DETROIT — Mayor elect Mike Duggan began pushing forward last week as the City of Detroit’s future leader, announcing his transition team and making appearances in Lansing and at Wayne State University to discuss public policy.

On Wednesday Nov. 13, Duggan held a press conference to announce that Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has granted him $275,000 to jumpstart his transition team. While Duggan says there is still debate over whether he will take on duties as the highest-ranked official in Detroit, in January 2014 or October 2014, when Orr’s tenure as EM is expected to expire, he says he’s preparing to get the ball rolling nonetheless.

But until Orr’s stint as EM is revoked, Duggan, along with members of City Council, will continue to have limited powers. Duggan announced that Former Detroit police chief Ike McKinnon and former mayoral candidate Lisa Howze will be part of his transition team. The team is expected to work alongside the staff of the state appointed EM.  

“Kevyn Orr and I have a lot of things to work out together; and we’ve had good conversations to start and we’re going to have to have a lot more,” Duggan told reporters. ”I’m not focused right now on the plan of adjustment. I’m focused now on putting an operational plan together for the City.”

Duggan showed some of his dismay towards Orr at a Public Policy Forum held at Wayne State University by the Detroit Free Press on Wedesday, Nov. 19. There, Duggan said that it could potentially take two to three years to start seeing a turn-around in Detroit.  Duggan believes Orr’s limited time in the City will hardly accomplish that goal.

“I believe turnarounds happen more effectively when you put the right people in the right jobs and you start to structure the organization for the long run,” Duggan said. 

Duggan went on to explain that the problems in Detroit have been the result of a snowball effect and that public safety can only improve once the City starts handling its blight problem, which, in turn, will start improving the City’s population and economy. 

Duggan spoke at the forum for over 45 minutes, taking questions from audience members ranging in topics including discussions about regional corporation, high insurance rates, and improving the City’s education system. 

The program closed with Duggan outlining his one main goal as Mayor: making decisions that would benefit the growth of Detroit. He dismissed a current proposal pending at City Council that is looking to merge 12 of the City’s recreation centers with Harper Woods. 

“How does the population grow if we are not providing vital activities for our children to participate?” Duggan said. “I’m going to approach this issue with, ‘What’s the right thing for the future of the city?’ I hope the City Council will support us on that.”

Duggan also announced this week that he will be moving into the the Manoogian Mansion, the mayor’s official residence. Previous Detroit mayors have avoided the house, located in the Berry Subdivision Historic District on the City’s east side, since former embattled mayor Kwame Kilpatrick lived there. Current mayor Dave Bing didn’t move into the residence until two years after his election.

Earlier in his busy week, Duggan also took time out of his schedule to visit Lansing. There, he engaged in several closed meetings with State officials, including a one-on-one session with the Governor’s Chief of Staff Denny Muchmore.  Duggan told reporters that the purpose of his visit was to try to build bridges with State officials so that they could all be on the same page.