Warren

Mayor blasts Forbes after it calls Warren “miserable”

By Brian Louwers
C & G Staff Writer

What do Miami, West Palm Beach, Fla., Chicago, and Warren have in common? Hint: It’s not miles of sandy beaches, or upscale downtown shopping.

For those who missed it, Forbes magazine recently named Warren 10th in its list of “America’s Most Miserable Cities.”

The selection, published online Feb. 2, put Warren in the middle of the magazine’s pack of 20 “miserable” burgs, squarely behind the country’s most-miserable locale, Miami, but somewhat more miserable than Gary, Ind., listed 20th.

While officials from Florida to Illinois jumped to lambaste the list from top to bottom, Warren Mayor Jim Fouts was no less subdued in his assessment of what he said amounted to an “unfair,” dubious distinction, bestowed upon Warren by an “elitist” publication.

The mayor outlined his concerns in a letter to the editor of Forbes penned Feb. 7.

“Never in my 30 1/2 years as an elected official have I read such an article that is characterized by misinformation, inaccuracies, and faulty criteria,” Fouts wrote.

He questioned the magazine’s listing of the “Warren metro division” — which included the cities of Troy and Farmington Hills – and attacked the criteria used in the selection process point by point, vehemently defending everything from the city’s tax rate to the weather.

“The people of Warren are hard-working, proud of their city and, as people, are not ‘miserable,’” Fouts said. “Your listing was an insult to Warren residents, 87 percent of whom have resided in the same house from 2006 to 2010 according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

“Contrary to your study, Warren property values have not decreased 50 percent over the past three years but housing values have decreased 16.9 percent.”

Fouts added the best argument against the “miserable” listing was a June 2011 Forbes list, where Warren was listed 140 in the “Top 200 Best Places for Businesses and Careers.”

He went on to demand an apology from the magazine for what he said was an “insulting, degrading and undeserved ranking.”

In determining its list of “Most Miserable Cities,” Forbes senior editor Kurt Badenhausen said the magazine looked at the country’s 200 largest metro areas as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Only areas with populations greater than 256,000 were considered, and the OMB’s “Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division,” with a population of 256,000, was selected 10th on the list.

Each area was ranked according to 10 factors, including the average rate of unemployment during the past two years, median commute times, FBI violent crime statisticsm and the performance of the region’s professional sports teams over the past three years.

Badenhausen said stats for home prices, commute times, crime, unemployment weather and taxes were applied to the Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills metro division, while factors including corruption, foreclosures, and the success of the region’s sports franchises were reflective of the entire metro Detroit area.

In an email response to the mayor’s critique of the list, Badenhausen also cast a cloud on the mayor’s interpretation of the city’s previous business ranking in Forbes.

“One thing I do want to point out is that our annual look at the Best Places for Business ranks the 200 largest metro areas/divisions from 1 to 200. A ranking of 140 is not necessarily a positive,” Badenhausen said.

Three other Michigan cities cracked the Forbes “Miserable Cities” list: Detroit (second), Flint (third), and Lansing (13th).
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Brian Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1089.