�ICHIGAN CJTIZEN
PAGE 3
Council gives bank, the riverfron
DETROIT - Comerica
Corporation received the
I�abead Wednesday, July 18
to demoli b Ford Auditorium
nd build it $200 million
corporate beadquarters on the
riverfront by a 6-3 vote of the
Detroit City Council.
Comerica and city officials
'. lobbied council members
right up to tbe vote, and
council members re ce.ived
hundreds of letters and phone
calls from citizens against the
deal.
Last minute negotiations
ended Tuesday night as
officials from the Downtown -
Development Authority, a
public body that uses tax
money to encourage
downto n development, and
the city finance department
tried to coax more benefits out
of Comerica for the city.
'According to Comerica
Senior Vice Presiden r Eliot
Stark, the corporation
commi tted to increasing
minority participation by 20
percent in building contracts.
These minority firms will
participate in joint ventures
with white-owned firms to
incre e their capital in bids,
where cost might make ft
difficult to compete for
contracts, said Stark. This is
in addition to a requirement
by the city that at least 10
percent of the sub-contractors
be minority-owned firm.
STARK STATED the
arrangement will give
minority firm more
experience and exposure.
Council members Jack
Kelly, Clyde Cleveland.
Barbara-Rose Collin, David
Community group passes petition to
bloc more bank styie land deals
Eberhard, Nicboli Hood, nd
Council President Pro Tem
Gil Hill voted for tbe project,
while councils Keith Butler
Mel Ravitz, and Council
Pre ident Maryann Mahaffey
voted against it.
Kelley, wbo seemed
reluctant to cast hi ·yes" vote
with everyone under tbe
impre ion that be ould vote
against the project was
persuaded by the last minute
deal to vote for the project.
Hill, who rode tbe fence on
tb� issue until tbat morning,
said be bad a sleepless night
trying to decide, but when be
found out about the additional
deal, he made up his mind to
vote for tbe project.
Hill said be did not want to
be part of an entity
responsible for 1200 job
leaving tbe city. "I voted for
the people of tbe ci ty of
. 8y Ro Se·
COl'respotUl�1II
D ·TROIT - Angered by the
city council decision to sell
Ford Auditorium to Comerica
Bank, 0 it can be torn down
to build an office building, the
Chalfonte Community Coun­
cildeclared its willingness to
join suit against the project.
The suit is currently being
waged by Detroit Council
President Maryann Mahaffey.
Council Member Mel Ravitz
and keith Butler. and U.S.
Congressman George Crock­
ett.
What public
space will be
next?
Detroit," said Hill .: He said be
seriously considered tbe
matter, "I made a decision I
could live with."
Council President Maryann
Mahaffey said she will decide
w ha t her next move w ill be
within 24 hours, after sbe
talks wi th an outside lawyer
on tbe legality of demoli bing
the auditorium, which was a
gift to tbe city from tbe Ford
family.
COMERICA . officials
were elated over the re ult of
tbe vote. Star s id be w
very pleased With tbe councils
deci ion, and sid,
A representative in
Mahafey's office said that
many community groups had
expressed a imilar wish to
join the sui t. but so far onl y
rhe e four. publ-ic officials
!) were involved s pJ inliCr .
. In the meantime, however,
the Chalfonte CounciJ i pass­
ing an initiative petition.
which it hope to get on the
ballot, making it illegal for
Octroi t elected offici Is to act
on their own to sell public
. property like Ford
Auditorium, which they feci,
" ... bopefully that
- eliminate any doubt
Comerica is commi tted t
city."
He said the council's ote
should dispel rumors tbe city
doe not support big busi esse
Even though mo t city
residents opposed the deal,
Stark said, "It's difficult to
convince people to support
something hen they don.'t
have a personal stake in it."
He said in the end the ci ty
i getting revenue far in
exces of what it is investing.
Comerica will pay the ci ty
$12.8 million for the site over
a 28 year period with $1.5
million up front, and will buy
the auditorium's underground
parking structure for
$742,000. A loan from the
DDA of $18 million at 4.75
percent interest to be paid in
tbe same period, was the
"belongs to all the p ople."
