Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr continued to clean house Friday, forcing out Karla Henderson, an administrator who lead the controversial effort to re-imagine a smaller Detroit, and he also fired the controversial chairman of one of the city’s two pension funds.
Henderson, a Bing administrator who was a group executive in charge of the city’s planning and facilities, tendered her resignation to Orr’s office, Matt Helms and Joe Guillen report in the Free Press. Orr spokesman Bill Nowling said Henderson was given the opportunity to resign because her job will be absorbed into the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.
Orr fired Cedric Cook, chairman of the Detroit General Retirement System who took an all-expenses-paid trip to a pension conference in Hawaii earlier this year that Orr had criticized. Cook’s job with the city is listed on the pension fund’s annual report as a senior data program analyst for information technology services.
Nowling said Friday that Cook was fired “for cause,” and insisted his dismissal was unrelated to the Hawaii trip. But his firing effectively removes him from his role with the pension board because he is no longer a city employee.
Cook has been off work for more than a month on an unpaid suspension, according to a story by Christine Ferretti in the Detroit News. The recommendation, he said, is for termination from his information technology position on claims of poor job performance. Cook says he plans to pursue a grievance or legal action.
“This is ridiculous,” said Cook, a 33-year employee of the city. “I’m leaving the people behind especially during these times when we’re facing what we’re facing. I’ve been trying to do the best I can.”
In recent weeks, Orr also has dismissed lighting director Richard Tenney, was booted from his job as part of Orr’s efforts to restructure city government; the city's human resources director, Pat Aquart; William (Kriss) Andrews, who had been program management director, and Chief Financial Officer Jack Martin, whom the state recently appointed as emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools.
