Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has been the chief elected official of Oakland County for the past 16 years and is seeking a fourth four-year term in November. He spoke with us about two programs that are important to him: a yet-to-be-named life science and medical plan to brand the county as a life science destination and the recently completed Brooksie Way Half Marathon.
Question: Under your medical branding initiative, you want to gather all of the medical and life science assets the county has – hospitals, medical device manufacturers and universities – and unite and market them under a single brand. What tells you this is the right thing to do?
Answer: The reality of where we are now and the scholarly judgment of where we can be in a very short time. We have 93,000 jobs right now in these industries – good paying jobs for well-educated people. We can add 45,000 additional jobs in 10 years. That’s a huge segment of our economy.
Q: During your rollout of the plan before the media, you said Oakland County will compete with such world-renown health care giants as the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic. Why do you believe that?
A: Cumulative causation. Good news begets good news. We have hundreds of foreign firms here – more than 700 from 34 countries. People want to be with a winner. People want to be associated with a winner and institutions that enjoy a world-wide reputation for excellence. We will be able to build on this and sustain a robust economy in Oakland County.
Q: What do you think the future holds for Oakland County?
A: It’s extremely bright. I think we have put in place programs that will pay dividends for years to come. Our Emerging Sectors program has generated over $1.1 billion in new investment for the county, attracted or retained 96 companies, created more than 13,000 new jobs and retained another 5,100 while generating more than $27 million in taxes. Our Main Street Oakland County program has generated $450 million in public and private investment while creating 2,800 jobs. We just announced the creation of our Oak Street neighborhood stabilization and revitalization program that will begin in Hazel Park to do in traditional neighborhoods what we have done in more than a dozen downtowns.
Q: The inaugural Brooksie Way Half Marathon drew 4,000 participants – more than double the original expectation – to Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland University. It was named in memory of your son, Brooks Stuart Patterson, who died after a snowmobile accident in 2007 – three days after you announced plans in your State of the County address – to hold a half marathon. What are your thoughts about the race?
A: The race was a smashing success. I couldn’t be happier about that. But I’m feeling pretty melancholy right now. All of this reminds me of my son who died 72 hours after I had announced plans for the race. This opens a lot of wounds that had been closed. Watching the race that was named in his honor and his memory was very emotional. I hope the race will continue for years to come.
Q: Were you surprised at the size of the turnout?
A: I was told we shouldn’t look for more than a thousand runners in the first year. But the race came together in such a beautiful way. It exceeded my fondest expectations. It was a great course, there was wonderful community involvement. It’s a testament to the kind of person Brooksie was. The runners may not have known him personally but now – having run the race – they know something about him and what he accomplished in a very short time.
Q: What do you see for next year’s race?
A: The race committee will meet soon to see what we did right and what needs to be changed. We’ll probably smooth out a few minor problems at the start and the finish line and do a better job of getting participants into the parking lots. But for a first year race – when people told us we’d be lucky to get 1,000 runners – I’m thrilled. Thanks to everyone who made this a memorable day for me and my family.
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