Adam Finch is like most Midtown twentysomethings. He rides a fixed-gear bike to shows at the Majestic or to meet friends at the Comet Bar. He prefers slim-cut jeans, locally-grown food, and Pabst in the can. His most prized possessions include a MacBook, Pure Detroit hoodie, and Timbuk2 messenger bag. He's even been known to play the old French Horn his father gave him with the

However, Finch is not your average urban pioneer/grad student/aspiring graphic designer. The 24-year-old is literally designated as the last person out of Detroit. As such, turning out the lights will be his responsibility.

“I really didn’t think they'd pick me,” explained Finch, after a recent

meeting at Cliff’s Bells. “I thought the ‘Last Detroiter’ would be someone with political connections. Of course, I’m honored to be the last guy standing.”

Based on analysis from the 2000 and 2010 Censuses,

. Assuming the 2010 Census count of

was accurate on January 1, 2010 and accounting for leap years, Detroit will be officially vacant on November 9, 2040. And on that day, before Finch hits that proverbial Eight Mile Road, he will turn out all the lights in Detroit.

“The November 2040 date really is just an estimate,” said the Reverend J. Aloysius Fillmore, Chairman of the Detroit Works Project’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Zero Population Inevitability. “If the Census figure is revised upward, obviously young Mr. Finch can expect to remain on call for a good while beyond 2040.”

Fillmore said the decision to select the “Last Detroiter” was a practical consideration based on Detroit’s trending population decline.

WAIT, WHAT?

This post was inspired by

. Please note that both stories share an April 1st dateline.

“You look at the numbers and realize eventually we’re going to hit zero,” said Fillmore, who runs a northwest Detroit church, though he moved to Bloomfield Hills in 2007. “We just can’t leave those lights on after everyone is gone. It would be irresponsible. We prefer a Detroit resident turn them off rather than an outside contractor. Mr. Finch is an ideal choice because, at his age, he will likely remain vital for that final day.”

Fillmore said some 200 residents applied to be the Last Detroiter, but Finch’s application stood out because of his passion for all things Detroit.

“You know the phrase has been around longer than I’ve been alive: Will the last person out of Detroit, please turn out the lights?” said Finch. “To think that person is me, that I’ll be in the history books with Cadillac and Lewis Cass and Henry Ford and Coleman Young, it’s a huge thrill.”

Finch won’t simply flip a ceremonial switch before leaving town. He will literally spend that final day in Detroit manually shutting off whatever remaining power is flowing in the city. To prepare for the task, he’s undergoing a rigorous training program conducted by DTE Energy.

“The Last Detroiter initiative as just another example of DTE Energy’s focus and commitment, not only to Detroit, but to the larger goal of a sustainable and green energy system,” said Ashleigh Amber Conrad-Stottlemyre, a Sterling Heights resident as well as DTE’s deputy director of communications and public affairs until such time as she’s offered a political appointment within city government.

The training program began last month with an intensive two-week “boot camp” on electrical safety and best practices taught by veteran DTE linemen and electricians. Finch will be required to participate in periodic training reviews to ensure he remains ready for the big day. DTE provides much of the training at no cost to the city. Overtime pay for Finch’s instructors and some course materials are paid for through a grant from the Kresge, Kellogg, and Community Foundations.

“You have to give Mayor Bing’s team credit for their forward thinking on Last Detroiter,” said Dr. John Russell, Chairman of Wayne State’s

Center for Public Policy. “Not only are they preparing for an inevitability other politicians would rather avoid, but you have government, business, and the philanthropic community fully invested together in this program. Moving forward, Detroit must utilize this ‘three-legged stool’ approach – I call it The TLS Paradigm Governing Construct – for almost any significant initiative.”

Of course, the Last Detroiter program has its critics. Some community activists say the task of turning off Detroit’s lights rightfully belongs to the Lighting Department. There are also concerns that anyone still in Detroit on November 9, 2040 will be forced to move so Finch can turn off the lights. Rev. Fillmore says that’s not the case.

“As the mayor has indicated numerous times, no one will be forced to move,” he said. “There is no plan, no fixed date for complete depopulation. Adam Finch will stay until everyone else decides to move out on their own. It’s a completely organic process.”

Though some critics argue Detroit won’t ever totally depopulate, Finch isn't worried.

“Look, I’m all for idealism about Detroit,” he said. “I love this city. It’s history, the people, Motown. I joined Synergy, gave to RoboCop, and even have an urban garden. I want this to be the best Detroit it can be while we all still live here. It's just the reality, everyone leaves eventually.

“Take my ex-roommate, Sean Duchanel. I mean, he was totally slap-happy about Detroit. Always trying to convince half-drunk Tiger fans at the Park Bar to move downtown, taking pictures of old buildings, writing letters to save Detroit 1-8-7. Then he got married and his wife wanted to move to Livonia. I mean, she works at Quicken. Even as her job came downtown, they went the opposite way. It’s just the way it is.”