Detroit City Council taps new ombudsman

The Detroit City Council made a big decision about one of the best jobs in city hall.

The ombudsman makes a six-figure salary and gets a 10-year contract.

Some people say Detroit doesn't recycle much but the exception is found in city hall. The 10 candidates for ombudsman are the latest example.

FOX 2 investigated the 10 finalists for the job and found political insiders with more than a few questionable matters in their backgrounds. Leading the way was Mary Waters, a former state rep who got caught up in the city hall public corruption scandal.

She had the support of councilmen Scott Benson and George Cushingberry, who have had their own brushes with the law. She made the cut to the final three selection but earned only those two votes.

In the end Bruce Simpson, Jr. received six votes which was good enough to receive the nod. Simpson is currently an assistant ombudsman.

"If you feel as though your local government has let you down or been negligent in any way," he said. "We should then intervene and get it done with whatever tasks you need accomplished."

The ombudsman serves a 10-year term. A decade from now, Simpson says he hopes this is how people remember him:

"That I got the job done," he said. "I want that simple factor to outweigh anything else, that I served the citizens of Detroit."

He added that he wants residents to know they have an advocate in city hall representing them.