CHICAGO - Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has hired a former New York City budget director to be deputy mayor and charged her with the task of raising new revenue for the struggling city.
Duggan announced Oct. 15 he'd named Carol O'Cleireacain to his cabinet with the title of Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy, Planning & Strategy. She will report directly to Duggan and work with chief financial officer John Hill, according to a press release.
One of O'Cleireacain's top priorities will be to find new revenue for the city after it emerges from Chapter 9 bankruptcy, Duggan said.
"Our ability to live within the plan of adjustment once it is approved can't rely solely on traditional revenue sources because they can fluctuate based on conditions we can't control," Duggan said. "I've charged Dr. O'Cleireacain with identifying new funding sources to help insulate ourselves against these unknowns so the city can provide a consistent level of service."
She will also work with Hill on "tackling the financial aspects" of the city's exit from bankruptcy, as well as the restructuring of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department into the newly created Great Lakes Water Authority.
Duggan said the new hire, coupled with CFO Hill, will give Detroit "one of the best government finance teams in the country" as the city emerges from a historic bankruptcy.
"Formerly a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, Dr. O'Cleireacain is an expert with experience at the highest levels of state and local government finance," Duggan said. "She is particularly knowledgeable about the finances of fiscally troubled states and localities. She has held positions as Deputy Treasurer of the State of New Jersey, Finance Commissioner, and then Budget Director of New York City."
