A lawsuit challenging the appointment of new Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr has been dropped.
An assistant state attorney general said the group that filed the lawsuit, Citizens United Against Corrupt Government, waited too long to sue. The group originally filed a lawsuit March 8, accusing Gov. Rick Snyder of violating the open meetings act by holding closed-door meetings to interview candidates to be Detroit emergency manager. Snyder appointed Orr the position on March 14.
An activist from the group said that a Lansing circuit court decision not to hold a hearing on the lawsuit prior to Orr's appointment rendered the lawsuit "moot," according to local reports.
The state faces a second, unrelated lawsuit filed by a group of activists and union members in late March that challenges the new emergency management law as unconstitutional.
In related news, a report by consultant Conway MacKenzie suggested the city could save $7.4 million annually if it cuts the staff and salaries of the Detroit City Council and reduces the job of council member to a part-time position. The council's annual budget is $11.2 million and members make an average of $72,000.
The report said each council member employs four to eight staff members. The firm suggests cutting that down to one staffer for each council member.
