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WAYNE COUNTY EXECUTIVE STATEMENT ON BROOKS PATTERSON'S COMMENTS ON TRANSIT

WAYNE COUNTY EXECUTIVE STATEMENT ON BROOKS PATTERSON'S COMMENTS ON TRANSIT IN OAKLAND STATE OF THE COUNTY

February 8, 2018

"I have a lot of respect for Brooks Patterson - that's not going to change. We'll undoubtedly continue to partner on some things, but he's wrong on this. Regional systems work because everyone is in it as a region as a whole. No matter the footprint, you can't cut out holes in the middle and work around them.

Amazon told us unequivocally we didn't have the transit, or even a plan for transit, to attract the talent they need. And Amazon isn't the only one. Talent is the gold standard in the currency of economic development. It's what's going to decide who prospers and wins the race for mobility, and (as Brooks pointed out last night) artificial intelligence and augmented reality, and whatever comes next.

I believe there's enough support for transit in this region that it's going to come in some form. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I felt from the start we had enough consensus to get something on the ballot. If my peers in Oakland and Macomb say they don't want it, that's their decision. That should have been expressed long ago. We'll shift gears as needed. We need to build something. Ideally it's with the entire region on board, but we can't wait forever for everyone to be on aboard, the stakes are too high."

-- Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans