Mayor Dave Bing: Can He Stop the Slide in Detroit?

At the grand-opening celebration for Gardenview Estates, a $221 million–plus public-housing development on Detroit's northwest side, activist Leila Gregory, 51, took the podium and gushed about all the local celebrities in attendance. There was John Conyers Jr., the veteran Congressman ("You're an American idol!"), and Greg Mathis, the popular TV judge ("I just love him!"). When Gregory turned to Dave Bing — the NBA legend, steel magnate and mayor of Detroit — her demeanor changed. All she could manage was a curt "Hello, Mr. Mayor" before moving on. Not that it mattered much to Bing. A minute later, the mayor, who...