L Brooks Reduced to Whining

[Lowell]

The metro Detroit political leader most responsible for poisoning the well of regional cooperation over decades, Oakland County Executive L Brooks Patterson, has gone on a whine-rant against Metro Detroit CEO's for doing developments in the City of Detroit. Pot meet kettle.

The same leader who used racial scare tactics to draw people and businesses away from Detroit is reduced to whining. Time for him to go.

"You don't have to read between the lines, it is clear what is happening: these self-appointed saviors for southeast Michigan are in the process of forming an 'economic partnership' to direct business investments to the City of Detroit," Patterson wrote.

"They will have no hesitation about coming into your community and snatching business leads in the righteous cause of 'rebuilding Detroit.' "

Read the rest in John Gallagher's Free Press article >>

Boo hoo hoo.

[Lowell]

So allow me to ask Mr. Patterson a question. You have an elegant but devastated downtown in your county just a short distance from your office. What have you done to turn it into a vibrant urban center like Downtown Detroit has become?

Or am I being unfair? Is only 26 years in office not been enough time to revitalize downtown Pontiac?

[O3H]

I lived and worked in Pontiac for a number of years.
I actually hoped for it to become THE next wonderful place.
We had GM, the Arts/Eats/Beats, Tech downtown, nightlife/clubs, etc., etc.
GM pulled out, the festival went away, and it began spiraling downwards

[Lowell]

I lived and worked in Pontiac for a number of years.
I actually hoped for it to become THE next wonderful place.
We had GM, the Arts/Eats/Beats, Tech downtown, nightlife/clubs, etc., etc.
GM pulled out, the festival went away, and it began spiraling downwards

I recall those days, there was a burgeoning art scene as well.

[coracle]

It could be that with all the grants, Millage, subsidies etc we have “donated” to Detroit that now they have money to spare to persuade companies to move downtown - like for example the $50 Million “for DWSD” etc!

[Zads07]

It would be great to get a new face and a new mind in his position as it appears he does not have the best interest in mind for the county or the region.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

It would be great to get a new face and a new mind in his position as it appears he does not have the best interest in mind for the county or the region.

Hopefully, L Brooks should be at the end of his rope soon.

[drjeff]

It could be that with all the grants, Millage, subsidies etc we have “donated” to Detroit that now they have money to spare to persuade companies to move downtown - like for example the $50 Million “for DWSD” etc!

Should Detroit provide free water to suburbanites? Also, you clearly don't know what a millage even is.

[Bham1982]

So allow me to ask Mr. Patterson a question. You have an elegant but devastated downtown in your county just a short distance from your office. What have you done to turn it into a vibrant urban center like Downtown Detroit has become?

Or am I being unfair? Is only 26 years in office not been enough time to revitalize downtown Pontiac?

Brooks is a ......, but why does his reputation hinge on whether or not an decayed, basically irrelevant local company town has a nice downtown?

Also, what is "elegant" about Pontiac? It's a 20th century boomtown, thrown up in a few years, built on the cheap for migrant labor, and now badly outdated.

With Birmingham, Rochester, Royal Oak, Ferndale and Milford, Oakland probably has the best downtowns in the region. Macomb has nothing, Wayne has Plymouth and Northville [[though Northville is basically shared by Oakland), and I guess the two GP downtowns, and that's about it, if we're talking non-depressed cores.

[iheartthed]

He's losing it. Best to just ignore him at this point. He's lashing out because he realizes he is becoming irrelevant.

[Wesley Mouch]

I lived and worked in Pontiac for a number of years.
I actually hoped for it to become THE next wonderful place.
We had GM, the Arts/Eats/Beats, Tech downtown, nightlife/clubs, etc., etc.
GM pulled out, the festival went away, and it began spiraling downwards

Wonderful places are not created by gov't dictates, but by actual good conditions. I know nothing here, but would expect to find that Pontiac did not support these activities, but treated them as Golden Geese and expected the require Golden Eggs.

AFAIK, LBP did not campaign on Pontiac revitalization. He was likely unloved by Pontiac residents. And thus never cared much about them in return.

If a place fails, blame the place and its management -- not those who tried and failed to make it a success.

[Lowell]

Also, what is "elegant" about Pontiac? It's a 20th century boomtown, thrown up in a few years, built on the cheap for migrant labor, and now badly outdated.

I dunno, does this count?

[coracle]

Should Detroit provide free water to suburbanites? Also, you clearly don't know what a millage even is.

One millage I recall is the circa $24 Million per year for 10 years the suburbs was conned into to run DIA; but free water sounds good, as I remember it was considered a “human right” by some that didn’t want to pay for it.

Incidently do YOU know what a millage is? Perhaps if you don’t have to pay them, you really don’t. Please let us know what millage[[s) you pay.

[O3H]

LBrooksP deserves blame for many things - he is not beyond reproach.

Back in 2012 - before the Nov. 9 Republican presidential debate -
at nearby Oakland University, unemployment hovered around
an estimated 33 to 35 percent--part of the continued aftereffects
of the decision by General Motors to close four plants in the city.
-- The state had appointed an emergency manager to control
city decisions [[removing all power from the mayor and city council)
in the face of staggering deficits.
-- Housing and joblessness statistics were continuing to decline.

