DETROIT – Former Detroit Police Chief Ike McKinnon and former Detroit mayoral candidate Lisa Howze will co-chair Mike Duggan's transition team.
The Detroit mayor-elect announced his team Wednesday, saying there's a "huge amount" of work to do in the next six to seven weeks.
Duggan, 55, will replace outgoing Mayor Dave Bing after defeating his opponent, Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, by a margin of 55% to 45%.
His campaign slogan was "Every neighborhood has a future," and he ran on a platform of financial turnaround, crime reduction and economic development.
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Uncut video: Mike Duggan holds post-election press conference
Duggan said while McKinnon will be responsible for leading public safety initiatives while Howze will work with finance and business operations.
Additionally, Duggan said, there will be 12 other areas he'll be seeking volunteers for. He says he expects to have between 50 and 100 members on the transition team.
Duggan said he's been asked about what he'll be doing once he takes office in January in respect to his relationship with the city's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr.
"I've noticed in my conversations with the public, there is still this confusion, like, what are you going to do January First," Duggan said.
Duggan said he's not sure what he'll be able to do yet, but it's his responsibility to have a plan.
"In essence we are drafting a proposal that may or may not be accepted by the governor or the emergency manager, but we're going to work very hard on it with the optimistic approach. This is going to be an interesting journey," Duggan said.
Duggan's campaign website touts his record of fiscal turnaround: As president and CEO of Detroit Medical Center, Duggan led the hospital to its first profit since 1997; as general manager of the SMART bus system, he eliminated the deficit and increased bus service by 50%; and as deputy Wayne County executive, he eliminated a $130 million deficit and assisted in creating 15 straight balanced budgets.
Duggan's new transition website is recruiting executive talent for the new administration and volunteers for the transition team.
"They will be able to go on the website, put in their information and Ike and Lisa will follow up with them and get them engaged because it;s going to take the efforts of all of this community," Duggan said,
Duggan hopes his team can move into transition offices by the end of the week, so long as the emergency manager approves a transition budget.
The married father of two and former Wayne County prosecutor attended Detroit Catholic Central High School before graduating from the University of Michigan as an undergraduate and as a law student.