Michigan Chronicle 2-29-12

Page 1

www.michronicle.com VOLUME 75 – Number 25

WHAT’S INSIDE St. Joseph Mercy Oakland’s call to artists (Page A-2) St. Joseph Mercy Oakland’s (SJMO) Patient Experience Committee is seeking submissions from Michigan artists for a variety of artwork to be approved and considered for future purchase or commission for the hospital’s new South Patient Tower, scheduled to open in 2014.

Sequels that bested the originals (Page B-1) It doesn’t often happen, but when it does, you have to applaud it. Especially when the odds are against lightening striking twice. In movies and sometimes books, stranger things have happened.

WSU hosting Cyber Summit (Page B-3) The Internet doesn’t come with instructions on its proper use, which is one of the reasons many teens and adults have difficulty determining what is or isn’t appropriate online behavior.

Has life lost its value in Detroit? (Page B-4) We live in a sick society. How else to explain this headline: “Baby, 9 months, killed in driveby shooting on Detroit’s west side”?

Celebrating Black male scholar/ athletes (Page C-1) Recently the National Alliance of African American Athletes hosted its 21th Annual Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award at a black-tie gala at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

Image Awards (Page D-1) On Friday, Feb. 17, the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles was the place to be. It was the venue for one of the most glamorous and prestigious events of the year, the 43rd NAACP Image Awards. Among this year’s winners were Viola Davis, LL Cool J, Octavia Spencer and Laz Alonso. Monica Morgan captured it all in photos.

Feb. 29 – March 6, 2012

Can Ficano Survive?

$1.00

Regime of once powerful Wayne County boss facing federal scrutiny

By Bankole Thompson

COMMENTARY

CHRONICLE SENIOR EDITOR

C

an Robert Ficano, the man who once wielded enormous influence and power and whose political machine was unmatched compared to other political heavyweights in Wayne County, now survive the rigorous federal scrutiny that has so quickly engulfed his administration? That is the question on the mind of every political entity in the city and beyond. For the last Bankole Thompson four weeks I’ve been listening to people from various political backgrounds playing the soothsayer’s role, making predictions about the future of the county executive and his administration. Some believe that the end of his administration is a foregone conclusion, while others are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as long as he doesn’t get indicted and stained in the process.

Strategic Staffing Solutions, Inc., (S3) the Detroitbased global information, technology and business services company, filed a defamation lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court recently against New World Communications of Detroit, Inc. and WJBK., WJBK FOX 2 Television, FOX 2 reporter Charles LeDuff and producer Douglas McKenzie. The suit was filed in connection with a story aired by FOX 2 the evening of Feb. 2, 2012 involving a call center that S3 has operated for

See FICANO page A-4

PNC Bank honors Arthur Johnson By Patrick Keating CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 24, the late Dr. Arthur Johnson, a civil rights pioneer, was honored at PNC Bank in Troy. Johnson, who died Nov. 1, was a former president of the Detroit Branch NAACP. He also served as a professor and vice president of Chacona Johnson community relations at Wayne State University for more than two decades.

See Johnson page A-4

Cynthia J. Pasky

Invisible? Why many women aren’t on boards

Urban chief outlines New normal for cities

By Jackie Berg

By Amy Lane

See development page A-5

“If these allegations are true, this is outrageous. We have been fully cooperative. If somebody did something wrong, we are going to hold them fully accountable,” Ficano said recently in an urgent news conference held in the lobby of the Guardian Building after the Kazmi

“We are turning over every stone in this case, and anyone who tampers with our investigation will be charged with obstruction of justice. We hope that these charges will encourage others to come forward and assist us in our investigation rather than impede it. The citizens

The suit said “there was a calculated and deliberate decision on defendants’ parts to avoid the truth in order to sensationalize the story and further the dramatics of their ongoing series on Robert Ficano and the office of the Wayne County Executive.” It

Harvey Hollins III is the director of the Michigan Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives and is a principal adviser to Gov. Rick Snyder on urban economic development. He is a loaned executive through the Council of Michigan Harvey Hollins III Foundations, and his salary is supported by individual foundations through the council.

The charges against Kazmi signal what some predict is a harbinger for things to come in county government as FBI agents enhance their investigations with more subpoenas to try to connect possible spider web corruption in the Wayne County regime.

Kazmi, the county’s former chief information officer, was recently charged by federal prosecutors with extortion, theft and obstruction of justice, hallmarks of federal corruption probes.

Wayne County since 2004 that the suit says “contained factual inaccuracies that defamed both S3 and its president, Cynthia J. Pasky.” It seeks damages in excess of $25,000.

See LAWSUIT page A-4

of Wayne County are entitled to a thorough investigation to ensure that they are receiving the honest government they deserve,” was how the determined U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Barbara McQuade described the charges.

While it is important to state clearly that Ficano has repeatedly declared his innocence and has not been charged with any crime, it is difficult to fathom how his administration can function effectively under the climate of a widening federal investigation that has already nabbed one of his top lieutenants, Tahir Kazmi.

Defamation suit against FOX 2

Michigan Chronicle editorial alliance partner, Bridge magazine reporter Amy Lane, spoke with Hollins in the wake of Snyder’s budget proposal for fiscal 2013 and as a new report, commissioned by statewide CEO group Business Leaders for Michigan and prepared by Public Sector Consultants Inc. and the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, was to be issued on urban and metropolitan strategies for Michigan.

www.michronicle.com

313.963.5522

479 Ledyard • Detroit MI 48201

“As more women enter the boardroom, they elevate other candidates.” –J oyce Hayes Giles, senior vice president, Customer Service, DTE Energy

While many female executives have made it to the top of their department or senior executive levels within their organizations, too few occupy the most coveted position of all — the executive seat in America’s boardrooms. “Getting an invitation to sit on a board is all about positioning,” said Lizabeth Ardisana, CEO of ASG The Michigan Chronicle’s Renaissance, Women on Board who sits on Jackie Berg 5th Annual the boards of Oakwood Hospital and Ketter- Women of Excellence ing University, as well as CitiEvent and zens Bank. “It demands more Panel Discussion than being a top performer in your job. It demands that indiMarch 30 viduals build credible networks 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. that evidence their reputation Westin Book Cadillac as an industry expert and respected leader in the commu- 1114 Washington Boulevard Detroit, MI 48226 nity.”

See invisible page A-6

Peter Buffett to give Detroit concert for American Kidney Fund By Patrick Keating CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

On March 5, Peter Buffett, Emmy Award-winning composer, best-selling author, and philanthropist, and the son of famed investor and advisor to President Barack Obama Warren Buffett, will perform at the

Max M. Fisher Music Center Orchestra Hall to benefit the American Kidney Fund. The anticipated concert, “Life Is What You Make It: A Concert and Conversation with Peter Buffett,” is being presented by Ora’s Alliance,

See BUFFETT page A-4

Peter Buffett


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.