Duggan's chief of staff Alexis Wiley stepping down to launch PR firm

Alexis Wiley is stepping down as Mayor Mike Duggan’s chief of staff on Friday and plans to launch a public relations firm.

One of her first jobs outside of city government will be serving as Duggan’s campaign manager as he vies for a third term, she tells Metro Times. In the meantime, Wiley says she will build a new Detroit-based business focused on “public relations, community engagement, and issues management.”

“I always wanted to do my own thing and find ways to be impactful,” Wiley says. “This will offer me flexibility to do it on my own terms and on my own times."

Before becoming Duggan’s chief of staff in May 2014, Wiley was a popular reporter at Fox 2 in Detroit from 2010 to 2014. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism, Wiley began her career at KTAL in Shreveport, La., in 2005. She was an investigative reporter for WSYX in Columbus, Oh., from 2008 to 2010.

As chief of staff, Wiley was involved in many of the Duggan administration’s initiatives, from creating summer jobs as part of Grow Detroit’s Young Talent to reviving neighborhoods with new jobs, parks, and blight removal. She also helped with the development of Riverside Park and the creation of a robust communications division.

Duggan’s spokesman John Roach says Wiley will be missed.

“The mayor feels that Alexis has been an outstanding chief of staff,” Roach tells Metro Times. “While he is sorry to see her go, he understands that she has entered a new phase in her family life and fully supports her decision. He is thrilled, however, that she will be serving as campaign manager for his reelection.”

Wiley says her resignation has nothing to do with the Michigan Attorney General Office’s investigation of deleted emails. In a scathing report in December 2019, the Detroit Office of the Inspector General found that Wiley and two other top city officials ordered public employees to delete emails related to the nonprofit Make Your Date.

Ryan Jarvi, spokesman for the AG’s Office, tells Metro Times the investigation is ongoing.

“The Attorney General’s office is continuing its criminal investigation into the matter and cannot provide details of that effort,” Jarvi says. “There is no standard timeframe in which investigations like this must be completed, and we will conduct a thorough review of the evidence before reaching any conclusions. We must consider all circumstances before determining whether any further action by law enforcement is warranted.”

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