The relationship between Detroit's emergency manager and mayor is going to undergo a major change once Mayor-elect Mike Duggan takes the oath of office January 1.
Daniel Howes reports in the Detroit News that Orr is ready to let Duggan work his supposed turnaround magic while Orr deals with the city's complicated Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
Howes writes:
Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr is preparing to collaborate with Mayor-elect Mike Duggan, potentially empowering the new mayor to oversee management of the city’s operations during its historic run through Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
With the backing of Gov. Rick Snyder, Orr is keen to tap Duggan’s demonstrated expertise in turnarounds at the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne County for one very simple reason, say people close to the situation: The emergency manager needs the help.
Since March, when Snyder appointed Orr as Detroit's emergency manager, the duties of Mayor Dave Bing have gradually shrunk until Bing became a city hall cipher, mainly gaining notice for his complaints about his treatment under Orr. But that arrangement appears to say more about Bing's ability than Orr's feeling about power-sharing.
The shift toward Duggan is born of growing frustration in Lansing and Orr’s office over the complexity of managing city operations and the slow pace of change. The move, which could be discussed by Orr and Duggan as early as today, would be a dramatic departure from the emergency manager’s relationship with a seemingly disengaged incumbent, Dave Bing, and a City Council resistant to Orr’s recommendations.
"The mayor has to be the mayor,” Bill Nowling, the EM’s spokesman, said in an interview. “And it would be silly not to avail ourselves of someone’s strong suit. The emergency manager is open to see how that would work. They have to sit down and see how they would structure that collaboration.
