DETROIT – Detroit Mayoral candidates Benny N. Napoleon and Mike Duggan squared off in the first televised mayoral debate on Sunday.
The debate was moderated by Carol Cain during the " Michigan Matters" show on CBS 62. The debate was also heard on WWJ News Radio 950.
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Among the first questions asked of Napoleon and Duggan was about Detroit's emergency manager Kevyn Orr.
"We must do everything possible to get rid of Kevyn Orr, he is here illegitimately and I for one will stand up for citizens of this community to do everything I can to get rid of Kevyn Orr. Because trying to work with him he has demonstrated he doesn't want to work with anyone," said Napoleon.
"There is no doubt what is happening is troubling. You have a number of short-term consultants making a lot of money with no thought to who is going to run these city departments in the long run. And I am concern about it and I ask the people of the city, 'Can you point to a single area of city government where your services are better? Are your buses running on time, are the street lights fixed are you any safer?' I don't believe you are," said Duggan. "It is my hope to go in day one and say, 'I'd like to see the emergency manger go.' But if not I believe the next mayor out to be the chief operating officer. The next mayor ought to be allowed to come in and put in his cabinet and start to put in the long-term team and I am going to try to come in and engage with the emergency manager. And if I am allowed to come in and put the team together to start to turn the city around, I'll work with the emergency manager. And if not then we will be in an adversarial situation."
"Detroiters need an honest mayor who will be straight with the public, not someone who will try to dupe the voters like Mr. Duggan did as Wayne County prosecutor when he intimidated the medical examiner to say Malice Green's death was caused by cocaine and not by police brutality. Or when Mr. Duggan worked with Governor Rick Snyder to bring in Kevyn Orr as the emergency manager– after Mr. Duggan himself was considered the first emergency manager candidate for Detroit – all while telling Detroit voters that he was against an emergency manager," said Napoleon in a statement.
Another debate is scheduled on Oct. 23 at Cobo Center.