Why is Brooks Patterson so well liked?

[Rolfsy]

Ummm, Detroit started out more prosperous in the first place. When we moved to Oakland County in 1954, I went from Denby High

Hello all. Lurker for years and years, first time post.

The above from Hermod is interesting. My father-in-law lived in the Denby neighborhood as a kid, and his family left around the mid to late 50s. He recalls the city as beautiful, but then '67/Coleman/Crime' happened so it's a radioactive non-entity now. But it struck me about both accounts that there's a 10 year or more disconnect between the bad time and the flight time.

He's moved farther northeast now, St. Clair County, and that's just far enough away that he files all 'Detroit' troubles under 'SE MI'. [[and is insulated from them by being in the 'thumb' and not SE MI).

Which sort-of leads back to L. Brooks . . .

http://www.freep.com/article/2010052...ied-to-Detroit

[mjs]

Because he's a performer. Like the popular Wayne County politicians such as McNamara and Hubbard, he knows all most voters want is results. Not sound bites, not finger pointing, not excuses. Go into any office in Detroit and any office in Oakland County and watch the difference in the knowledge and sense of urgency. Watch court in both areas and see what criminals and victims would prefer.

He only bad mouths those that blame their problems on others and won't fix things themselves. He badmouths garbage like saying crime happens and alot of it is suburbanites. Well, if it is, take control and confiscate vehicles from Johns and drug buyers. Crime will go down, municipal revenue will go up, and the criminals can F-off! Assuming its suburbanites, it will only hurt them. Duggan did it and I never heard any criticism from Patterson.

He bad mouths things like allowing trash to build up on the streets. Fix it by making the shoplifters, vandals, and drug offenders pick it up rather than saying they don't have to pay fines because they don't have a job. If a street light is out, have your guy fix it and if he can't, replace him. Lights work and streets are clean in Oakland County because Patterson doesn't believe in a friends and family program.

Has Patterson ever badmouthed Mayor Bing? Has he ever badmouthed the city's success at tearing down abandoned structures? Did he ever badmouth McNamara or Duggan or Dearborn or Livonia or Northville? He respects achievement, believes in removing those that don't, and hates excuses. Any moron can tell us what's wrong. Leaders are supposed to tell us how their administration is going to fix it.

[EastsideAl]

Two federal district judges ordered consolidation of school districts for attendance with busing across district lines to allow for more integration where a district was largely black. One of the cases was in Virginia where the judge ordered busing across the separate school districts of the City of Richmond, Henrico County, Chesterfield County. The purpose of this order and massive busing was to achieve integration of the virtually all-black City of Richmond schools. The second case was in Michigan where the judge ordered busing across multiple school districts in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties to allow for integration of the virtually all-black Detroit schools. Both case wound their way up to the U.S. Supreme Court where it was found that the district judges involed had exceeded their authority in their court-orders, so Patterson's opposition to the orders was upheld as the proper law.

I believe though that dtowncitylover was talking about the separate Pontiac desegregation plan that was put into effect a couple of years before Judge Roth's never enacted cross-district order for Detroit. Although it's not clear to me why that would have affected anyone in West Bloomfield, since the order was limited only to the City of Pontiac schools.

The Pontiac school board for years had been moving around school district lines to make sure that almost all black students went to Pontiac Central and its feeder schools and most white students went to Pontic Northern and its feeder schools. This meant that Pontiac effectively had created 'black' schools and 'white' schools. Federal judge Damon Keith in 1970 ordered a busing program to desegregate Pontiac schools. A number of white parents put together organizations to try to stop it, and to boycott the desegregated schools. More radical opponents of the plan even bombed the bus yards.

This fight was, in fact, what first brought L. Brooks Patterson to public prominence, as he was the lawyer and spokesperson for the largest and most public of the organizations opposing school desegregation in Pontiac, NAG [[National Action Group). A fact about him that has never escaped the memory of older Detroiters like myself, and one of the main reasons why ol' L. Brooks is hardly universally "so well liked."

