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Eric D. Schwerin
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> http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/01/biden-becomes-pivotal-detroit-advocate/26755335/ <http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/01/biden-becomes-pivotal-detroit-advocate/26755335/>
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> Biden becomes pivotal Detroit advocate
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> Washington — Vice President Joe Biden has emerged as one of Detroit's biggest advocates in the Obama administration, helping the city win federal grants and cut through bureaucratic red tape, according to Michigan and Obama officials.
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> Biden has spent a lot of time in Detroit — including three trips last year — and returns Sunday as the keynote speaker for the Detroit NAACP's 60th annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner.
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> Biden aides said the vice president will talk about the progress that Detroit has made but will emphasize there is still much more to do.
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> He may also talk about Baltimore's civil unrest. He will talk about the improvement of the economy and ensuring that the middle class and those trying to get into the middle class have the support of the federal government, Biden aides say.
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> "The vice president's been to Detroit so often he probably ought to contribute to that revitalization himself — just buy a place there," jokes White House budget director Shaun Donovan.
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> Biden has become immersed in Detroit issues — from transportation needs, clearing blighted and abandoned homes and buildings as well as the needs of its police department.
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> "He's been Detroit's very best friend," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says. "... Every time we've had a critical issue to the quality of life of Detroiters, I've been able to go the vice president and he's always had time for us."
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> The vice president has made clear his support.
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> "Detroit is just getting off its back onto its knees," Biden told a roundtable on workforce developments in Oakland, California, in April.
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> There have been payoffs for Detroit. In September, the U.S. Transportation Department awarded a $12.2 million federal grant to help finish the M-1 streetcar project — after officials warned the project might face lengthy delays without the grant.
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> Donovan credits Biden. "I don't think it would have happened without his engagement," he says.
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> Also in September, the administration awarded Detroit $25.9 million to buy 50 hybrid and clean diesel buses that will ease overcrowding, reduce wait times and provide more reliable service where 35 percent of the people live below the poverty line. They will replace aging vehicles.
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> Duggan said Biden "was relentless in giving us guidance on what we needed to do to put our applications in to win the competitive bid" on the buses.
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> The White House assembled a team of officials in 2013 looking at Detroit — including holding meetings with multiple cabinet secretaries and foundations — led by Gene Sperling, a White House adviser and Michigan native.
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> The administration sent a flurry of cabinet officials to Detroit and named a Treasury and White House aide, Don Graves, to lead a three-person administration team on the ground after the city filed bankruptcy.
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> "From the moment we jump-started our effort to help Detroit through its crisis, the vice president's response was 'Anything, any time, anywhere.' He just had instant passion for being all-in on Detroit's revitalization," Sperling says.
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> Early in Detroit's banrkuptcy, the vice president held a meeting in November 2013 with Michigan's congressional Democrats at the White House.
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> "He's just unequivocally been there for Detroit," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing.
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> In January 2014, Biden came to the North American International Auto Show, met Duggan for dinner at the Roma Cafe near Eastern Market and spent the night at the MotorCity Casino Hotel. The visit began a period of intense engagement by Biden.
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> Biden's trip came as Sperling had announced he was leaving the administration.
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> Detroit needed "someone at the top level who understood the importance of Detroit's recovery — to not only the urban agenda but to the region and the state," said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, praising Biden's hands-on efforts.
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> Last year, when Biden named Graves senior adviser, he told Graves to stay on top of Detroit issues and keep in close contract with the mayor. "You can't underestimate the amount of help that having a sitting vice president who is paying close attention to issues in a city is for getting things done," Graves says.
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> Biden has spoken to numerous cabinet officials — including the Energy, Treasury and Transportation chiefs — on Detroit issues. He even talked to the Justice Department's head of Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to make sure the Detroit Police Department was getting support.
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> The vice president's fascination with the city became apparent when he returned last Labor Day to speak to union workers and stopped at a backyard barbecue in East English Village and a local coffee shop.
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> Duggan drove with Biden around to see abandoned homes being auctioned. "He took my phone away and wouldn't give it back — he was so fascinated — looking at that house sold for this, this house is scheduled for next Tuesday. He could actually explain to you the details of the auctions," Duggan marvels.
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> The mayor says $100 million in federal blight removal funding for Detroit will last until October, and he has made trips to Washington seeking additional federal aid. Biden's aides say the vice president is also working on the issue. Duggan and Biden are also both working to help Detroit get access to affordable home mortgages and to job and skills training and apprentice programs.
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> Biden, the son of a car dealership manager and avid car fan, was a strong advocate of the $85 billion auto bailout that helped two of Detroit's three automakers.
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> But Biden has chosen his spots to seek money for Detroit.
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> The Obama administration didn't pursue a federal bailout for Detroit when it filed for bankruptcy, a move some criticized.
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> The administration opted not to contribute to an $800 million Detroit bankruptcy exit plan known as the "grand bargain" in which the state matched hundreds of millions of dollars in foundation money with a $195 million contribution. Some city officials and lawyers involved in the bailout — including the federal mediators — at times wanted the Obama administration to infuse money.
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> Sperling said last year the White House ruled out a bailout for bankrupt Detroit because it wasn't politically possible since the Republican-controlled House would oppose such a proposal.
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> "To have floated (a bailout) would have given false hope," he said.
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> Detroit leaders "knew they needed to fix that structural problem long term. To some degree, it's a little bit like the story of it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish," Donovan says.
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> Biden also hasn't been involved in Michigan's bid to get federal funds for a Detroit customs plaza for a second international bridge crossing, which supporters have said is a key to getting jobs in the city.
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> The $2.1 billion span from Windsor to Detroit is being built mostly with Canadian government and private-sector money. In a mid-February agreement, the Canadians said they would build the Detroit customs plaza and the U.S. government would fund its operations.
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> But Biden might benefit politically from his attention to Detroit if he seeks to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
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> Still, Duggan's enthusiasm for Biden is undeterred.
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> "... The fact that he has been very vocal at cabinet meetings about how good he feels about the direction of Detroit I think has had an effect on all of the departments," the mayor said.
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> dshepardson@detroitnews.com
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> NAACP dinner
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> About the 60th Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner:
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> When: 5 p.m. Sunday
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> Where: Cobo Conference Center in Detroit
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> Keynote speaker: Vice President Joe Biden
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> Ticket information: (313) 871-2087
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