DETROIT – The Public Lighting Authority (PLA) Board of Directors announced today that Chief Executive Officer Odis Jones has resigned.
“When I returned to my hometown to take over the Public Lighting Authority, I took on the challenge because I wanted to make a contribution to Detroit’s rebirth,” Jones said. “At that time more than 40 percent of the city’s lights were inoperable and repairs to broken lights could take months or even years.
“In the intervening 2 1/2 years we have installed more than 60,000 new, brighter, more energy efficient LED lights throughout our neighborhoods and main thoroughfares and are on a clear path of completion to finish relighting the downtown area by June of this year. What’s more, once we install the new lights, we are keeping those lights on.
“With the job of relighting the city 98 percent complete, I have decided it is time to pursue other opportunities that have come up. In the meantime I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the PLA Board for the opportunity to make such a positive impact on my home town and to Mayor Duggan for the support he has provided.”
Mayor Mike Duggan said, “Under Odis Jones’ leadership the PLA has installed new lights in every neighborhood in the city, and they’re twice as bright as the old ones. The new lights also will last longer and are far more energy-efficient. That means the city will realize substantial savings in operating costs well into the future. He has served Detroit well and we wish him well as he moves to other challenges.”
Board Chair Dr. Lorna Thomas said, “We regret Odis’ decision because in his tenure as CEO, Odis has brought order out of chaos with the city’s street lights and has created an effective solution to an issue that has plagued the city for decades. As a Board, we are proud of Odis’ tremendous accomplishments and we wish him well as he moves to new challenges.”
About the Public Lighting Authority
The Public Lighting Authority is a state-created authority whose mission is to improve, modernize and maintain all street lights in the City of Detroit with brighter, more reliable, more energy efficient lights. It is a completely separate legal entity from the City of Detroit. The Authority is overseen by a five-member board that is appointed by the Mayor and the City Council. All five board members are residents of Detroit.
If residents need to report a new street light outage, please contact the Authority at (313) 324-8290 or at www.pladetroit.org.
For more information, visit pladetroit.org, facebook.com/PublicLightingAuthority or @PLA_Detroit on Twitter.
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