DETROIT, MI (AP)-- State-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr says he "was being dumb" when he criticized Detroiters for being "dumb" and "lazy" as the city sank fiscally.
Orr released a statement Wednesday apologizing to Detroit residents for statements published earlier this month in the Wall Street Journal.
Orr said then that "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."
On Wednesday, Orr said his remarks were "a slip of the tongue" and "a distraction."
Orr was hired in March to fix Detroit's finances. Last month, he made Detroit the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy protection.
