Get a grip, people. Put Kevyn Orr's pay and expenses in a cost-benefit perspective.
That's the message from Nolan Finley in his latest Detroit News column, headlined "Let Kevyn Orr eat crab cake."
"Orr’s salary — a fraction of what he earned at the Jones Day law firm — gets mentioned at every candidate forum," the editorial page editor notes.
"If the city had to hire Orr at his hourly rate to walk it through bankruptcy, the bill would reach into the millions. Yet Detroit is paying him $275,000 a year, plus some expenses.
So what if Orr ends up costing Detroit $500,000 or more before he leaves town. A half-million dollars invested to get rid of $9 billion in obligations?
Anyone who can’t tell that’s a bargain is a dolt.
Mark Schauer is "going to wage a class war" is his 2013 bid for governor, Nolan Finley writes.
Pokes at mayoral candidates are just a warmup. Finley's strongest whacks aim at Mark Schauer, positioning himself to run for governor next year.
After it was reported that Orr, in his three months in Detroit, had spent $3,000 on room service, the Democrat who hopes to unseat Gov. Rick Synder next year flew into a rage of indignation. He demanded the governor launch an investigation into Orr’s “wasteful spending” and insist Orr reimburse the city for money wrongly spent.
Schauer didn’t rescind his hissy fit after it was confirmed Orr picked up his own room service tab.
But he did give us a glimpse into his campaign strategy: Instead of presenting serious positions on the challenges still facing Michigan, he’s going to wage a class war.
Finley writes that he'd cover Orr's room service tabs personally "rather . . . than give another tax dollar to a pandering politician who thinks the real problem in Detroit is what Kevyn Orr is eating."
if he decides to bill taxpayers for his late-night snacks — he hasn’t yet — they’d still be getting a deal.
-- Alan Stamm
