CHICAGO — After giving a rare deposition as part of Detroit's bankruptcy case, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Wednesday issued a statement saying Chapter 9 was the city's last and only option for revival.
Snyder made the comment after a three-hour deposition held in his Lansing office Wednesday morning. Attorneys for the city's unions led the sworn questioning to try to clarify decisions leading up to the historic July 18 bankruptcy filing. Union attorneys hope to establish that Snyder and Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr did not make the decision in good faith.
A deposition of a sitting governor in a legal proceeding is relatively rare, and Snyder agreed to the move after first fighting it in court. He later agreed to testify when the bankruptcy judge overseeing the case seemed to express skepticism over Snyder's reluctance.
"I agreed to participate in today's proceedings and answer questions regarding the decisions that led to the municipal Chapter 9 filing for the city of Detroit," Snyder said in a statement issued early Wednesday afternoon, after the deposition.
"Doing so helps ensure this case is resolved fairly and as quickly as possible and that we're acting in the best interests of Detroiters and Michiganders," he said in the statement.
"Detroit is in the midst of a fiscal crisis six decades in the making," he said. "Authorization of the Chapter 9 filing was a difficult but necessary decision — one that clearly was the last and only viable option to resolve the city's fiscal crisis and restore the greatness of this proud city. I am convinced that it will spur the turnaround and complete the comeback of our state's largest city, and ensure a vibrant, thriving Detroit and Michigan for generations to come."
It's not clear when or if the transcripts of the full deposition will be released.
Michigan treasurer Andy Dillon and a top Snyder aide will be deposed Thursday.
