Brown Pushes To Privatize Detroit Lighting
DETROIT (WWJ) - Chronic black outs in Detroit have convinced Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown that privatizing the system is the only way to fix the decades old problem.
Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown has given up on the City's Public Lighting Department ever being able to keep the lights on across the city.
Brown said the the city is unable to raise the capital for repairs.
"We cannot float the bonds in order to do the upgrades to the infrastructure. We're at junk status as a city. Even thoough the voters have given us the right to float the bonds, we can't float the bonds. We can't get them out on the street," Brown said.
"The administration has got to get this issue resolved, because the city is in the dark. It's a public safety issue. We've gotta get the lights on in the city of Detroit," he saod.
Brown held a two hour meeting this week about recurring blackouts in the city.
On the day of a major midtown blackout earlier this month, City Councilman James Tate agrred, calling public lighting a "huge problem" for the city. (More on this, here).
