How many of you have been to Cobo Convention Center recently? Remember a year or two ago when the City of Detroit relinquished control of the facility, a facility that was plagued with repair needs, mismanagement and on the verge of losing the North American International Auto Show? The facility came under the supervision and management of a multi-county regional authority charged with restoring the facility, providing consistent competent management and providing the region with a convention center to enter the national stage once again.

Well folks if you have not been to Cobo recently, you would be amazed at what real management can do. Gone are the days of lobby carpet so soiled and dirty that you wondered if there even was a cleaning crew, pillar paint peeling and scaling, bathrooms that you believed you would need a shower after exiting the bathroom or the convention area that lacked up to date lighting and electrical for displays and activities.

While visiting the center recently we walked in the front doors and the carpets were impeccably clean days into a convention involving kids, food and slurpees. Maintenance that was actively cleaning the restrooms, pillars that sparkled with new paint and overhead electrical fixtures and conduit that was very new. Security that was attentive and telling parents to keep their kids under control. I realize that the facility is undersized to sit on the national stage and needs more repairs, but my god what a little leadership can do to change several suburbanites image of this facility.

If Detroiters could collaborate on other issues, projects and ventures just imagine what a magnet this region could be in the future. We should start with a multi-country board to restore and reopen the aquarium and other facilities that clearly the city does not have the funds to support but a regional approach might be able to rebirth.