"Dan Gilbert is an irritation as far as our economic development" -L Brooks Patterson

[SpartanDawg]

"Dan Gilbert is an irritation as far as our economic development is concerned in Oakland County, Brooks Patterson says."

https://twitter.com/kirkpinhoCDB/sta...92725700349953

People keep wondering why people in the city keep having the 'us vs suburbs' mentality... it's because of people like L Brooks.. who cannot seem to let go of this mentality HIMSELF...

what a pathetic old man

[tkelly1986]

Trends are a bigger irritation for Oakland County. Metro Detroiters need to ask,“why did my kid move to Chicago”? Did they do so for Schaumberg, Bolingbrook or Hoffman Estates? No, the odds are they work in the Loop and live in Bucktown,Lincoln Park or River North. Crain’s March 29th article hints at this, and it’s the issue that Michiganders ignore while brain-drain continues; millennials want to work/live in walk-able, transit oriented, sustainable communities that do not require a car for every movement.

Fortunately for Brooks, many corporate boards still think in the present; their members, who live in far flung suburbia,want a drive-able office, while their idea of a “great work environment” is a self-contained, isolated structure surrounded by ample parking. Moreover, they look strictly at the financials today, and resist the appeal of tomorrow. This,however, is not attractive to the potential next generation of leaders. But if your “innovative” firm is ok with offering the fourth, fifth or sixth choice candidate a position, then ignore this glaring fact.

When reported the Ally was considering a suburban exodus, my first thought was “uninspiring for a firm trying to reinvent itself”. The turn of events, however, has thrown Ally in to the spotlight, and gained well-deserved notoriety. When a Saginaw based auto part supplier recently announced their movement to new digs in northern Oakland County, it received a “ho-hum” response. Ally’s commitment to Detroit nevertheless earned a write-up in the Wall-Street Journal. Though it may not have been the original intent, Ally becomes an example of where corporate America needs to be, in a City that sings their praises and continues to attract young talent. For the aforementioned, not to be named, auto part supplier, they're main just that; an afterthought, caught up in a mindset that was “innovative”twenty years ago. My hope is that other firms take note, and think beyond that short commute.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I'd consider being called an "irritation" by LBP to be quite a compliment.

[emu steve]

Trends are a bigger irritation for Oakland County. Metro Detroiters need to ask,“why did my kid move to Chicago”? Did they do so for Schaumberg, Bolingbrook or Hoffman Estates? No, the odds are they work in the Loop and live in Bucktown,Lincoln Park or River North. Crain’s March 29th article hints at this, and it’s the issue that Michiganders ignore while brain-drain continues; millennials want to work/live in walk-able, transit oriented, sustainable communities that do not require a car for every movement.

Fortunately for Brooks, many corporate boards still think in the present; their members, who live in far flung suburbia,want a drive-able office, while their idea of a “great work environment” is a self-contained, isolated structure surrounded by ample parking. Moreover, they look strictly at the financials today, and resist the appeal of tomorrow. This,however, is not attractive to the potential next generation of leaders. But if your “innovative” firm is ok with offering the fourth, fifth or sixth choice candidate a position, then ignore this glaring fact.

When reported the Ally was considering a suburban exodus, my first thought was “uninspiring for a firm trying to reinvent itself”. The turn of events, however, has thrown Ally in to the spotlight, and gained well-deserved notoriety. When a Saginaw based auto part supplier recently announced their movement to new digs in northern Oakland County, it received a “ho-hum” response. Ally’s commitment to Detroit nevertheless earned a write-up in the Wall-Street Journal. Though it may not have been the original intent, Ally becomes an example of where corporate America needs to be, in a City that sings their praises and continues to attract young talent. For the aforementioned, not to be named, auto part supplier, they're main just that; an afterthought, caught up in a mindset that was “innovative”twenty years ago. My hope is that other firms take note, and think beyond that short commute.

It is interesting that [[again) companies are looking at the effects of their decisions on employees and recruitment [[of employees esp. millennials).

Koch Industries [[perhaps getting some blowback because of the politics of their namesake owners) is actively advertising on television that their company is a very good place to work.

What we are seeing is the reverse migration from CBD to 'burbs back to the CBD. This is not just true in Detroit.

[Bham1982]

Trends are a bigger irritation for Oakland County. Metro Detroiters need to ask,“why did my kid move to Chicago”? Did they do so for Schaumberg, Bolingbrook or Hoffman Estates? No, the odds are they work in the Loop and live in Bucktown,Lincoln Park or River North.

