Detroit City Council awaits EFM's plan for its future

Detroit Emergency Financial Manager Kevyn Orr expected to lay out City Council's specific job

DETROIT – Detroit Emergency Financial Manager Kevyn Orr is working on the 3rd order of his short tenure right now.

Orr is laying out the City Council's specific job including when it can and will meet and how he views its role. A confused City Council is not quite sure about the new rules. They are doing everything they can to act relevant.

Related: Emergency manager to change role of advisory board

Councilman Gary Brown said he is just waiting for Orr's order.

"For me it's business as usual. I mean, I take the emergency manager at his word. He's going to be focused on trying to reduce our unfunded liability and working with creditors," said Brown. "He wants us to move forward with operations and policy decisions that are within our purviews."

The undercurrent at City Council on Tuesday was frustration with the Conway MacKenzie turnaround team's suggestion on Monday to the state's financial advisory board that City Council should be part-time and have one staffer each. It was a suggestion made without briefing anyone, including Orr.

Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins hopes the EFM is not on board with the idea. She wants to be as helpful to him as possible.

"He's here. So the best thing that we can all do is try to make him as successful as possible so that he can be out of here faster. Right? I live here, and if he's here, if he fails, we all fail," Jenkins said.

Orr's 3rd order also will spell out Mayor Dave Bing's role. The Council and the mayor say they think they already know what Orr has planned for them.


About the Author:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional.