Dennis W. Archer: new mayor in Motown

Ebony, June, 1995 by Lisa C. Jones

In its heyday, Detroit was a thriving metropolis, known for its rhythms and rides. But the Motown sound, musically and economically, faded. The record company picked up and moved to Los Angeles. A weak economy and sluggish car-buying habits changed the motor industry that gave the city its nickname. In the wake of these and other developments, including the deteriorating infrastructure of most major cities, some urban theorists claimed Motown had reached a point of no return. But the naysayers underestimated the Detroit spirit, which bounded back in the '90s with new rhythms, a resurgent car industry and a new spirit.

Perhaps the best example of the new spirit is Dennis Archer, the corporate attorney and former welfare recipient who was elected mayor on a platform that stressed community action. "For Detroit to do better, we first must be willing to believe that we can do better," the new mayor told the crowd of well-wishers that gathered at the Fox Theatre on his birthday, Jan. 1, 1994, for his inauguration.

Archer's victory not only signaled a change in the city's administration, but it also marked the end of an era. For the last two decades, the legendary Coleman A. Young sat at the city's helm. During his tenure, he courted new businesses, gave the green light for many Black contractor deals, established the city as a major trade center and was a central player in creating major city projects, like the defining Renaissance Center. But when bouts with emphysema got the best of him, the city's first Black mayor, first elected in 1974 and known for his feisty, fiery rhetoric, retired.

The new mayor, who grew up 180 miles outside of Detroit in rural Cassopolis, Mich., says there are more similarities than differences between his quest for the city and that of its former boss. "We have a lot more in common in terms of goals, such as our commitments to creating wealth and a level playing field for Afro-Americans," says the 53-year-old Archer, who once served as Young's campaign manager. But, he adds, "Our styles of getting there are completely different."

Just a short year after taking office, Archer has established his own style. His olive-branch approach to mending the city's woes, many of which have race at the core, has been lauded in this region where Blacks comprise 75 percent of the city's 1.2 million population and Whites make up 90 percent of the suburban total. He has also put youth programs at the top of his agenda and hosted several summits and town meetings to discuss street crime and education with the public.

Soon after moving into his 11-floor executive suite in Detroit's City-County Building, Archer put more than 300 desk police officers back on the streets to tackle crime. He also set in place initiatives to balance the budget and trim bureaucratic fat, which thus far has reduced the city's $88 million deficit by 25 percent.

"There's a wholesale price, a retail price and a Detroit price," Mayor Archer says in jest, citing the extreme rates the city once paid for certain goods and services. At one time, the city shelled out $1.4 million a year to rent office phones. For a fraction of that price, he says, the city now owns them. "I started saying, `Lets finally unload and pay all of our debts as quickly as possible so that we can get back to paying the cheaper dollar amount,'" the mayor adds, motioning with his hands and leaning forward in his studded leather office chair.

He also took significant steps to revamp the city's garbage collection system. "When I came to office, garbage collection was four to five weeks behind," the mayor suggests. "Today, we are on schedule, and where we slip, we send someone right out."

In a short time, Archer made alliances across racial, regional and business lines. Last summer, he rallied more than 17,000 volunteers--from the city and county--to clear vacant lots of trash and debris. The one-day cleanup effort resulted in 220,000 bags of garbage. The mayor was also instrumental in bringing to Detroit President Clinton, foreign labor and finance ministers of the Group of Seven for the first International G-7 Jobs Summit last March.

"No one person can do it [alone]. I cannot be a police officer, a fire fighter and on the garbage truck," Archer explains of his total-quality approach to management. "It takes all of us working together."

The mayor's affable persona, intense focus on goals and all-for-one mentality are also credited for the most notable success of his administration to date: Detroit's designation as an urban empowerment zone, which, over a two-year period, entitles the city's depressed areas to $100 million in federal aid and tax credits. Five other cities also received the grants.

The zone project received major support from big businesses. The Big Three--Chrysler, Ford and General Motors--pledged to create jobs and invest millions toward the zone. Banks, utilities, universities and others gave their support. Even companies that had previously left the city, vowed to return to take part in the city's new vision.