© J. Adrian Wylie

The Hieftje Decades

The mayor sees even tougher times ahead

by Eve Silberman

posted 5/28/2011

"People tell me I couldn't have picked a worse decade to be mayor," says John Hieftje with a rueful smile. Since he was first elected in 2000, state aid has slowed to a trickle, real estate values have nosedived, and unemployment in the county has nearly tripled. During his first ten years as mayor, the city cut its staff by more than 25 percent, including

Government, business, environment, the U-M, and more.