Ten years ago tonight (September 18), effective at midnight, Kwame Kilpatrick resigned his position as Mayor and later went to prison for perjury and obstruction of justice.
To ensure the continuity of government, Ken Cockrel, Jr. was sworn in as Mayor on September 17, 2008. While he may not have never been elected mayor or was able to finish the work he began as mayor, he set the wheels in motion for Detroit's recovery, and set a path for Mayor’s Bing and Duggan to finish the work he began.
Mayor Cockrel appointed me the City’s Communications Director and his Press Secretary. In two weeks we worked to put together a new administration, create a vision and a plan to move the city forward, and restore the public’s trust in government.
Months after taking office, the auto industry collapsed and the United States entered the Great Recession of 2008. Despite these challenges, we unraveled city government, making our work transparent and open. We cleaned up the city’s finances, opened police precincts in Detroit’s neighborhoods and helped a city heal after years of corruption.
I am grateful to Mayor Cockrel for giving me the opportunity to be a part of Detroit’s transformation and have a direct impact in where Detroit is today. You can find my papers from that time at the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan. https://lnkd.in/e-65Dnt #Detroit #CityGovernment #Leadership #crisis #autobailout #recession
