June 23, 2022
Bi-Weekly Executive Newsletter
Dear Friends,
Over the weekend, I participated in several Juneteenth events and came away both inspired by the celebrations and grateful that the day provided the opportunity to reflect on the significance of this day in history that officially ended the dark chapter of slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth was the day in 1865 when the emancipation order signed by President Abraham Lincoln prohibiting human enslavement was officially enforced in Texas, the last state to recognize the order. I wholeheartedly endorsed and supported the proposal to officially designate the day as an official county holiday. The Board of Commissioners agreed and approved that designation.
Making Juneteenth a federal, state and county holiday signifies the importance of the day to all Americans, not just Black people, because Black history is American history and without acknowledging all its beauty and ugliness, our full history is not being told.
Even though Juneteenth has passed, I hope it provided the time for education about our nation’s history and the impacts that slavery has had on generations of Black people.
In Michigan, we have a rich history of action surrounding the abolishment of slavery. The state’s first constitution, written in 1837, included a prohibition of slavery. More than 90,000 Michiganders, including 1,600 black soldiers fought for the Union forces during the Civil War even though the battles were waged far from our borders.
Oakland County is home to several spots on the vast Underground Railroad network, including Walled Lake, Pontiac, Orchard Lake and Farmington, where slaves received safe harbor and help with their escape to Canada.
Juneteenth represents such an important milestone in America’s history. It represents resistance, resilience and the joy that freedom brings. But there still is much work left to be done to ensure the fight for justice continues.
With gratitude,
David Coulter
Oakland County Executive
Service Highlight of the week, Water Residential Assistance Program
Some Oakland County residents who receive their water through the Great Lakes Water Authority System may be eligible for assistance with their water bills.
The Water Resources Commissioner’s office is helping administer the “Water Residential Assistance Program,” which provides eligible residents with help reducing water bills and paying past due balances.
Eligible residents must live in a GLWA member community, be the person responsible for paying the water bill, live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and own or rent your home.
For more information on the program, go to www.WayneMetro.org/WRAP.
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Deputy County Executive recognized for Change Management
April Lynch, Deputy County Executive, was recognized as a top Human Resources executive by Crain’s Detroit Business’ in its annual “Excellence in HR” edition.
She was chosen as the winner of the “Managing Change” category after taking on the role of Deputy Executive in charge of Human Resources as the county transitioned to the administration of County Executive David Coulter after the 2019 death of former County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.
“The new county executive, former Ferndale mayor David Coulter, brought new ideas and philosophies. It was Lynch’s job to help county employees adjust to these changes,” Crain’s wrote.
Lynch was cited for her role in directing the county’s workforce of more than 5,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which required remote work for many employees, transitioning a portion of the HR department into a hotline response center for employees and residents and dealing with a wave of employee retirements. She also is the chief negotiator for 10 unions.
Lynch, who was the city manager of Ferndale before coming to Oakland County, received a bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University and a MBA from Baker College.
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 County offering pediatric COVID vaccines
After approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the county will be offering COVID-19 vaccines for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old at Oakland County’s health clinics in Pontiac and Southfield.
Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, visit OaklandCountyVaccine.com or call the Oakland County Nurse on Call hotline at 848-5533.
“Oakland County parents will have many options where they can vaccinate their children to protect them against COVID,” Oakland County Health Officer Calandra Green said. “The Health Division is among hundreds of providers throughout the county administering COVID vaccine to our youngest residents including pediatricians, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and other locations beginning this week.”
Doses for all ages are available at the North Oakland Health Center, 1200 North Telegraph, Building 34E, in Pontiac and the South Oakland Health Center, 27725 Greenfield Road., in Southfield from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. For more information or to register for an appointment, go to OaklandCountyVaccine.com.
Veterans Services offering jobs and resource fairs for veterans
Oakland County Veterans’ Services department will offer a resource fair from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, June 30 at the county’s Executive Office Building, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford.
The fair will provide:
- Free non-perishable food boxes
- A community Health Clinic that includes scheduling for free dental appointments
- Registration help for the Detroit VA healthcare system
- Free haircuts
- Information and Claims assistance regarding veteran benefits
- $50 Meijer gift cards
- Housing Counseling
- Health screening, including behavioral health
- Help with career planning, training programs and job search resources.
For more information, contact Tyrone Jordan at jordant@oakgov.com or 248-285-8016
 Help us Serve You
At Oakland County, we are continually trying to improve the delivery of services and programs, including on our website. We’re undergoing a revamp of the county’s website – oakgov.com – and we’re looking for feedback from you. Is it easy to navigate? Is the content relevant? What more (or less) would you like to see? We want to hear it all.
The county’s website is the first way that many of our residents learn of the services and programs we offer, so we want to make the best first, second and last impression we can. Please take a moment to fill out the questionnaire at this link, so we can improve the look, content and the ease of navigation of the website.
Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7JHXNSY
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