Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chair Don Brown, Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell and Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair David T. Woodward (left to right) came together on October 4 at the 16th Tri-County Summit to work toward solutions on regional issues.
Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne county legislators met Monday at MacRay Harbor in Harrison Township for the 16th Tri-County Summit. Attendees received an update on progress toward regional goals on improving the behavioral health continuum of care, and they explored new ways to collaborate on sustainability and public transit.
“This annual summit is one of the ways that we, collectively as county leaders, can step forward to address shared challenges,” said Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chair Don Brown (R-Washington Twp.). “One example is the recent trend of heavy rain events that swamped our existing infrastructure causing environmental and economic damage, affecting our constituents. This calls for further investments in our stormwater management systems to minimize the damage. I am lucky to work together with Wayne County Chair Bell and Oakland County Chair Woodward. They understand that these issues aren’t partisan, and we are working jointly to bring state and federal dollars to our region to get these problems addressed.”
With the continued theme of “Moving Forward. Moving Together,” participants continued to develop ways to work together to improve and learned about a recently approved joint flooding resiliency study between the Great Lakes Water Authority and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
“Collaborative efforts always produce more efficient and effective results, and the Tri-County Summit continues to be a valuable platform for county leaders to refine our goals and further strengthen our partnership on key issues,” said Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair David T. Woodward (D-Royal Oak). “Our joint efforts to make the region more sustainable, increase accessible and reliable public transit across the counties, and continue our work toward improving mental health care in the justice system proves how much we can accomplish when the connection between our counties is strong.”
The first panel discussion of the day featured Erin Quetell, Oakland County environmental sustainability officer; Erin Kelly, Wayne County sustainability officer; and Lindsey Kerkez, a civil engineer with SEMCOG’s Southeast Michigan Healthy Climate Plan, sharing ideas for the most effective ways the counties can work together to improve sustainability across the region. During this session, moderated by Nick Monacelli from WDIV, panelists explored efforts and programming being undertaken by each county to address these concerns.
“This year’s event again shows the benefits the Tri-County Summit brings to residents of all three counties,” said Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell (D-Detroit). “The issues discussed – from behavioral health issues, to flooding and from sustainability to the future of public transit affect residents in all of our counties and actually cross county lines. So, a regional approach like this is the best possible strategy in dealing with them. It’s a pleasure to meet with our peers from Oakland and Macomb, especially Chairs Woodward and Brown, and to work seriously with them on finding solutions.”
Additionally, Carol Cain, Emmy award-winning producer and host of “Michigan Matters,” moderated a panel that featured key stakeholders in the tri-county regional transportation space. G. Michael Staley, director of the Detroit Department of Transportation; Dwight A. Ferrell, general manager of SMART; and Ben Stupka, executive director of the Regional Transit Authority, held a dynamic discussion about current challenges and future solutions for the regional transit system. Topics included accessibility, sustainability and innovative approaches to improve public transportation.
Finally, attendees heard from David Schuld of Hagerty Consulting regarding the importance of readiness and resilience in the face of emerging threats and hazards.
At the conclusion of the event, the three county chairs pledged to mutually advocate for funding on all of these initiatives. They committed to come together again in 2025 in Oakland County to continue to expand their joint efforts on these and other regional concerns.
The Tri-County Summit was first hosted in 1998 to create a forum to identify common issues for cooperative action. Previous topics have included mental health, criminal justice, broadband equity, economic development and regional quality of life.
For additional information about the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, visit OakGov.com/BOC
“This annual summit is one of the ways that we, collectively as county leaders, can step forward to address shared challenges,” said Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chair Don Brown (R-Washington Twp.). “One example is the recent trend of heavy rain events that swamped our existing infrastructure causing environmental and economic damage, affecting our constituents. This calls for further investments in our stormwater management systems to minimize the damage. I am lucky to work together with Wayne County Chair Bell and Oakland County Chair Woodward. They understand that these issues aren’t partisan, and we are working jointly to bring state and federal dollars to our region to get these problems addressed.”
With the continued theme of “Moving Forward. Moving Together,” participants continued to develop ways to work together to improve and learned about a recently approved joint flooding resiliency study between the Great Lakes Water Authority and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
“Collaborative efforts always produce more efficient and effective results, and the Tri-County Summit continues to be a valuable platform for county leaders to refine our goals and further strengthen our partnership on key issues,” said Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair David T. Woodward (D-Royal Oak). “Our joint efforts to make the region more sustainable, increase accessible and reliable public transit across the counties, and continue our work toward improving mental health care in the justice system proves how much we can accomplish when the connection between our counties is strong.”
The first panel discussion of the day featured Erin Quetell, Oakland County environmental sustainability officer; Erin Kelly, Wayne County sustainability officer; and Lindsey Kerkez, a civil engineer with SEMCOG’s Southeast Michigan Healthy Climate Plan, sharing ideas for the most effective ways the counties can work together to improve sustainability across the region. During this session, moderated by Nick Monacelli from WDIV, panelists explored efforts and programming being undertaken by each county to address these concerns.
“This year’s event again shows the benefits the Tri-County Summit brings to residents of all three counties,” said Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell (D-Detroit). “The issues discussed – from behavioral health issues, to flooding and from sustainability to the future of public transit affect residents in all of our counties and actually cross county lines. So, a regional approach like this is the best possible strategy in dealing with them. It’s a pleasure to meet with our peers from Oakland and Macomb, especially Chairs Woodward and Brown, and to work seriously with them on finding solutions.”
Additionally, Carol Cain, Emmy award-winning producer and host of “Michigan Matters,” moderated a panel that featured key stakeholders in the tri-county regional transportation space. G. Michael Staley, director of the Detroit Department of Transportation; Dwight A. Ferrell, general manager of SMART; and Ben Stupka, executive director of the Regional Transit Authority, held a dynamic discussion about current challenges and future solutions for the regional transit system. Topics included accessibility, sustainability and innovative approaches to improve public transportation.
Finally, attendees heard from David Schuld of Hagerty Consulting regarding the importance of readiness and resilience in the face of emerging threats and hazards.
At the conclusion of the event, the three county chairs pledged to mutually advocate for funding on all of these initiatives. They committed to come together again in 2025 in Oakland County to continue to expand their joint efforts on these and other regional concerns.
The Tri-County Summit was first hosted in 1998 to create a forum to identify common issues for cooperative action. Previous topics have included mental health, criminal justice, broadband equity, economic development and regional quality of life.
For additional information about the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, visit OakGov.com/BOC
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