City Council members react to possibility of salaries plummeting under new emergency manager law

"I think the Governor is locked in and I think he's ready to pull the trigger," said Detroit City Councilman Kenneth Cockrel Jr.

If an emergency financial manager is appointed, Detroit City Council and Mayor Bing's s alaries would plummet to zero under the new emergency manager law .

"The majority of us here took this job not to make a living. We wanted to make a difference. And if you put someone in place who won't allow us to make a difference or a living, then that makes it much harder to be here," said Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins.

Council President Charles Pugh tells 7 Action News that one council member has already told colleagues, in private, that they would resign.

We're told it would be up to the discretion of an emergency manager whether to restore the salaries of council members and the mayor, or slash it to a lesser amount.

Councilman Cockrel seemed to echo the sentiment of a number of council members when he said, "At  the end of the day, I want to see this city's finances get fixed and I do think that is a bigger issue than us and our livelihood".

Council President Pugh has already indicated that at the end of his term, he intends to return to his roots in television news, but the possibility exists that the salary he earns as head of council could end in a little over a month. "I can't say what my plan b is, but I do have one," said Pugh.

A spokesperson for Mayor Dave Bing declined to comment on the possibility that his salary could be eliminated or slashed.