LOL. Illinois has the worst population loss in the U.S., and the worst economy in the U.S. Chicago and Cook County are shrinking, not growing. Both city and state are near bankruptcy.

Oakland County, despite being the DYes boogeyman, is an economic shining star compared to Chicago. People are moving to Oakland County, while they're fleeing Chicago.

Young people have always gravitated towards cities, and they will always do so. But when it comes to settling down, Chicago is one of the least likely places in the U.S. for inmigration.

Expressing surprise that a big city like Chicago has a huge millennial cohort makes as much sense as expressing surprise that the 18-23 cohort is in East Lansing and Ann Arbor, or the 60+ cohort is in Naples and Boca. Big cities will always draw those starting out professionally, who obviously aren't going to buy a McMansion in the exurbs at 24.

[Scottathew]

https://twitter.com/kirkpinhoCDB/sta...92725700349953

"Dan Gilbert is an irritation as far as our economic development is concerned in Oakland County, Brooks Patterson says."

people keep wondering why people in the city keep having the 'us vs suburbs' mentality... it's because of people like L Brooks.. who cannot seem to let go of this mentality HIMSELF...

what a pathetic old man

The quote has very limited\no context. I don't get excited over cherry-picked words.

[tkelly1986]

LOL. Illinois has the worst population loss in the U.S., and the worst economy in the U.S. Chicago and Cook County are shrinking, not growing. Both city and state are near bankruptcy.

Oakland County, despite being the DYes boogeyman, is an economic shining star compared to Chicago. People are moving to Oakland County, while they're fleeing Chicago.

Young people have always gravitated towards cities, and they will always do so. But when it comes to settling down, Chicago is one of the least likely places in the U.S. for inmigration.

Expressing surprise that a big city like Chicago has a huge millennial cohort makes as much sense as expressing surprise that the 18-23 cohort is in East Lansing and Ann Arbor, or the 60+ cohort is in Naples and Boca. Big cities will always draw those starting out professionally, who obviously aren't going to buy a McMansion in the exurbs at 24.

A big driver in population loss in Chicago is not 24 year olds from Michigan deciding against the move, it's black and white middle class moving out. Chicago is still the young, vibrant city Detroit is aiming to become and that is what attracts people. Southfield, Troy, Bloomfield is NOT that. And yes, when folks are ready to settle down and have a family the burbs will be a draw. The problem is that Metro Detroit does not have that initial hook [[urban setting). Young people are working in Troy because they have to, not because they want to like so many that left for Chicago.

[Bham1982]

A big driver in population loss in Chicago is not 24 year olds from Michigan deciding against the move, it's black and white middle class moving out.

Obviously, yes. Young people will always gravitate to big cities. This was true 50 years ago, and will likely be true 50 years from now.

Chicago is still the young, vibrant city Detroit is aiming to become and that is what attracts people.

Agreed, but has nothing to do with this thread. Chicago's economy [[on a relative basis) stinks. It's a very urban city, though, obviously the class of the Midwest. Urbanity and economic health are unrelated.

Southfield, Troy, Bloomfield is NOT that. And yes, when folks are ready to settle down and have a family the burbs will be a draw. The problem is that Metro Detroit does not have that initial hook [[urban setting). Young people are working in Troy because they have to, not because they want to like so many that left for Chicago.

This was always the case, though. It wasn't like Oakland County was ever attractive to 24 year olds desiring an urban center.

Detroit [[the city) can probably pick off some millennials currently headed to other big cities, but, on a macro level, if someone really wants an urban environment different than what's the norm locally, they aren't going to Detroit [[or even Chicago for that matter). They're probably going to the East or West Coasts, where you have very different built environments, and usually more dynamic economies.

You are never going to build a healthy city on the back of a single age cohort, though. Chicago gets huge numbers of educated 20-somethings, yet has the worst major-city economic and population trends in the U.S. It's downtown looks great, probably busier and more vibrant than ever, yet the city overall is rotting away.

[emu steve]

I want to make an analytic point without getting into the specifics of Chicago.

Sometimes it is best to 'disaggregate the aggregate'. What does that mean:

When we look at the aggregate or totality of something, e.g., population, we can miss trends which are taking place at a strata or part of the totality. A county with a central city may grow in population while the central city loses population.

Or within a city, maybe an area like the downtown grows while many neighborhoods shrink.

The question with Chicago is [[as I read these posts): is the downtown core strong, stable or growing while the neighborhoods depopulate?

IF so, then the person who says Chicago is not growing [[population wise) is correct, while the person who says the downtown area is stable or growth can also be correct.

