Wayne State University

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Wayne State University

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Media Report

March 29, 2012

Lyke Thompson quoted in article examining results of a Free Press/Channel 7 poll on fixing Detroit

http://www.freep.com/article/20120328/NEWS15/303280001/Free-Press-poll-The-most-important-thing-to-Detroiters-fix-our-city

A deeply divided Detroit overwhelmingly wants improved city services even if it means Gov. Rick Snyder's administration must step in, though residents are skeptical of what it can do for them. By a slim margin, city residents remain supportive of Mayor Dave Bing and the Detroit City Council staying in charge for now. But a Free Press/WXYZ-TV poll showed that 7 out of every 10 Detroiters consider it essential or very important for the city's looming fiscal crisis to be addressed in a way that improves basic services -- even if it requires state intervention. "I would say, in talking to people, that Detroiters are completely exhausted with this crisis and they want to see it resolved," said Lyke Thompson, director of the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University. "The vast majority of them want their own elected officials to stay in charge, but they really don't want city services to collapse any more than they already have."

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