DETROIT (AP) -- The Dave Bing era as Detroit mayor will continue for at least four years, giving the former steel supplier and NBA great more time to pull the city from financial hardship.
Bing defeated accountant Tom Barrow in Tuesday's nonpartisan general election, a race in which the incumbent refused to even debate the challenger.
"Tom Barrow, from my vantage point, was not worthy of a debate," Bing said last week. "I don't have time for that. I don't want to play politics."
Instead, he's been playing hardball and restructuring how Detroit operates.
Bing, a Democrat, has said the city was "broke" and could run out of money later this year. With a $300 million budget deficit hounding Detroit, Bing took on city labor unions, giving them an ultimatum of widespread layoffs if 10 percent wage cuts and other concessions were not met.
With 93 percent of Detroit's 629 precincts reporting late Tuesday, Bing had 58.05 percent, or 64,416 votes. Barrow, who also failed in two previous mayoral runs, had 41.95 percent, or 46,557 votes.
Additionally, former TV anchor Charles Pugh will replace Ken Cockrel Jr. as city council president after receiving the most votes in Detroit's nonpartisan general election.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night, Pugh had 88,704 votes. Ex-Detroit Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown was second with 80,698 votes. Cockrel lost his bid for the presidency, but won re-election to the council.
The top vote-getter automatically wins the council presidency. Pugh also received the most votes in an August primary.
Pugh, Cockrel and Brown were among 18 candidates competing for the nine council seats. Besides Cockrel, four others were incumbents.
An FBI probe into City Hall corruption has focused much attention on the council.
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