Michigan governor Rick Snyder defended Detroit’s decision to declare bankruptcy, saying the city had no other options.
“We went through all the other processes you could,” Snyder, a Republican, told Meet the Press today. “There were no other viable options and once you go through every other option, then you should consider bankruptcy. We’re at that point.”
“I believe it’s the right thing to do now because the focus needs to be dealing with this debt question. but even more importantly, the citizens of Detroit deserve better services,” Snyder added, referring to the fact that the Detroit police’s average response time for 9-1-1 calls is 58 minutes. “That’s absolutely unacceptable.”
Snyder spoke optimistically about Detroit’s future.
“I’m very bullish about the growth opportunities of Detroit,” he remarked. “There’s many outstanding things going on in the city with the private sector, with young people moving in the city, it’s got great opportunity. The last major obstacle is the city government.”
