NOVEMBER 2011

Charlie Langton, Robert Ficano, George Jackson and L. Brooks Patterson.
executive approach
Ficano, Patterson and Jackson talk business
By Vanessa Denha Garmo
Business talk at Shenandoah
Country Club last month
was not overshadowed by the
myriad reporters huddled to talk to
Wayne County Executive Robert
Ficano about the FBI subpoenas into
county severance deals. However,
the controversy did spark talk around
the luncheon and was subtly addressed
during the panel discussion.
At the Chaldean American
Chamber of Commerce’s annual
business luncheon on October 20,
Ficano sat on a panel moderated
by Charles Langton of Fox 2 News.
Other panelists were Oakland County
Executive L. Brooks Patterson and
George Jackson, president and CEO
of the Detroit Economic Growth
Corp.
Although the FBI’s look into
Wayne County made headline news
that day, serious issues about business
and the region were discussed at the
luncheon. The discussions started
out as a civil conversation but heated
up towards the end.
Langton himself could not resist
making note of the saga. He directed
the first question to Ficano: “What
has been the most exciting thing
that has happened to you this week?”
“It isn’t my golf game,” joked Ficano.
“On a more serious note, Trinity
Health just announced it was
moving 1,400 jobs to the Quicken
Loans building in Wayne County.”
This announcement also means
a loss of 1,400 jobs from Oakland
County, which Patterson quickly
noted.
“You don’t want to see business
go from one county to another,” said
Ficano, adding that the developments
in Wayne County and along I
-275 are what attract business to his
county.
George Jackson will manage the
$500-million light rail project along
Woodward Avenue. “For this to be
effective it needs to go beyond 8 Mile
Road,” he said. “It has to be cost effective.
It is a public service and
quality-of-life issue and transportation
issue good for the community
but we will look at the financial perspective.”
Langton addressed the issue of
tax abatements in luring businesses
such as Whole Foods and Meijer to
Detroit. He noted some have been
given tax abatements and then left
the city and “perhaps this is to the
detriment of small business.”
“I question to the detriment,” said
Jackson. “One of the roles we play
is giving people choice and choices
they demand. When we target something
with incentives, it tends to be
something we don’t already have in
the city. Every urban city uses incentives
to go after certain targets they
believe would be beneficial.”
He added that they are attracting
businesses that city residents go outside
the city to shop in.
“What would you say to a small
business owner that has an operation
in Detroit, weathered the storm, did
not get help from the government
and [then DEGC] give incentives to
a big store that perhaps takes away
business from that small business?”
Langton asked.
“This is a consumer-driven issue,”
said Jackson. “I have a Meijer
and Kroger that are close to me but
I do my shopping at Market Fresh at
Southfield and 13, at Plum and in
Royal Oak I go to Holiday Market.
I go there because they have what
I want. That is the driver here. You
use incentives as a temporary thing
Photos by David Reed
to develop a market. You are only
a failure if you have to keep doing
that.”
The question that sparked a
heated debate between Ficano and
Patterson came from audience member
Jeff Denha, who asked if right
to work zones would help Michigan
economically.
“I don’t think right to work is the
win-win proposition some believe it
is. It will change the dynamics. However,
I don’t know much about the
bill and I would need more detail
before I can comment,” said Jackson.
“Is that a cop-out answer?” asked
Langton. “Is that a non-answer?”
“Charlie, I will give you a more
definite answer,” chimed in Ficano.
“I would be opposed to right to work
legislation. The way the legislation
works in this state, it would divide
the state black and white. Even after
the bill is passed you can do a petition
drive until the next election.
You are looking at a year or year and
a half of stagnation. Investment is
going to look at the state asking what
are you doing and as this raging debate
is going on the investment starts
going someplace else.”
“But Bob, doesn’t it show that
this would be good for business?”
asked Langton.
“No,” said Ficano. “It is cheaper
now to pay [workers] at Detroit automotive
companies than it is at
Toyota down south. What we should
show is how we can work together.
Look at negotiations between automotives
here. Management and
unions are working together and seeing
an added value to do so.”
“Charlie, what my friend Bob
just did was an old debating trick,”
said Patterson. “He changes the context
of the question and answers a totally
different question. The question
was about right to work zones, not a
right to work state. A zone here or a
zone there, I am for it big time. Let
us test if the zones are growing faster
than the rest of the state.”
Ficano replied, “You would go
through the same thing — a prolonged
time period whether it is a
zone proposal or a state proposal.” He
argued that businesses looking to locate
in Michigan would be wondering
what was going on with the zones
and may choose to locate elsewhere.
“We don’t do it because we are
going to be intimidated or bullied
by unions. Is that your position Bob?
We have to try it. Where we are now
EXECUTIVE continued on page 28
26 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2011