CDB Flashback #2: When We Solved the Woodward Corridor Mass Transit, Light Rail Problem

Crain's Detroit Business - October 16, 2006    

Remember back in 2006, when the best minds in metro Detroit business and government got together and finally developed a workable plan for light rail and mass transit along the Woodward corridor? Detroiters with a direct, convenient way to get to jobs in the suburbs; suburbanites with direct, convenient transportation to jobs downtown and in the RenCen; and the hospitality and entertainment industries thriving downtown as people hopped mass transit for dining, concerts and theatrical presentations. 

Oh, wait ... we didn't get any of that. Well, maybe next year!

Off the Drawing Board: As I've sorted through boxes of my old Crain's Detroit Business cartoon originals, it's clear that business and civic leaders in metro Detroit are masters of non-decision making. This cartoon is just one example, but there are many other recurring topics I'll be sharing in the coming weeks and months. To be clear, when you see themes and topics repeated, it's not because I ran out of ideas; it's because our politicians and captains of industry did!
 

CDB Flashback: When the Farmer Needed to Cultivate a New Career

Crain's Detroit Business - May 16, 2005

Farmer Jack supermarkets were a locally owned institution in metro Detroit, evolving from the Food Fair supermarket chain in the 1950s and early 1960s. The Farmer Jack brand - and Farmer Jack himself - first appeared in 1966. In 1989, A&P bought the chain from its local owners and by 1994, all the former metro area A&P stores were rebranded as Farmer Jack - a testiment to the strength of the brand. However, in 2005, A&P put the stores up for sale. Unable to find a buyer for the chain, individual stores were sold off and in 2007, the last Farmer Jack store closed.

In this May 2005 Crain's Detroit Business cartoon, I imagined that the Farmer himself could see the writing on the barn wall and started thinking about cultivating a new career in a different field.

Off the Drawing Board: Over the next weeks, maybe months, I'm taking a look back at 28 years of cartooning for Crain's Detroit Business. None of my cartoons from 1995-2005 were digitized. Back then, I delivered originals to the Crain's offices downtown and picked them up every six weeks or so. Because of that, some of my early looks back may not be in chronological order. They'll be in the order that I stumble upon the originals in my attic, basement or garage!

Thanks for reading!

 

The Michigan 2024 Senatorial Primary-Go-Round

Crain's Detroit Business - July 17, 2023

The field of Democratic candidates vying to fill Michigan's U.S. Senate seat that will be open in 2024 with the retirement of Sen. Debbie Stabenow seems to grow weekly. The race is shaping up to be anything but boring, with candidates from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Don't stand up until the primary-go-round has come to a complete stop, or at least until it's time to vote a year from now!

Personal note: After 28 years, the cartoon above was my last for Crain's Detroit Business. It was a wonderful gig that spanned three decades of my life (just a few months shy of four!) and it was fulfilling, rewarding and exciting. I want to thank all the Crain's editors who had the patience to work with me, but especially my longest and closest collaborator, Michael Lee. I often joked with him that he should co-sign some of my cartoons because his contributions were frequently so significant. In the past few years, we even started thinking alike; and for that, Michael, I apologize - I hope you recover!

Over the next weeks, heck maybe months, I'm going to post some of my favorites. I hope they'll stir some memories of issues and people from the past. If you're so inclined, please feel free to comment too; either here on this blog, or send me an email: dan@dansaadcartoons.com

Thanks for taking a look at what I've had to say throughout the years!