State of Oakland County

Oakland's Patterson touts 'thoughtful management'

Exec points to balanced budget, high bond rating, future economic impact of med school

Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News

Pontiac -- Oakland County faced a tough year in 2009, but County Executive L. Brooks Patterson vowed that with diversification programs the county has initiated and other measures, Oakland could become "recession-resistant."

"I could dwell on the challenges of '09 or I can talk about how we're positioned to move forward in 2010," Patterson said in his State of the County address Wednesday night.

"There's been enough rearview mirror gazing lately, so let's look ahead." He boasted about the county's Emerging Sectors program, which represents 137 businesses and $1.4 billion in new investment.

"I won't promise you that Oakland County will be recession-proof. But I will argue that through this program of diversifications, Oakland County will become recession-resistant," he said.

Patterson said the county finds itself in a unique position in the United States.

"Oakland County is the only government in America that filed a balanced three-year budget. It's a long-range view of the horizon which gives us plenty of time to make corrections before some distant problem becomes insurmountable. It's thoughtful management versus crisis management," he said.

That three-year budget means the county is in balance for fiscal year 2010, 2011 and 2012. Patterson said his Budget Task Force has already made a deep dive into 2013.

Most of the county's challenges can be fixed with one word: jobs, he said.

Last year, General Motors, once Oakland County's largest employer; and Chrysler, headquartered in Auburn Hills, went bankrupt.

That same year the county saw nearly 8,500 foreclosures and unemployment reached 15.6 percent, higher than the state's 15.2 percent.

"An economy that can create jobs or bring in new investment is one that gets noticed on Wall Street," Patterson said.

He pointed to Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service both awarding Oakland County a coveted AAA bond rating.

"Out of roughly 3,200 counties in the United States, only a couple dozen hold that AAA rating from Wall Street today," he said.

Med school coming

Looking to the future, Patterson pointed to the new medical school to be built in the county.

The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, which earned preliminary accreditation Tuesday, is to be located on the OU campus.

Patterson said OU President Gary Russi estimated the school would create thousands of new jobs and contribute over a billion dollars annually to the economy.

Also in 2010, Patterson said Automation Alley will be opening up a military office within its Troy headquarters now that Lawrence Technological University won a $1.6 million grant to develop armor for military vehicles.

Contest announced

Patterson also announced a contest with his new Economic Growth Alliance called the "OakGov Challenge."

Prize money totaling $10,000 sponsored by AT&T will be awarded to local tech-savvy programmers who create new ideas and applications that could either be published as a Web application on a PC, or as a smart phone application for use on iPhones, the Google Android and others.

Patterson also announced the establishment of the Dennis Toffolo Endowed Scholarship at Oakland Community College.

Toffolo, a deputy county executive, died unexpectedly last May.

Democrat responds

David Woodward, D-Royal Oak, an Oakland County commissioner, said Patterson's speech emphasized positive developments in Oakland County, specifically a new green terminal to be built at the Oakland County Airport.

"Many of the grants he mentioned were made possible by President Obama's stimulus package," Woodward said.

jchambers@detnews.com (734) 462-2289