L. Brooks Patterson
On-air Personalities.
Michigan Matters
L. Brooks Patterson is serving his fourth four-year term as Oakland County Executive after being re-elected in 2004 by an overwhelming electoral margin. As the chief elected official of one of America's most affluent and progressive counties, Mr. Patterson presides over a $769 million dollar annual budget for FY2008 and a county workforce of nearly 4,000 full and part time benefit eligible employees.
During the 14 years of the Patterson administration, Oakland County government has earned respect from Wall Street for its solid tax base and sound financial policies by attaining and maintaining a coveted AAA bond rating, which only 34 of the nations 3,200 counties have received.
Innovative programs Mr. Patterson has launched include:
• Mandarin Chinese – In his 2007 State of the County Address, Mr. Patterson, noting the challenges presented by China's emergence as a world economic power, called for Oakland County to be the first county in America to teach Mandarin Chinese in all 28 public school districts. Educators responded and today the Mandarin Chinese language is taught in 14 school districts in Oakland County while Mandarin Culture and History is taught in all 28 school districts.
• Emerging Sectors – an initiative focused on identifying the top ten emerging and promising business sectors for the new economy of the 21st Century that Oakland County might be able to attract for future job growth and long lasting economic stability. Companies in these emerging sectors are involved in such cutting edge technologies as biotechnology, nanotechnology, wireless communications and alternative energy. One of the fastest growing sectors is the financial services sector, where Oakland County now leads the state with more than $32 billion in total deposits.
• Wireless Oakland – a program designed to blanket Oakland County with free wireless Internet access while offering "no cost" or "low cost" PC's, wireless technology and training to Oakland County's 1.2 million residents and 320,000 visitors to Oakland County on a daily basis.
• Count Your Steps - a pedometer walking program to target childhood obesity that involves providing pedometers to 30,000 third and fourth grade students in Oakland County's public, private and charter schools. All money is raised through private donations; no taxpayer's funds are involved.
• Successful Health Care Cost Containment Initiative – Under Mr. Patterson's leadership, Oakland County is the first county in America to have eliminated its unfunded liability for employee and retiree health care. Starting in the current fiscal year, units of government across this country will have to report that liability (the State of Michigan's anticipated report is between $20 and $40 billion; City of Detroit, $8.2 billion; the Big Three Automotive, $113 billion; etc.) Through the creative and innovative use of Trust Certificates, Mr. Patterson has fully funded employee and retiree health care while at the same time saved the taxpayers of Oakland County over $200 million.
Automation Alley, southeast Michigan's premier high-tech consortium which Mr. Patterson founded in 1998, now boasts a membership roster of more than 850 companies. Automation Alley's new technology center opened its doors in 2004 and hosts, among other things, an International Business Center where foreign corporations can utilize two completely outfitted offices for two weeks without cost.
Mr. Patterson's Employee Suggestion Program has generated more than $5 million worth of taxpayer savings since 1993 while his Casual Day Program has distributed approximately $450,000 to local charities over the past 14 years. (Neither involves taxpayer funds.)
Mr. Patterson founded Arts, Beats & Eats in 1998. The four-day family-oriented fun-fest in downtown Pontiac features great food, wonderful music and extraordinary art. The event, ranked as one of the top 10 Art Fairs in America, attracts an estimated 1.4 million people annually.
Although Mr. Patterson has been involved in a number of charities, perhaps the one closest to his heart is The Rainbow Connection which he founded in 1980 following the tragic death of a close friend and his two children in a private plane crash. To honor the memory of the children, Mr. Patterson established The Rainbow Connection which grants wishes to terminally ill children. Mr. Patterson serves as president of this organization.
Mr. Patterson has earned numerous awards and honors including: The Michigan Chamber of Commerce Annual Award for Distinguished Service and Leadership for spearheading a successful statewide petition drive to repeal the Single Business Tax and for exemplary service as a local government official; named by Government Technology Magazine as one of the Top 25 individuals in America in 2006 for "pushing the boundaries of government as usual" and achieving success with high-profile information technology projects that improve services to taxpayers and create greater efficiency in government operations. Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Kettering University in Flint (2006); Lighthouse Humanitarian Award (2004); Corp! Magazine Man of the Decade (2000); Arts, Beats & Eats Foundation Quality of Life Award (2003); Automation Alley CEO Legend of the Year (2003); NAACP Recognition Dinner (2004); 2005 Visionary Award from the Michigan Department of Information Technology for leadership support of technology initiatives; Champion for Children Award from Region 9 (Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties) of the Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA); Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Baker College; voted Michigan's Best Republican in a 2006 Detroit News poll of more than 105,000 readers; and named "World Trader of the Year" in 2005 by the Detroit Regional Chamber for his significant contributions to promote international trade in southeast Michigan.
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