DETROIT (WWJ) - With a deal finally in place between the state and Detroit on the city’s finances, one of the next steps to financial stability is to fill several high-profile positions.
Speaking live on WWJ Newsradio 950 Friday morning, Governor Rick Snyder said he’ll have to hire a chief financial officer and a project management director.
“It’s actually outlined in the agreement that these people should have extensive municipal financing experience, sophisticated transactions, having dealt with larger communities in the past, and actually it’s to go through a whole vetting process to make sure these are highly qualified people. It’s not about politics. It’s about getting people who can work well and be successful in a large, challenging, urban environment and deliver results,” said Snyder.
“Obviously, if they have a background in the city, they live in the city, the work in the city, those are pluses. To find someone who has that experience base, that would be a nice thing to find, and the goal here is to find people that the mayor can feel really comfortable with, because ultimately they will report to him,” he continued.
Listen to Snyder’s complete interview:
The hires would be made by Mayor Bing, with Snyder’s approval. The Governor adding that residents will need to have a bit of patience for results to unfold.
“Implementation doesn’t happen over night. So, people will hopefully have some patience to watch this unfold in a positive way. But, I believe there are some near-term things that can show some positive progress to get people excited to see that we’re moving in the right direction,” said Snyder.
The governor said the short-term goal is to improve services such as public lighting and public safety, with the long-term goal of growing the city.
“I believe most citizens in Detroit really want to see improved services and they want to see a great Detroit again. That’s the common goal that all of us have, seeing Detroit become a wonderful city again, and I think hopefully we can all unite around that and move forward… By working together, we can show how great of a place it is and show real results to the citizens,” said Snyder.
On Wednesday, the Detroit City Council voted to approve a financial stability agreement with the state. The city faces a $200 million budget deficit and $13.2 billion in long-term debt.
