Detroit’s Bing Taps COO

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing this week appointed a former DTE Energy executive as the city’s new chief operations officer.

Chris Brown will oversee the utilities, transportation, planning and facilities ­departments and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department in the new position.

“We welcome the expertise of Mr. Brown to this critical role in city government,” Bing said in a statement. “His presence will enhance our leadership team as we work to become more operationally efficient.”

Brown will earn $156,000 a year. He replaces Robert Buckler, who retired last October, reportedly due to health problems.

In addition to a position at DTE Energy, Brown has served as a senior adviser to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth and a former lecturer at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering.

Bing also released a statement this week announcing that “fiscal responsibility has returned to the Detroit” with the on-time filing of the city’s annual audit.

As previously reported in The Bond Buyer, Detroit filed its comprehensive annual financial report with the state on Dec. 21, beating the deadline for doing so for the first time in five years.

“I made a promise that my administration would bring a business approach to running the city and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Bing said. “After more than a decade of late reports, this shows that we are beginning a new era of fiscal stability in our city.”

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