Taking his oath of office, Bing predicts disaster if GM leaves Detroit

DETROIT — Businessman Dave Bing was sworn in as the city’s new mayor Monday afternoon after last week’s victory over interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. was certified by the Board of Canvassers. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Damon Keith administered the oath of office.

It was a small ceremony in Detroit’s Department of Elections with Bing’s close family members, city officials and a throng of media present. Bing did not release any names of his appointees as had been expected. He said would wait until Wednesday to announce the names of new appointees because he had to make sure two of them were still on board.

The news that General Motors may move its headquarters from Detroit to the city of Warren was a major topic of discussion on Bing’s first day on the job. The mayor said he has to speak with his team before he could comment further on steps the city could take to keep the auto giant at its headquarters at the Renaissance Center downtown. The stakes, Bing said, are high.

“The impact would be absolutely horrendous,” the mayor said at a press conference following the oath of office. “I don’t want to speculate on that just yet.” He said he would put in a call to GM CEO Fritz Henderson, whom he called a “friend.”

Over the past week Bing said he has been working out of an office on the 11th floor of the Coleman Young Municipal Building downtown while Cockrel moves out of the mayor’s office, also on the 11th floor. He did not mention any specific progress he has made on the budget. “I’m still studying the budget,” he said.

Bing said he’s already been reaching out to stakeholders involved in the failed deal to transfer control of the Cobo Convention Center from the city of Detroit to a five-member regional board. In order to keep the North American International Auto Show at Cobo, the convention complex needs massive renovations and expansions, something the city can’t afford but the regional board would be able to manage. The mayor said he’s hopeful that the Cobo transfer deal can be revisited. “I’ve been making phone calls to those affected parties,” he said at the press conference.

For the rest of Monday, Bing said he would spend time with his family. After today, Bing said, “they won’t see much of me,” noting that running the city is his primary mission.

Bing got a surprise visit from his mother Juanita Bing, who lives in Washington, D.C. Bing’s press secretary, Cliff Russel, said Bing was shocked to see his mother there. “The look on his face, I’ve never seen that before,” Russel told a group of reporters following the event.