The Detroit City Council is interviewing candidates for the city’s new financial advisory board this week.
The nine-member financial advisory board is a requirement outlined in Detroit’s consent agreement with the state.
The City Council gets to appoint two members, and approve the rest, who are appointed by the Governor, State Treasurer, and Mayor.
On Wednesday, the Council interviewed Mary Beth Kuderik, Chief Financial Officer for the UAW Retiree Benefits Trust.
Council members seemed keenly interested in Kuderik’s record managing health care costs—one of the city’s biggest long-term expenditures.
Kuderik says she thinks the city could save a lot of money in health care costs.
“My sense is that there would be opportunity for savings, even in terms of cash flow,” she said.”
Council President Pro-Tem Gary Brown cautioned it won’t be a part-time job to start.
“There is so much information that you have to be brought up to speed on, to understand how the city operates, that I really do see it being a full-time job for 30-45 days,” Brown said.
The Council has until May 10th to finalize the board.
So far, only one advisory board appointee lives in Detroit. That’s a concern to some Council members.
Several Council members have said qualified city residents they’ve approached have declined interviews, saying the issue is too contentious.
