The Assyrian Democratic Organization
David Josar
DETROIT- The Detroit News — The City Council this afternoon finally approved the sale of the shuttered Camp Brighton for $3.5 million to the Chaldean Church.
This was the third time the council took up the sale of the 320-acre camp, which is located off Grand River near I-96. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick targeted the property for sale as part of his strategy to balance the city’s budget and eliminate the city’s deficit. Voting for the sale were council members Sheila Cockrel, Barbara Rose Collins, Martha Reeves, Alberta, Tinsley Talabi and Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr.
Opposing the sale were Brenda Jones, Kwame Kenyatta, JoAnn Watson and Monica Conyers. The sale passed by a single vote. Kenyatta has been a vocal opponent of the sale from the start. He said Detroit should keep the facility because it could benefit all of the city’s youth. He said the church, which has had an offer on the table since November, plans to use it only for their kids.
“This should be for all the children of Detroit,” he said. He called the deal a “disgrace,” complaining that the property had been appraised at $6.8 million. The Kilpatrick administration has wanted to sell as much as $40 million in excess property for the fiscal year that ends Friday.
Irv Corley, the council’s fiscal analyst,said he will have a report to the council Friday to see how close the city is to ending the year with a balanced budget.
David Josar
The Detroit News
