Detroit Housing Commission To Be Independent

"The decision, handed down Tuesday, rejects arguments by the council and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that the city did not have the authority to set the agency apart. The council and AFSCME, which represents some of the commission's 442 employees, sought to maintain civil service hiring practices and oversight of contracts... In July 2001, then-Mayor Dennis Archer told the City Council he would separate the public housing agency from the city's bureaucracy to make it more efficient."