UM: Emergency Manager Panel

Michigan Radio reports on a Feb. 6 panel discussion at the University of Michigan about the state’s emergency manager law. The forum included Ann Arbor Democrats Jeff Irwin and Conan Smith – Irwin is a state representative and Smith is chair of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners – as well as Flint mayor Dayne Walling and Howard Ryan, a state treasury official. Responding to a question about the salaries paid to EMs, Ryan said: ”It is one of the hardest, most difficult jobs imaginable. You’re going into a very hostile environment where nobody wants you there, nobody, not even…I mean…nobody.” Because EMs make tough decisions in cities with a great level of complexity, “you just can’t find people who will do it inexpensively,” he said. [Source]