[bartock]

Just a ;ittle something for the crowd who likes to say Young was racist. If that be the case then look at this activist for equality and integration

Consider this:

I fail to see where any of this is relevant to your point. The only attempt at it is apparently because L. Brooks, an attorney, represented a cleint, Nation Action Group, with regard to forced busing in Pontiac Schools? http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=161.

or, do a search on L. Brooks Patterson Pontiac Busing.

Interestingly, Judge Damon Keith [[yes, THAT Judge Damon Keith) had already ruled that Pontiac had forced segregation - "pronouncement of good intentions with nothing more amounts to monumental hypocrisy."

L. Brooks - "I can't in good conscience tell parents, black or white, to send their children to school where friction is so great that they're going to the hospital day after day..."

[Novine]

"Lights work and streets are clean in Oakland County because Patterson doesn't believe in a friends and family program."

Again, proof that Patterson is getting credit for something he has no responsibility over. The only lights and streets that Patterson has control over are those on the OC county complex on Telegraph.

[R8RBOB]

"Lights work and streets are clean in Oakland County because Patterson doesn't believe in a friends and family program."

Again, proof that Patterson is getting credit for something he has no responsibility over. The only lights and streets that Patterson has control over are those on the OC county complex on Telegraph.

Some people tend to believe that a county executive is the supreme ruler of the cities of the county.

[mjs]

Good points, but its also a good point to say the President of the United States isn't Supreme Ruler and doesn't pass laws, yet legislation is attributed to them. Just like Presidential sway over Congress and the States in their country, County Executives have sway over the policies of the cities in their County. Go to a City Hall or Planning Commission Meeting outside of Detroit and see how often the County government is mentioned. Hell, Patterson must be all powerful because there's people that think he has more power to do good or bad for Detroit than the Mayor, Wayne County Exec, Wayne County Prosecutor, and Wayne County Commisioners combined.

[iheartthed]

He may not have quite brought them to AAA status, but then there's not a majority black city in the country whose bonds received that status from folks at the ratings agencies.

Actually, that's not true. Detroit received a AAA rating by Fitch during the 4th quarter of 1999, and was rated investment grade by all three major ratings agencies... http://www.allcountries.org/uscensus...nments_by.html

[[One of the best ratings for any major city in the country that quarter, btw.)

[Novine]

"Just like Presidential sway over Congress and the States in their country, County Executives have sway over the policies of the cities in their County."

Thanks for the good laugh. Patterson has zero sway over any policies happening in the local governments in OC.

[R8RBOB]

Just like Presidential sway over Congress and the States in their country, County Executives have sway over the policies of the cities in their County.

Act 139 of 1973

45.558 County manager or county executive; powers and duties.
Sec. 8.
[[1) A county manager or county executive shall:
[[a) Supervise, direct, and control the functions of the departments of the county except those headed by elected officials.
[[b) Coordinate the various activities of the county and unify the management of its affairs.
[[c) Enforce all orders, rules, and ordinances of the board and laws of this state required to be enforced by his or her office.
[[d) Not less than 90 days before the next succeeding fiscal year, prepare and submit to the board a recommended annual county budget and work program, and administer the expenditure of funds in accordance with appropriations. An elected officer or county road commissioner may appear before the board as to his or her own budget. Not less than once each year the appointed manager or county executive shall submit to the board a proposed long-range capital improvement program and capital budget.
[[e) Appoint, supervise, and, at pleasure, remove heads of departments other than elected officials. The appointment of heads of departments shall require the concurrence of a majority of the county board of commissioners.
[[f) Submit recommendations to the board for the efficient conduct of county business.
[[g) Report to the board on the affairs of the county and its needs, and advise the board not less than every 3 months on the financial condition of the county.
[[h) Perform other duties and activities as the board directs.
[[i) Audit all claims which are chargeable against the county. A warrant shall not be drawn for a claim, nor shall the claim be paid, until the claim has been audited by the county executive, the county manager, or a designated representative of the county executive or county manager.
[[2) The county executive or county manager may attend meetings of the board of commissioners, and may participate in accordance with the rules of the board, which shall allow for his or her participation.

