The Grand Rapids Press

At the start of a CIty Commission meeting, Mayor George Heartwell had a warning for graffiti artists who might be watching on cable TV. “You tag us, we’re going to tag you harder. We will find you, and it won’t be to recognize you as an artist,” he said. Heartwell was reacting to the recent arrests of two men. The mayor as legendary tough-guy crime-buster Eliot Ness? Commissioner Rick Tormala likened him to the late Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. “Shoot to kill,” Tormala said, referring to Daley and the 1968 riots. The look on Heartwell’s face showed he didn’t appreciate the comparison.