The Big Four

I know it has traditionally been a headline grabber but the Detroit Regional Chamber needs to retire the Big Four session it does at Mackinac, at least temporarily.  Until the key players or issues change significantly, bringing Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, and Macomb County Commission Chairman William Crouchman together for this annual forum has outlived its usefulness.  Like an old pair of shoes, there are too many holes in the sole of this show.

I interviewed Patterson right after the meeting and the frustration was all over his face.  I’ve known the colorful Oakland County executive for many years and he has always been a straight-shooter with the media.  My latest conversation with him was no different.  He candidly admitted that he was in a re-election campaign with an African American opponent who he can’t take for granted, especially when Senator Barack Obama is running so strongly for the U.S. Presidency.  And to complicate matters, Brooks was sharing the stage with a big city African American  mayor charged with multiple felonies.  Patterson was clearly in an uncomfortable position.  As he said, “I couldn’t be myself.”   Ironically, its better he wasn’t.  If he had said the wrong thing, even in good-natured fun, challenger Brenda Lawrence might have used it against him in this year’s campaign and staunch Kilpatrick supporters could have used it as a wedge issue to divide Detroit and its suburbs even further apart. 

Time for a new idea!

Cobo Hall

Enough talk!  I offer one comment only.  As they say in Texas, “Get ‘er done!”  before we see a banner in Chicago that reads:  “The Windy City Welcomes the North American International Auto Show.”

The Future

The brightest stars at this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference were Lou Glazer (Michigan Future Inc.), Phil Powers (Center for Michigan), Paul Hillegonds (DTE Energy), Bruce Tulgan (Rainmaker Thinking, Inc.), and the Chamber’s new Fusion group of young leaders.  If we don’t give all of them a bigger role in shaping Michigan’s future, then shame on those of us who live in Southeast Michigan!