L. Brooks Patterson is in the final year of his third four-year term as Oakland County Executive. He is seeking re-election in November.

As the Chief Elected Official in one of America’s most affluent counties, Mr. Patterson presides over a half a billion dollar annual budget and a workforce of more than 4,000 employees.

Under Mr. Patterson’s dynamic, visionary and intelligent leadership Oakland County has emerged as a recognized national leader in the development and implementation of 21st century technology, advanced homeland security initiatives and responsible fiscal management policies and practices.

Top 20 Patterson Administration Achievements (1993 – 2004)

1. AAA Bond Rating
In 1998 Oakland County became one of only 20 counties nationwide out of more than 3,000 to receive the coveted AAA bond rating from Wall Street. In awarding the top rating possible, a Moody’s Investors Service Vice President said, “Everything about them (Oakland County) is stellar. From my perspective they are not just better than most counties, they are better than all.” Oakland County has maintained its AAA rating for the past six years, despite challenging economic times. Moody’s reaffirmation of Oakland’s AAA rating is based on “the county’s strong financial position, sound financial management and sustained growth in its tax base.”


2. Automation Alley
Founded by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson in 1998, Automation Alley has grown from 44 original members to more than 500. Now considered southeast Michigan’s premier technology corridor, Automation Alley has been called by Detroit News Business Columnist James Higgins, “One of the most effective brand identity campaigns in the history of Michigan Economic Development.” A Detroit News article (3/28/04) says: “Economic development experts say the Automation Alley brand name has worked and is recognized as a region similar to Silicon Valley, Boston’s Route 128 and North Carolina’s Research Triangle.


3. Business Roundtable
This 125 member blue ribbon panel of business, government and educational leaders was assembled by Mr. Patterson in 1993 to chart Oakland County’s future economic course. Since its inception, the Business Roundtable has been the catalyst for a number of successes including the One Stop Shop for business development and the Pontiac Export Assistance Center. Over the past 11 years, 82% of the Business Roundtable’s recommendations to improve the county’s business climate and quality of life have been implemented.


4. Main Street Oakland
In 1999, Oakland County earned the distinction of becoming the first county in America accepted as a member in the Main Street U.S.A program. Over the past four years, Oakland County has provided assistance to eight cities in revitalizing, rejuvenating and preserving their downtowns. To date Main Street Oakland has generated a total investment of more than $175 million in public/private investments; spawned 242 new businesses; created 1,561 new jobs and constructed 1.2 million square feet of new office space.


5. Trade Missions
Utilizing a three year $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Oakland County sponsored a series of trade missions to China, Germany and Mexico for small to midsize firms. The trade missions netted participating companies some $21 million worth of signed contracts.


6. Technology Programs
Under Mr. Patterson’s visionary leadership Oakland County has become a recognized national leader in the development and implementation of technology programs to assist businesses, local governments and citizens.

Technology Programs Examples:
• Geographic Information System (GIS) converted 440,000 parcels of land from 45,000 individually maintained paper base maps into a single digitized format.

• Enhanced Access (Access Oakland/e-Government) represents 28 online services available to the public that run the gamut from registering an assumed name to requesting a death record, marriage record, birth certificate and applying for a marriage license. More than 36,000 of these and other documents are downloaded monthly representing $750,000 worth of mitigated costs because people don’t have to spend valuable time applying for these documents in person or over the phone.

• Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System (CLEMIS) is a consortium of more than 150 public safety agencies in five counties. High-tech offerings include records management, computer aided dispatch, new interoperable radio communications, mobile data, live scan fingerprint and a 1.5 million photo mug shot system.

• Oak Net – The 380 miles of fiber optic network that provides data links to 150 sites around the county is the brain stem that connects all of the county’s technology programs.

• Video arraignment (Oak Video) provides for live point-to-point or multipoint video communication to courts, jails, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and video conferencing systems worldwide. Oak Video will minimize prisoner transport, mitigating law enforcement costs and redeploy more than 100 police officers back into the community.


7. Senior Prescription Discount Program
Launched by Mr. Patterson in 2000, the Senior Prescription Discount Program targets Oakland County residents, 60 years of age or older, who have no prescription drug coverage. There are currently 23,000 seniors enrolled in the program who are enjoying savings of 15 to 40% on their drug purchases. A study conducted by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B determined Oakland’s prescription savings program to be the best value around.


8. West Nile Prevention Program
On the heels of a disastrous year in 2002 when Oakland County led the state with 20 West Nile Virus deaths, Mr. Patterson directed his Health Division to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with the problem. The plan stressed personal responsibility such as wearing long shirts and pants at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active, using mosquito repellant containing DEET and removing standing water from property, while also advocating focused spraying in green areas and eliminating mosquito larvae in storm drains and catch basins. As a result of these efforts and some good luck Oakland County did not record a single West Nile Virus death in 2003.


9. Food Manager’s Certification Program
In the wake of two Hepatitis A outbreaks in 1997 and 1999, the Patterson Administration initiated a Food Manager’s Certification Program to protect the health of citizens. The program required all of the county’s 3,800 restaurants to employ at least one individual certified as a Food Service Manager within five years.