No where in that wording does it say anything about the county executive having any authority to dictate policy in any city within the county.

[dtowncitylover]

If Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Pleasant Ridge want the light rail to extend into their communities, can LBP do anything about it?

[Detroitnerd]

Every few years, somebody points out that Oakland County is, by income, one of the richest counties in the United States. When was this true? Was it ever true?

[R8RBOB]

If Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Pleasant Ridge want the light rail to extend into their communities, can LBP do anything about it?

Yes he could since the roads are under his control.

[iheartthed]

Every few years, somebody points out that Oakland County is, by income, one of the richest counties in the United States. When was this true? Was it ever true?

No, it was never the richest county in the U.S. The most it has been is the second "richest" county of those with more than 1 million residents [[always second to Manhattan). It has since slid to somewhere in the bottom half of the top 10 of that category.

[Novine]

"Yes he could since the roads are under his control."

No. Road Commission for Oakland County, if it's a county road. Woodward is a state trunkline.

[R8RBOB]

"Yes he could since the roads are under his control."

No. Road Commission for Oakland County, if it's a county road. Woodward is a state trunkline.

Oops, you're right......the Oakland Co. board of Commissioners appoint a Road Commissioner to maintain the roads. Since the appointment is by the Commissioners then this applies:

[[a) Supervise, direct, and control the functions of the departments of the county except those headed by elected officials.

[DetroitPlanner]

Oops, you're right......the Oakland Co. board of Commissioners appoint a Road Commissioner to maintain the roads. Since the appointment is by the Commissioners then this applies:

[[a) Supervise, direct, and control the functions of the departments of the county except those headed by elected officials.

Woodward is still a State Trunkline [[M-1). Novine omitted that this means it falls unders MDOT's jurisdicion. The County, nor does the road commission own Woodward any more than I or you do.

[royce]

As I read this entire thread I got to thinking that all of the bickering between suburbs and city might be resolved if we just consolidate. No more bickering.

[Hermod]

As I read this entire thread I got to thinking that all of the bickering between suburbs and city might be resolved if we just consolidate. No more bickering.

If consolidation had taken place in the 1950s, there never would have been a Coleman Young.

[shovelhead]

EastsideAl,
Time dims memory, it's been almost 40 years ago, but at the time there were articles in the Free Press or the News, can't remember which one though. There was a leak regarding the tri-county cross district busing and the schools "exchanged". IIRC North Farmington was with Chadsey or Osborn, again can't remember which one. If the archives could be searched, this should have been in the papers in the early months of 1971.

[Hermod]

EastsideAl,
Time dims memory, it's been almost 40 years ago, but at the time there were articles in the Free Press or the News, can't remember which one though. There was a leak regarding the tri-county cross district busing and the schools "exchanged". IIRC North Farmington was with Chadsey or Osborn, again can't remember which one. If the archives could be searched, this should have been in the papers in the early months of 1971.

I had quite a bit of military meetings with TACOM in Warren at the time and the civil service employees there were all talking of moving out to Imlay City to get beyond the reach of the school consolidation and cross-busing order. I know at least one who did make the move.

[Detroit Stylin]

If consolidation had taken place in the 1950s, there never would have been a Coleman Young.

Nor an L.B. Patterson to fight against the integration of "their" district....

[shovelhead]

I had quite a bit of military meetings with TACOM in Warren at the time and the civil service employees there were all talking of moving out to Imlay City to get beyond the reach of the school consolidation and cross-busing order. I know at least one who did make the move.

I was still in a suburban high school at the time [[2nd senior year, another story) but if it had been implemented it would not have affected me. [[Farmington High)

[gdogslim]

Because Paterson isn't a liberal union puppet who sucks up to the unions.

[R8RBOB]

If consolidation had taken place in the 1950s, there never would have been a Coleman Young.

Instead we would have a Detroit-version of Orville Hubbard.