Orr stays on, but cedes control to Duggan, council

**bailey** · September-26-14, 08:06 AM

Mayor Mike Duggan and the City Council reached a sweeping deal Thursday with Kevyn Orr to keep him on as emergency manager until Detroit's bankruptcy exit plan is approved

-- but also giving elected leaders full powers to run the city.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...-orr/16208067/

So, looks like the training wheels are coming off.

**Hypestyles** · September-26-14, 08:12 AM

.... so what's going to be the next super-controversy? Has anything been decided on what to do with the city airport?

**Danny** · September-26-14, 08:31 AM

YAY!

At last, Detroit is free! Free from Synder and Orr's State control.

YAY Duggan

**motz** · September-26-14, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

.... so what's going to be the next super-controversy? Has anything been decided on what to do with the city airport?

Kevyn Orr calls a press conference and rips off what we thought was his face, but is actually a mask revealing......NONE OTHER THAN L BROOKS PATTERSON

That's my best guess.

**Wesley Mouch** · September-26-14, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

YAY!

At last, Detroit is free! Free from Synder and Orr's State control.

YAY Duggan

Will save my YAY for after Duggan and City Council act like adults.

But unless you have political motivation, I don't see the problem with the State control. Orr and Snyder seemed to have done the best with what they were handed. It hurt, but not as much as it would have it we'd waited.

**stasu1213** · September-26-14, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...-orr/16208067/So, looks like the training wheels are coming off.

Does this mean that Gary Brown loses his position over DDot and other things?

**animatedmartian** · September-26-14, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

Will save my YAY for after Duggan and City Council act like adults.

But unless you have political motivation, I don't see the problem with the State control. Orr and Snyder seemed to have done the best with what they were handed. It hurt, but not as much as it would have it we'd waited.

What's more is that it seemed like most things had to be approved by city council anyway. It wasn't like they were lame ducks in the whole process.

**hortonz** · September-26-14, 02:14 PM

Out of all of the players involved in rescuing Detroit from bankruptcy, Governor Snyder and Kevin Orr have done the best job of remaining level-headed and acting in a responsible, intelligent manner. The opposition has yet to come up with a coherent plan for rescuing the city or positioning it to thrive in the 21st century.

**Honky Tonk** · September-26-14, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by hortonz

Out of all of the players involved in rescuing Detroit from bankruptcy, Governor Snyder and Kevin Orr have done the best job of remaining level-headed and acting in a responsible, intelligent manner. The opposition has yet to come up with a coherent plan for rescuing the city or positioning it to thrive in the 21st century.

I thought selling Belle Isle to a failed amusement park entity, and receiving 1/6th of the relief then if going with the State was fairly coherent.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · September-26-14, 05:09 PM

Now the real fun begins.....

**313WX** · September-26-14, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

What's more is that it seemed like most things had to be approved by city council anyway.

Not really. Orr could have overruled any of their decisions, which he did at least once with the Belle Isle lease.

But to placate the folks who opposed the EM appointment [[so things could move forward with taking over the city's operations and restructuring them), they gave City Council the illusion of having authority and the citizens of Detroit the illusion of democratic control with the November election...

**313WX** · September-26-14, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Does this mean that Gary Brown loses his position over DDot and other things?

Sadly, no.

That position was his reward for being Snyder's obedient lap dog...

**stasu1213** · September-26-14, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Sadly, no.

That position was his reward fong Snyder's obedient lap dog...

Well msybe Duggan and council could fire him

**professorscott** · September-26-14, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Well msybe Duggan and council could fire him

Mr. Dan Dirks is the Director of DDOT, having been hired by Mayor Duggan early this year. Mr. Brown has a different position in City government, and I believe he serves at the pleasure of the Mayor. So if Mayor Duggan doesn't like the job he's doing [[whatever it is, now), he can get rid of him if he likes, and I believe he was empowered to do that even before today.

Mr. Dirks knows how to run a transit system, so long as he is in a position where it is possible to do so. For the last eight or ten years the Lord God Himself would have been challenged to run that system given some of the idiotic constraints imposed by old contracts and by the micromanagement of Council.

If the City gives Mr. Dirks a reasonable budget and allows him to actually spend within his budget as he sees fit, he will do the best he can with the money available and the system will improve. [[Not quickly - it can't. For example, the new buses? You won't see any of those on the road for well over a year. But over time.) If the City government continues to micromanage, it will never get any better. So we'll see what happens. New Mayor, many new faces on Council, we'll see.

**Hypestyles** · September-26-14, 10:41 PM

Why wouldn't the new buses be used as soon as possible? What examples of micromanagement by council can come into play here?

**RO_Resident** · September-27-14, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

Why wouldn't the new buses be used as soon as possible? What examples of micromanagement by council can come into play here?

The time delay has nothing to do with the city council.

The buses are built to order. You don't just go down to your local Jake's Bus Barn and pick out the latest model off the lot.

**Hypestyles** · September-28-14, 08:11 AM

... If the buses are built to order, why can't they be built to actually last a good while before breaking down, etc.? Who's the vendor? They should find another one.

**corktownyuppie** · September-28-14, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

... If the buses are built to order, why can't they be built to actually last a good while before breaking down, etc.? Who's the vendor? They should find another one.

They are. Most if our buses are 10+ years old. We haven't had the funds to pay the maintenance costs of them, let alone putting aside capital reserves for replacements.

Money.

**Scottathew** · September-28-14, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by motz

Kevyn Orr calls a press conference and rips off what we thought was his face, but is actually a mask revealing......NONE OTHER THAN L BROOKS PATTERSON

That's my best guess.

I LOLed! Too funny!

**Wesley Mouch** · September-28-14, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

They are. Most if our buses are 10+ years old. We haven't had the funds to pay the maintenance costs of them, let alone putting aside capital reserves for replacements.

Money.

Yes, money.

But out also before CAY and the new city charter, the city departments were commissions. They were quite independent and by statute were run by people with experience and degrees. The PLC for example had to have electrical engineers on their board. The new charter granted strong mayoral power and the ability to appoint leaders.

The new charter did need to modernize these I dependant silos. But we did swing too far and they became fiefdoms with leaders often appointed for their political strength, not their knowledge in each field.

Under CAY department heads were expected to raise funds and sell tickets to honorary dinners. Staff was expected to be engaged as well. I suspect it was illegal, but it certainly was the case as told to me by family members with city jobs in that era.

Point? We need to rebalance political power vs skills. That takes time. Duggan seems to get that. I'm sure as a member of the McNamara machine, he expects loyalty. He also seems to value skills in his subordinates.