Duggan’s Chief of Staff Alexis Wiley Talks Key City Issues

Stephen Henderson talks with Alexis Wiley, Chief of Staff for Mayor Mike Duggan, about the 18 months Duggan has been in office.  They talk about the major issues the mayor has tackled and what the administration is working on now. 

• Transportation: A caller says that he has seen improvement in the bus system since Duggan took office because there are more busses, but they still do not run on time. Wiley says that they are in the process of hiring and training more bus drivers, and that DDOT has been one of the biggest challenges the mayor has faced. 
• Hiring police: Wiley says the administration is working to improve police services and police presence in neighborhoods. She says they are hiring more officers and civilianizing office positions, so officers can spend more time outside. She says that the average police response time has dropped from 37 minutes to 16 in the time Duggan has been in office, and that they are continuing to work to improve this.  
• Neighborhood emphasis: Stephen asks about how Duggan balances midtown, downtown, and the neighborhoods.  Wiley says neighborhoods are the administration’s main concern, and most of the development in downtown and midtown is driven by private investment.  She says people can feel the effects of small differences in their neighborhoods, such as street lighting or regular police presence. 
• Improving property: Wiley says that programs to sell and improve houses and to ensure that property owners use and improve their property, help raise home and property values and effect quality of life in neighborhoods.
• Riverside Park deal: Wiley says that the controversial Riverside Park deal is good because it allows the city to invest in a park that has been neglected.  She says that improving the park could have a particularly important impact because it is in a neighborhood with one of the highest proportions of children in the city. 

Click the audio link above to hear the full conversation.