This place , above Sylvan Lake, Bloomfield Township and Birmingham
https://goo.gl/maps/ioriuHpKscJ2

[iheartthed]

Ok, I'm going to say one more thing. L. Brooks Patterson led Oakland County into a pretty dramatic decline. It was once a county with one of the highest incomes and property values in the country. That hasn't been true for a while, and that's why it is obvious that the emperor has no clothes. Oakland County cannot keep pace with other affluent suburban counties in the U.S. if Detroit becomes an "Indian reservation."

[Bham1982]

Ok, I'm going to say one more thing. L. Brooks Patterson led Oakland County into a pretty dramatic decline. It was once a county with one of the highest incomes and property values in the country. That hasn't been true for a while, and that's why it is obvious that the emperor has no clothes. Oakland County cannot keep pace with other affluent suburban counties in the U.S. if Detroit becomes an "Indian reservation."

DYes can be pretty funny sometimes. Oakland County is apparently in a "dramatic decline". And Detroit is undoubtedly booming, of course. Dexter Davison is the new Beverly Hills, Brightmoor the Hamptons of the Midwest, and the hundreds of $5 million newer construction homes surrounding Cranbrook are now vacant crackhouses. Looks like "alternative facts" aren't just popular among the Dotard cult.

Back to reality, Oakland County has never been wealthier than now, and the gap between Oakland and "rest of Metro Detroit" property values has never been greater, so no. Oakland was never remotely close to "one of the highest incomes and property values in the country"; it was always relatively cheap compared to the Malibus and Manhattans of the U.S., and obviously auto industry salaries can't compete with Silicon Valley, Hollywood or Wall Street.

I don't think L. Brooks is directly responsible for Oakland's relative success, but it is true that he presided over an incredible run, so deserves a bit of credit for not screwing up. The fact that's he's a jerk, boor and likely racist makes him pretty deplorable in my book, though.

[EGrant]

Oakland County loved to trot out various data about how they were in the top 5 county in the nation in the 90's and early 2000's. I believe that has changed. Source: https://www.oakgov.com/exec/Pages/in.../economic.aspx

[Jimaz]

Now L. Brooks Patterson is apologizing for saying he'd rather join The Klan.

How could anyone not know beforehand that that comment would unnecessarily draw racism into an otherwise economic discussion?

He must be trying to out-trump Trump.

[iheartthed]

DYes can be pretty funny sometimes. Oakland County is apparently in a "dramatic decline". And Detroit is undoubtedly booming, of course. Dexter Davison is the new Beverly Hills, Brightmoor the Hamptons of the Midwest, and the hundreds of $5 million newer construction homes surrounding Cranbrook are now vacant crackhouses. Looks like "alternative facts" aren't just popular among the Dotard cult.

Back to reality, Oakland County has never been wealthier than now, and the gap between Oakland and "rest of Metro Detroit" property values has never been greater, so no. Oakland was never remotely close to "one of the highest incomes and property values in the country"; it was always relatively cheap compared to the Malibus and Manhattans of the U.S., and obviously auto industry salaries can't compete with Silicon Valley, Hollywood or Wall Street.

I don't think L. Brooks is directly responsible for Oakland's relative success, but it is true that he presided over an incredible run, so deserves a bit of credit for not screwing up. The fact that's he's a jerk, boor and likely racist makes him pretty deplorable in my book, though.

This is about Oakland County. Oakland County is not keeping pace with other affluent suburban counties in the U.S. Although Oakland County doesn't even county as an affluent county any longer...

Oakland plummets on list of wealthy counties

Oakland County -- once considered the fourth wealthiest county in the country -- is not even among the 25 richest counties in the nation anymore, according to a Forbes.com survey.
Oakland has ranked itself as the 10th richest county based on per capita income, a different variable from that used by Forbes.com.

https://www.dailytribune.com/sports/...76fa0780b.html

Maybe Mr. Patterson can go be the executive of Livingston County so he can start spouting dubious claims about his management skills again.

A recent study suggests Oakland County has lost its standing among the nation’s elite in earning power, but local officials and economists say those numbers have to be carefully examined.

Oakland County once had the fifth-highest income level in the nation of counties with a population of a million or more, in 2000, but a drastic recession in recent years pushed the county out of the top 10.
A recent report by 24/7 Wall St. indicates that Livingston County, not Oakland, now carries the flag as the state’s richest, based on data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2009 to 2013.

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news...ac22dad55.html

[canuck]

The Guy is prolly related To Foster Brooks, if he is whining, then he has been dhining, burp.

[313WX]

DYes can be pretty funny sometimes. Oakland County is apparently in a "dramatic decline".

Truth hurts, doesn't it?

Just like with LBP, as they say, hit dogs will holler

[DTWflyer]

Gosh LBP is such a dinosaur. Its become such an idiot and needs to hang it up. I will be so happy when this guy goes away, but I also fear we will get some moron in his place.

He just doesn't get it.
Let this guy whine, the ship he sailed.

[mwilbert]

LBP has always had a problem with keeping his mouth under control, but a lot of people get worse at that as they get older and I suspect he is one of them.

He has a lot of dubious and outdated ideas and I'll be glad to see him go, but the reason he has lasted as long as he has is that he has been pretty close to what the people of Oakland County have wanted. Hopefully that is not as true any more; we will have to see who they choose to succeed him.

[softailrider]

I wonder if he ran [[or runs) for the office again if he would get re-elected. My knee jerk reaction is he probably would.

[detroitbob]

The fact that's he's a jerk, boor and likely racist makes him pretty deplorable in my book, though.

One of the rare times I agree with Bham1982---except for the use of "likely"