In an Auto Industry Hometown, a Familiar Financial Road

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PONTIAC, Mich. — For the past few days, Tristan Williams has spent part of every afternoon at the Blue Note Cafe here, not only for the chicken wings but also for the warmth, electricity and hot water in the men’s room. He has none of those where he lives in a row house not far from this city’s modest business district, about 30 miles northwest of Detroit.

For several hours on Monday, Mr. Williams, a college student and janitor, was the cafe’s lone customer, charging his cellphone and using the free computer. He searched the Internet for a battery-operated home heater and a better job. He could not find either.

“So many things are closing because of the economy, even the schools,” said Mr. Williams, 19, who helps support his two unemployed parents as the city seems to be crumbling all around them. “We want something better, you know. At home, our food is spoiled.”

On Wednesday, some people like Mr. Williams may have found a small ray of hope here in what is arguably another depressing development for Pontiac, with its population of 70,000, 2008 annual budget of $52 million and an outsize accumulated budget deficit of $12 million. Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm has previously stated that the city is in economic crisis, and at a hearing in Lansing on Wednesday she allowed the city to present its case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/us/05pontiac.html?th&emc=th