As you would imagine, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing was displeased by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's harsh words for Detroit when he said "I'd blow up the place, and start all over." Menino blamed lack of leadership and inaction for the bankrupt city's current state in a recent interview with the New York Times.

In a statement posted on Bing's Facebook page, he took issue with the Boston's Mayor's choice of words:

"It is extremely regrettable that Boston Mayor Thomas Menino used such an unfortunate choice of words to describe what he would do if he came to Detroit. I would think the mayor of a city that recently experienced a deadly bombing attack would be more sensitive and not use the phrase ‘blow up.’"

Menino also called attention to Detroit's blight, and criticized the city's police force:

"No, seriously, when it takes a police officer 90 minutes to answer a call, there’s something wrong with the system. Forty percent of the streetlights are out, most of the buildings are boarded up."

Bing refuted those statements as well:

"The Detroit Police Department’s response time is not – and has never been — 90 minutes. And, most of our city’s buildings are not boarded up. Since taking office more than four years ago, there has been tireless action on the part of my administration to improve the quality of life for our citizens. In fact, I invite Mayor Menino to visit Detroit to see our city for himself."

A spokesman for Menino issued a statement Tuesday, saying, "The mayor is sorry that people have taken offense."

- George McIntyre
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