The Detroit City Council rejected a six-figure contract to pay for a mural the city didn't approve.
Street Art Mankind brought international artists to Detroit to paint seven murals around downtown ahead of the NFL draft, but the city council did not review the contract in advance. failed to obtain a $215,000 contract for services already provided. Local artists were outraged at being deprived of the opportunity.
On Tuesday, members complained that Planning and Development Director Antoine Bryant signed the contract without their approval. In a move to approve multiple contracts at once, eight City Council members rejected the arts contract on Tuesday. City Councilman Coleman Young II did not object.
Bryant said the organization began the work without approval, continued to work after being told to stop, and then the artist finished the work. The work on the private building was completed within eight or nine days.
Council President Mary Sheffield asked Corporate Counsel Conrad Mallett whether it was appropriate to spend public funds on private buildings. He said it would be in the public interest to improve the physical environment in the downtown area, especially in front of the millions of people expected to watch the NFL Draft in April.
Discussed work with council members
“I personally reached out to council members when all of this happened,” Bryant said, adding there was “significant involvement” and was happy to provide the dates and times of those interactions. added.
Councilwoman Latisha Johnson asked Bryant if he signed the contract after the work was completed. He assured me that it was so.
“The work is done. It started, it continues, it's completed. There was a contract in front of me and I executed that contract. I notified and engaged with the mayor and several member departments. “The mayor was very upset, so we talked about it at length, and that's when I started reaching out, and that's when I started getting involved with council members,'' Bryant said. .
City Councilman Fred Derhal III was one of the council members who asked Bryant questions during a preliminary conversation about the mural project.
Consequences of not paying now
“I'm very disappointed that we're here today on this issue. My real concern is that the city will meet its obligations. I want to know how this specifically works.” Mr. Durhar said. “We're being charged with a bill that Congress didn't approve. If we don't approve this today, what recourse do we have? What will happen?”
Mallett said the city is not authorized to make any payments, but the artist group could sue.
“Discussions have been going on for over a year. There's probably at least an expression that there was a misunderstanding between those doing the work and those in a position to grant the green light. Ultimately we will 'The judge ordered some sort of settlement,'' Mallett said.
Without City Council approval, “I don't think the city of Detroit will be willing to pay for it,” Mallett added.
Mr. Dahal asked Mr. Mallett about the potential risks of the settlement. Mallett said the city will not be entitled to any punitive damages, other than the risk of incurring costs incurred and possibly attorney fees.
“It's very unfortunate that this contract wasn't brought before you because ultimately it was important for Congress to approve whether this was a proper public purpose. There's no question about it,” Bryant said.
Dana Afana is a Free Press reporter at Detroit City Hall. Contact: dafana@freepress.com or 313-635-3491. Follow her: @Dana_Afana.
