Bing to CNN: I have 'second most difficult' job after Obama

By Ron Savage
Fox 2 News

DETROIT (WJBK) -- "I know the reason that I took this position is to make the hard decisions so that this city would have a future, but it's probably the second most difficult job in this country behind the president," Detroit Mayor Dave Bing recently told CNN.

He appeared in a candid, national interview that has now gone viral where he talked about his job and Detroit's past, present and future.  During the interview, Bing also said Detroit city government is suffering from a sense of entitlement.

Click here to see the CNN interview in its entirety.

"I've been with the president on a few occasions and he has said to me I think you've got one of the hardest jobs in the country," Bing told Fox 2 Thursday night.  "All I did was spoke from the heart.  I think it's a tough job.  The president has the toughest job in the country."

We asked you for your opinion.

"Compared to my job, I'd say a ten," said Mark Miers.

"It's absolutely a tough job, but isn't your job tough sometimes?  I know mine is," said Chuck Bennett.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Kirk Lewis says he is leaning toward resigning his position on the pension board, that he is simply too busy to sit on the board and still help with the city's financial crisis.

"I'm here to support the mayor and do what I need to do here in the city," he told us.  

So his roll on the pension board, will that change?

"Probably will change because I just don't have the time to spend at Pension right now.  I'm really focusing on the turnaround of the city and that's where I've got to put my efforts."

Sparks flew at Monday's special city council meeting.  The plan was to consider a resolution to approve a legal services contract with Miller Canfield.  However, city council canceled the meeting locking horns with the mayor.  The council said there was not sufficient notice for the meeting.

The mayor said he was okay with Kirk Lewis planning the meeting in his absence.

"I knew I was going to be out of town.  I had some personal, family stuff to take care of and I knew I couldn't be in the meeting, so Kirk as the deputy mayor stepped in for me."

The mayor was invited by AOL to the Gem Theater to announce a corporate partnership between AOL and the city to bolster Detroit's rec centers. The positive story comes on the same day there is more bad news. Moody's Investors Services downgraded Detroit's bond rating fearing a possible bankruptcy.

"I'm not surprised by that.  We're as low as I think we can be.  We've got to make sure that we understand that we need the state.  There are some people who think we don't need the state.  I'm not on that side of the question at all."