Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced last week that deputy mayor Kirk Lewis left his administration for a job in the private sector.
His last day was Wednesday, the day after a state review team announced the city was in a financial emergency. Bing’s office said the departure was unrelated to the state’s announcement.
Lewis had acted as deputy mayor for nearly a year, and ran the city last summer when Bing was hospitalized with stomach problems. He had served in several roles in the city before that, including as chief governmental and corporate affairs officer from May 2010 to March 2011. He briefly left the city then was rehired as chief of staff in June 2011 and became deputy mayor in March 2012.
Lewis worked for 22 years in the automotive industry – including working for Bing’s auto supply company – before joining the city.
“It has been a special opportunity to perform public service, and hopefully I have been able to contribute to the mayor’s transformation of Detroit,” Lewis said in a statement. “However, my background and strengths are in the automotive industry and therefore I’m looking forward to returning.”