10. Emergency Response and Preparedness
Following the attacks on America in September 2001, Mr. Patterson ordered a complete overhaul and enhancement of Oakland County’s Emergency Response and Preparedness Division. As a result, Oakland County now has 200 fully trained and certified Hazardous Materials Technicians and five Mutual Aid Response Teams ready to respond to an emergency any time and anywhere in the county. In addition, the Health Division has developed and implemented a Health Emergency Response Plan tailor-made to handling biological, radiological, chemical, natural disaster or terrorists events.


11. National Veteran’s Cemetery
Partly as a result of Mr. Patterson’s lobbying efforts, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs selected a 544 acre site in Holly Township as the location for the new Great Lakes National Cemetery. When completed, the cemetery will accommodate the end of life needs for 460,000 veterans and their families who live within 75 miles of the site. Burials are expected to begin in mid 2005. The only other national cemetery in Michigan is located at Ft. Custer in Battle Creek.


12. Arts, Beats and Eats
County Executive Patterson was the founder and catalyst for this four day art, food and entertainment funfest held over the Labor Day weekend in downtown Pontiac annually since 1998. Arts, Beats and Eats has emerged as one of the top 20 summertime attractions in the nation. Attendance has grown from around 400,000 in the inaugural year to 1.3 million in 2003.


13. Count Your Steps
Mr. Patterson came up with this five week pedometer walking program in 2004 to help stem the rising tide of childhood obesity. Count Your Steps involves more than 28,000 third and fourth grade students in Oakland County’s public, private and charter schools. No taxpayer funds are used for the program. Funding is provided by Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield, General Motors, POH Medical Center, Flagstar Bank and WJR.


14. Emerging Sectors
In an effort to replace the nearly 175,000 lost Michigan jobs, Mr. Patterson launched this project to identify the ten most promising business sectors and the top ten companies within each sector worldwide. Mr. Patterson, along with political and business leaders from around the state, will try to recruit these international companies to Michigan and Oakland County.


15. Senior Citizen Coordinator
To accommodate the needs of a growing senior population, Mr. Patterson created the new position of Senior Citizen Coordinator. Since assuming her duties, Lynn Alexander has developed a quarterly senior newsletter which has a circulation of 50,000. She also worked closely with the Health Division to spread the West Nile prevention message to the county’s senior population which is most vulnerable to the disease.


16. Taxpayer Savings
Since 1993, the Patterson Administration has privatized 10 services including medical, cafeteria and janitorial services at the Medical Care Facility. Also privatized – Sheriff’s Civil Division and food services at the jail along with court summons services and bump shop at the garage. Total savings of privatization is about $3.7 million annually. The merger of the Department of Public Works and the Drain Office in 1993 saved an initial $2 million. Streamlining of the county car fleet eliminated 80 vehicles and reduced overnight assignments of 95 other vehicles for a savings of $2.1 million. A new Defined Contribution Retirement Plan initiated in 1995 was estimated to save the county more than $24 million. A Deferred Retirement Buyout Plan which 400 employees accepted in 1995 was projected to save the county $23 million over a 30 year period.


17. Employee Suggestion Program
Recognizing that he didn’t have all the answers to make county government more efficient and cost effective, Mr. Patterson tapped into the intellectual capital of county employees by creating the Employee Suggestion Program. Over the past 11 years the ideas submitted by Oakland County employees to the Employee Suggestion Program have saved taxpayers more than $3.5 million. Prizes awarded to employees with the best suggestions are funded by his annual golf outing. No taxpayer dollars are used.

18. Casual Day Fund
Since 1993, employees have been allowed to “dress down” on Fridays in return for contributing at least one dollar to the Casual Day Fund. More than $400,000 has been distributed to local charities during the holiday season each year since 1993. A number of “special” days have been held over the years including one for a Pontiac man who lost his entire family in a tragic house fire and another for a county employee who encountered mounting medical bills in the wake of a bone marrow transplant and a series of operations to remove brain tumors.


19. Campus Improvements
On Mr. Patterson’s watch a new west wing extension to the courthouse was completed, South and West Oakland Service Centers were opened to better accommodate citizens in those parts of the county, a new Medical Examiner’s building was constructed, 80 acres of land adjacent to the main complex were aquired for future development and a new jail work release facility was built. All of this was accomplished while rolling back the county millage rate to the second lowest in the state.


20. Oakland County $7 Prescription Relief Program
On May 11, 2004 Mr. Patterson launched a first-of-its-kind in Michigan Prescription Relief Program targeting Oakland County’s estimated 82,000 working poor. Under the Oakland County $7 Prescription Relief Program those who qualify will pay $7 prescription per month for each maintenance prescription purchased. Eligible participants cannot be covered by Medicaid, earn more than $16,000 for individuals or $25,000 for couples or have insurance with prescription coverage. A $25 initial application fee is required. There are currently more than 140 pharmaceutical companies participating in the Prescription Relief Program that offer over 1,300 brand name and generic drugs.


Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson appreciates the tremendous
support he has received from his many friends and constituents over the years.
He looks forward to serving the citizens of Oakland County to the best of his ability during the next four years, so that he can continue the job he was elected to do. Brooks Patterson will never betray the trust the citizens of Oakland County have placed in him."

Contact L. Brooks Patterson: E-Mail: carmentalbot@comcast.net
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Visit Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson's Web site at: http://www.co.oakland.mi.us/exec/



This Web page paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect L. Brooks Patterson.

(photos courtesy of L. Brooks Patterson)


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