It is not either or. Both can be simultaneously true.

And that is certainly the hope for Detroit that a number of neighborhoods grow in population while also realizing that others will continue to de-populate.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I thought everyone was clamoring to live and work in Bloomfield Park.

[Bham1982]

I thought everyone was clamoring to live and work in Bloomfield Park.

Unless you want to work at Menards or WalMart, probably no.

[mwilbert]

I think this is an example of not seeing the forest for the trees.

Of course one can completely understand how LBP would think of Gilbert as an irritant in specific cases--Ally would presumably not have consolidated in Detroit if Gilbert hadn't been available to put together a package.

On the other hand, it seems very unlikely that it is bad for Oakland County development in general to have a stronger downtown Detroit, and Gilbert certainly seems to be working on that.

[Scottathew]

A strong Detroit is a VERY good thing for southern parts of Oakland County.

[mikefmich]

Patterson has been an irritation ever since I've known him.

[ndavies]

Patterson my be irritating but his county is doing lots of things right.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...cast/26639053/

[iheartthed]

Patterson my be irritating but his county is doing lots of things right.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...cast/26639053/

Talk about worthless statistics. Oakland County could have a 5% unemployment rate even if there were not a single job in the entire county.

[Danny]

I say that L.B. Patterson is an irritation to all Metro-Detroiters. He is not going to get Gilbert to invest his properties in the his "White version of Detroit". He needs to shut his mouth and move on with his life; like retire from politics!

[maverick1]

Talk about worthless statistics. Oakland County could have a 5% unemployment rate even if there were not a single job in the entire county.

Right. Oakland County holds the majority of the area's white collar work force.

[Huggybear]

This thread could be re-titled: "Dan Gilbert: the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

HB

[gameguy56]

Right. Oakland County holds the majority of the area's white collar work force.

With GM in Macomb County, and Ford in Wayne, I'd like to see statistics on that. Especially if you include UM in Washtenaw now as part of the greater SE MI area.

[ParisianLesion]

With GM in Macomb County, and Ford in Wayne, I'd like to see statistics on that. Especially if you include UM in Washtenaw now as part of the greater SE MI area.

While it would be interesting to see statistics, and I'm sure they are available if you translate "white collar" to a particular income level, I would be extremely surprised if maverick was wrong.

[Chicago48]

LOL. Illinois has the worst population loss in the U.S., and the worst economy in the U.S. Chicago and Cook County are shrinking, not growing. Both city and state are near bankruptcy.

Oakland County, despite being the DYes boogeyman, is an economic shining star compared to Chicago. People are moving to Oakland County, while they're fleeing Chicago.

Young people have always gravitated towards cities, and they will always do so. But when it comes to settling down, Chicago is one of the least likely places in the U.S. for inmigration.

Expressing surprise that a big city like Chicago has a huge millennial cohort makes as much sense as expressing surprise that the 18-23 cohort is in East Lansing and Ann Arbor, or the 60+ cohort is in Naples and Boca. Big cities will always draw those starting out professionally, who obviously aren't going to buy a McMansion in the exurbs at 24.

You may be right about population decline, but you wouldn't know it by all the shtload of high-rise luxury apartments being built all around Chicago. In fact it's downright scary for those of us who live here because we want to stay living in the City, but with rents like $1950 for a studio apartment staring at us, we won't be able to afford this city.
They keep on building those high rises and I for one want to know where these people are coming from.

[Junjie]

... Chicago gets huge numbers of educated 20-somethings, yet has the worst major-city economic and population trends in the U.S. It's downtown looks great, probably busier and more vibrant than ever, yet the city overall is rotting away.

The US Census Bureau estimates that the city of Chicago has gained population every year since the 2010 census. Click "2013" on the left side.

http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/t...2011_PEPANNRES

[Hermod]

The US Census Bureau estimates that the city of Chicago has gained population every year since the 2010 census. Click "2013" on the left side.

http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/t...2011_PEPANNRES

Wait for the "hard count". Remember how inaccurate they were with Detroit 2000-2010? The hard count in 2010 surprised the hell out of everyone.

[iheartthed]

With GM in Macomb County, and Ford in Wayne, I'd like to see statistics on that. Especially if you include UM in Washtenaw now as part of the greater SE MI area.

I interpreted what he is saying to mean that the majority of the Detroit area's white collar workforce lives in Oakland County. Every person living in Oakland County could work in Detroit [[or other parts of Wayne County, or Macomb County) and the county could still have 5% unemployment, hence it being a useless statistic in the context of this conversation.