I posted this on another thread in response to Bham1982s take on the situation. As mwilbert pointed out, it's like crowing over being in first class on the Titanic. Being the best county of a sinking region is not much to talk about.

"Pretty much everyone on this thread [[actually myself included) thinks Brooks is a buffoon, but his county has really been a model of success under his reign. I'm not sure that he had much to do with it, but Oakland is Michigan's economic engine, and is a model of conservative budgeting."

Economic engine of a ramshackle jalopy that's been lagging behind real growth areas for decades. I guess if you set the standards low enough, we'll beat them! In 10 years, the county added 8,000 people. That's it. The county seat, Pontiac, is under the control of an Emergency Financial Manager. Many of the county's older communities are struggling and even some newer communities lost population in the last census. The county government has had to cuts millions and shed workers because the countywide tax base has collapsed. We're hardly a model of economic success.