DETROIT, MI (AP)-- The man Michigan hired to fix Detroit's finances is backing away from statements sharply critical of the city.
Last week in the Wall Street Journal, emergency manager Kevyn Orr blamed Detroit's troubles on complacency.
He said "for a long time the city was dumb, lazy, happy and rich" and that its wealth allowed "a covenant if you had an eighth grade education, you'll get 30 years of a good job and a pension and great health care."
Candidates in Tuesday's Detroit mayoral primary have criticized the statement. Retirees protested Monday outside Orr's office.
Orr said in a statement Monday that "Detroiters are and have been some of the hardest working, most resilient people in our state and across this country."
Last month, Orr filed to take Detroit into bankruptcy.
