Detroit residents expressed some fierce opposition to the Cobo Center expansion legislation.

They did so at a special hearing Thursday morning at the Coleman A. Young Municipal center. The meeting was called by Detroit City Councilwoman Brenda Jones.

Earlier this month, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation aimed at keeping the North American International Auto Show in Michigan beyond 2010, preferably at its current home in Detroit's Cobo Center.

The new laws call for a nearly $300 million expansion of Cobo and the creation of a regional authority to run and renovate the aging building.

Most of the people who got up to speak about the plan said they didn’t like it.

“It is absolutely lousy. It is of no benefit to the residents of the city of Detroit,” said one resident.

“Downtown is a very important area and I know of other people who want it. We look like a bunch of, excuse my expression, idiots to give up Cobo Hall,” said another resident.

As a backup, a facility in Oakland County -- likely Rock Financial Showplace in Novi -- has an opportunity to host the show if Detroit rejects the legislation by Aug. 1.

The Detroit City Council rejected a previous Cobo expansion plan in February.

But a repeat is considered unlikely now that Councilwoman Monica Conyers has resigned after admitting to taking bribes in exchange for her vote on a sludge hauling deal.