Over 50 years. It was leftist back when the whites ran it too.
That is the problem right there.
Very true. Mayor Jeffries was the darling of "The Nation" and the Americans for Democratic Action crowd back in the 1960s. He even received a cover story in time as "America's Progressive Mayor." Then the riots happenned. Let's also not forget that Coleman Young was elected when the city's registered voting base was still about 55-60% white.
Detroit did have a (liberal) Republican mayor in the early 50s (Albert Cobo) who was as corrupt as they come. He did build Cobo Hall, site of many famous concerts long before our time.