ment team and is responsible
“
A
gan’s economic woes at the feet of the
A couple of insurance companies attended the
But after the election
administration of Gov. Jennifer Gran-
press conference. Interestingly, right after Gran-
holm, others are calling for the Michi-
holm was elected, that marked the end of the
the high hopes of urban
gan Democratic Party not to be let off
for strategic planning.
Black preachers’ high profile crusade.
the hook this time around.
Sandra Pierce, president
When I looked back I wondered if voters were
voters are dashed. They
At least that is the conversation in some po-
and CEO, Charter One, Michi-
made a pun on the chessboard of local politics
litical quarters I have been
gan, and chair of the board
that often invokes religion as the ever-effective
privy to. Anger and frus- COMMENTARY
of directors of the Detroit
are greeted with no
opium of the masses.
tration is boiling over the
Regional Chamber, said
Democrats’ bait and switch
So in 2010, Democrats, already struggling with
Baruah’s leadership experi-
insurance reform, but
game inside the corridors
the lack of inspiring and can-do candidates in
ence in economic develop-
of power where the Black
the coming election, now have to think through
ment, competitiveness and
year-round boring press
vote is more often than not
another demand that some say is overdue: put
addressing governance issues
taken for granted.
an African American on the gubernatorial ticket.
will further drive the Detroit Michigan needs an African-American lieutenant
region to innovate and diver-
conferences conducted
Every election season,
governor is how one political insider put it to
sify.
like a lamb drawn to the
me.
by political grandstand-
alter for political sacrifice,
Leslie Murphy, president
African Americans are
It’s time for the party that championed civil
of Murphy Consulting and
drawn to the polls in large
rights and voting rights to pony up and give cre-
past chairman of the board,
who led the search com-
ing legislators who are so
numbers around the coun-
dence to the demand for an African-American
try because party leaders
second-in-command in the state of Michigan.
mittee, said Baruah will
adept at using useless
say their lives are at stake.
Bankole Thompson
lead through innovative and
Well, I will take it even further. The Democratic
action-oriented results.
In Michigan, to agitate the skeptical minds in
Party should have a candidate from a community
and toothless proposals
the African-American community, the Democrat-
of color on the gubernatorial ticket.
DAAA warns
ic leaders inject issues like insurance redlining
Mark Brewer, the chief high priest and com-
seniors of fraud
to fight insurance
to get voters in urban centers riled up.
manding scribe of the Michigan Democratic Party,
But after the election the high hopes of urban
should welcome this idea. The party should have
schemes
redlining. In so doing,
voters are dashed. They are greeted with no in-
a minority on the ticket who will be well support-
Based on Wayne County
surance reform, but year-round boring press con-
ed and not subjected to the kind of political trick-
Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy’s
ferences conducted by political grandstanding
ery former candidate for attorney general Amos
press conference, charges
they raise their public pro- legislators who are so adept at using useless and
Williams, an African American with cross appeal,
were filed last week against
toothless proposals to fight insurance redlining.
suffered.
Devon Larae Page and daugh-
file as concerned leaders
In so doing they raise their public profile as con-
Williams, despite winning the party nomina-
ter Kenyatta Page, two alleged
cerned leaders while the rest of us continue to
tion on the floor of the convention at Cobo Hall,
criminals who were involved while the rest of us con-
pay excessively high premiums.
attracting veterans from up North and the west
I recall when Gov. Granholm was facing a tough
side of the state, was left hung to dry with little or
See Briefs page A-4
tinue to pay excessively
re-election challenge, a group of Black preachers
no real money (roughly about $60,000) to wage a
convened with the Democratic flag bearer at the
battle against a million dollar candidate like Mike
INDEX
high premiums.
Cadillac Building in the New Center Area for what
Cox.
EDITORIALS.............................................A-6
DIRECTORY OF RELIGIOUS
SERVICES....................................B-4 and B-5
AT YOUR SERVICE...................................C-6
”
seemed to be the Armageddon battle to tackle
insurance redlining.
See governor’s rAce page A-4
WADL TV 38 provides new coats for children
ENTERTAINMENT.....................D-1 and D-2
By Patrick Keating
SPORTS....................................................C-1 CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
CLASSIFIEDS.............................D-5 and D-6
On Jan. 18, WADL-TV 38
PRIME POLITICS......................................A-3 under the leadership of presi-
dent Lewis Gibbs and CEO Kevin
Adell and a former Detroiter who
INSIDE
wishes to remain anonymous,
provided more than 1,000 new
coats to needy school-age chil-
dren in the community.
Denise Dody Johnson, direc-
tor of marketing and public rela-
tions at WADL, said that for the
last two Christmases, the station
has been giving a family Christ-
mas, but that needs are still
there after Christmas.
She said a lot of kids are not
going to school on severely cold
days because they do not have
warm clothing, such as winter
coats.
Auto show
Auto show glow
Johnson knows some Detroi-
ters who are now celebrities, and
retrospect
Robert Watson and his son, Saron Ferguson, 3, check out a Chevy she reached out to one such in-
Camaro on display at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. dividual for help in getting new NEW COATS, BIG SMILES: From left are Chris-
See page B-1
Organizers estimate that 713,000 people attended this year’s show, com- tian Lockett, Asia Lockett and Martel Brooks.
pared to 650,000 in 2009. – Marcus Amick photo
See coAts page A-4
— Andre Smith photo
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