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Last Livonia Democratic Mayor; Ed McNamara
Topic Started: Oct 26 2007, 09:21 PM (470 Views)
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Deleted User

For those of you that love to make this race all about party politics, you may need to be reminded that one of the most successful Mayors for the City of Livonia was a Democrat.

DETROIT (AP) - Former Wayne County Executive Edward McNamara, a throwback to the political power brokers of an earlier day and mentor to leading state Democrats including the governor, has died. He was 79.

McNamara died early yesterday of heart failure at Harper Hospital, said family spokesman Tim Johnson.

"We will miss his kindness, his compassion and his wit," McNamara's family said in a statement. "We celebrate his life and his many accomplishments and contributions that he made to Wayne County and the entire region.

"He was a great builder of infrastructure and he also believed in investing in people."

As chief executive of Michigan's most populous county from 1987-2002, McNamara oversaw a work force of more than 5,000 people and an annual budget of nearly $2 billion. He was mayor of Livonia from 1970-86.

He devoted much of his energy to improving Detroit Metropolitan Airport. A $1.6 billion makeover had as its centerpiece the lavish, spacious terminal designed by its main tenant, Northwest Airlines, and formally called the Edward H. McNamara Terminal at Northwest World GateWay.

McNamara, a Democrat, also mentored members of the party in the state, including Jennifer Granholm, the one-time county corporation counsel who went on to become state attorney general and now is governor; former Wayne County Prosecutor Mike Duggan, now CEO of the Detroit Medical Center; and former U.S. Attorney Saul Green.

"To those of us who had the privilege of working for him, he gave a sense of possibility, toughness and duty to serve others," Granholm said in a statement.

McNamara's organization also played a significant role in Kwame Kilpatrick's election as mayor of Detroit in 2001.

"Politicians of today, from me to Governor Granholm, have taken a page out of the McNamara political play book from time to time, and his influence on Michigan politics is etched in stone," Kilpatrick said.

McNamara eliminated the $135 million deficit he faced upon taking office, restored the county's bond rating on Wall Street to investment grade and started construction on a new juvenile detention facility in Detroit.
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Deleted User
Deleted User

Who will be the first to say he worked too much with Kwame? Let the bashing on someone dead begin.
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Renee Chesney
Veteran
You know Jimid they always say nice things about the dead in the obituaries. By the way, I thought Bennett was our last Democratic mayor????

Here is a reminder of McNamara dealings:

ROMULUS -- If approved by the Republican-controlled state Legislature, creation of an airport authority would cap more than two years of controversies over contracting practices at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

"It's been 2 1/2 long, frustrating years," said Sen. Glenn Steil, R-Grand Rapids, who sponsored a bill to create an airport authority but could not get it past strong county lobbying. "It's been a tough battle. It's kind of like somebody has taken a big weight off my shoulders."

With Wayne County Executive Edward H. McNamara now supporting creation of an airport authority, GOP officials expect it will pass, despite opposition from the Wayne County Board of Commissioners.

State Republicans started their probe in 1999 amid revelations that some airport contracts had not been rebid since the 1950s. Scrutiny turned to contractors who received no-bid contracts and repeated renewals. They also were major McNamara campaign donors.

Even then, contract irregularities at the airport were nothing new. In 1995, for example, Wayne County Auditor General Brendan Dunleavy reported that the luxury-sedan company with the exclusive right to provide curbside service from Metro Airport had its contract renewed despite owing the county tens of thousands of dollars.

This year, as state auditors continued to issue reports questioning airport contracting practices on construction projects and food and beverage concessions, the FBI launched an investigation of former airport parking contractor APCOA Inc.

The county has accused APCOA of fraud and over-billing two former APCOA employees allege the parking manager kept a secret fund used for political purposes.

There also are allegations that APCOA was able to over-bill the county because it hired relatives of county officials. Companies owned by McNamara's brother-in-law, Louis Feys Jr., received more than $1 million in contracts from APCOA.

In December, The Detroit News reported that McNamara's 2000 political contributors won 86 percent of the value of new airport contracts.

Dunleavy, who would no longer audit airport contracts if the airport authority is enacted, said he's concerned that McNamara would get to appoint a majority of its members.

"That would lead one to question the independence of any auditors out there," Dunleavy said Wednesday.

Jim Netter, a member of a citizen's group that wants to bar county campaign donors from receiving airport contracts, isn't impressed with the proposal, either.

"You'd still be operating the same game, with more jokers," Netter said.

Chronology of state probe

* May 1999: Former state House Speaker Chuck Perricone announces a probe into airport contracting. The work of a House committee would later be taken up by a Senate panel headed by Sen. Glenn Steil, R-Grand Rapids.

* September 2000: Disputing the findings of a series of reports by state Auditor General Thomas McTavish, Wayne County Executive Edward H. McNamara calls for a detailed outside audit. The state refused to share the cost of the audit and pressed on with its probe.

* June 2001: Steil says the airport should be under the control of an airport authority.

* June to December 2001: A series of airport bills run into strong opposition, both from the county and major airport tenant Northwest Airlines.

* February 2002: McNamara and Gov. John Engler strike a deal on an airport authority


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Deleted User
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Hey, I have no idea Renee. Have at it :) .
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