If pa cd, ucb -a petition
would require future land
deal. like the one Come rica
had, to be approved by a· vote
of the people.
Those ho ish to help or
to get further information,
should cal) the council at
(313) 864-8404.
Chalfounte Council mem­
bers sec the Comerica deal a
a "giveaway."
"lts taking bread out 0 the
mouths 01 poor p oplc," aid
Council Pre ident Hodge
greement he council
approved.
Come rica official say
public access to the riverfront
will not be hindered by the 30
story headquarters building.
Many people expressed
di appointment in tbe
council'. decisioD, aying it
ill cau e a negative
precedeu, �u :!le city, wbere
corporate liang will be able
to demand anythiD8 it want i�
exchange for keeping jobs in
the city or inve ting in jt.
Ravitz, in statement
delivered after the vote, aid,
"Wbat public space will be
next on the giveaway block;
will it be the Veteran's
Memorial Building, Belle
I le , Hart Plaza, the
City-County Building itself?"
Stark said groundbreaking
for the project is schedualed
for fall of next year. t •
Ma on. "There are thou nd
of homele nd the city i not
helping th m, but it i giving
. a multimiJlion dollar outfi t
[Comeri ala tax conce ion."
. In tb public hearing, on
om rica so m citizen
warn d that if the bank did not
get what it wanted the city
would 10 c job and taxes for
. nece sary . ervi e .
Comerica warned that if it
did not g t the land it wanted,
it would Ieavc Detroit and go
to Auburn Hill'.
Continued on P ge 7
Key's .. group:
Money was not benin« sale
45th larg t Blae
enterprise sold
By Derrtc c. Le
Staff Report�r
DETROIT -After press
peculation that Burger King
franchiser Br dy Keys was
clo mg down because of
financial difficulties, Keys
tated he wa not forced out of
busine. s. nor experiencing
financial di fficulties. He aid
hi franchi c wa corning off
of it most uccessful year in
its 23 year history.
. Key admitted at a news
conference at Key Group
headquarter Wedne day,
July 18, he underestimated the
imp ct hi action would bave
on the Detroit community,
fter he announced his
intention to s le ten of hi
Burger King restauran ,and
close t 0 others.
BRADY KEY
Keys aid he sold beca e
the timing wa perfect for him
and for Burger King
Corporation, becau e they
wanted to increa e their
company re taurant
o nership from the 15 percent
level.
Key aid he wanted to do
more for him elf and the
community, that he anted to
do omething different.
KEY RELAT 0 HOW
he came to tear when he
received a letter from a former
employee, expressing her
distres at the closing .
He said the ab olute worst
feeling he received came from
a phone call from 15
year-Old girl who wa looking
for a job, only to find out that
he had old all of hi
. restaurants, and he said, "I
don't ant to ork, I don't
ant to eat fast food, and I
don't want to ever work until
Key Group comes back, " said
Key.
Keys said people have
called him crying who have
never worked for him, but
their children have. He sai
people have called him angry
because they thought omeone
had forced him out of
bu iness, and be aid
McDonald Corporation
called him happy because they
felt they could t ke over the
-market.
Keys stated he wa
negotiationg 'the creation of a
large acquisition in the teet
industry, and i creating the
Key Indu trial Group. which
will be 40 percent owned by a
public company.
Key expre ed intere t in
expanding hi Ram e-y &
Ram ey exten ion braiding
salons into a nationwide
franchi e.
HEAL 0 WA TS to put
hi drug prevention show
called "Kid Enjoy
Yourselve ... Without Drugs"
on national television, and he
has created a television/video
production company called
KeyWat Productions to help
accompl i h this goal
Electronic Print
Advertising Media (E PAM),
i another creation of Key ,
which offer a cu tomer a
tot I advertising paCkage for
minimal dollar , according to
Keys.
He aid E PAM should go a
long way toward helping
Black bu ine e who don t
know how to buy the variou
type of media.
Key would not di .clo:
t� mount 0 money h
receiv d for hi fr nchi c, but
he aid it wa in the million .
Key made history in 197
when he became the fir t
minority fast food franchi er
in America. Hi fr nchi
wa the 45tb large t Blac
own d company in America,
witq �les of over $18 million
annually.