April 17, 2023
Bi-Weekly Executive Newsletter
Earth Day tree-planting in Royal Oak in 2022
Dear Friends,
Some of the most celebrated poets in history took inspiration from nature and the environment we inhabit every day.
Elizabeth Oakes Smith wrote about the “sweet surprise of April,” or Alfred Tennyson mused on the rivers that “chatter and slip and slide and gloom and glance,” or Henry David Thoreau’s yearning for the “Tonic of wilderness,” or instructing us to “resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
Those evocative words were written long before Earth Day was ever conceived or celebrated for the first time on April 22, 1970, but they helped give voice to a movement that put a fresh spotlight on the need to protect and preserve the environment.
I have taken those words to heart, as a student, a county commissioner, a mayor and now as county executive. It’s what inspired me to put a priority on environmental sustainability, on clean water and air and on fighting the devastating effects of climate change by committing to ending greenhouse gas emissions in the county by 2050.
We’re making progress on our goals of maintaining and promoting livable, clean and safe neighborhoods, where we are ensuring clean air by beginning to replace some of our fleet with electric vehicles and helping communities plan for and map out EV charging stations. We’re protecting clean drinking water by helping our communities plan for improvements to water systems, removing and replacing lead pipes and disconnecting from leaking septic tanks that pollute our groundwater.
You, the voters of Oakland County, helped us take a huge step forward last year when you approved a millage that will help us provide public transit across the county that will provide cleaner transportation alternatives for our residents.
And we’re growing our green footprint in the county by investing $20 million in expanding and improving 10 parks in the county’s system of parks, providing more equitable access in our more densely populated areas.
We all can participate in activities this month to acknowledge and celebrate Earth Day and do our part to have a positive impact on the environment. We can start with small gestures like planting native species and plants that attract butterflies, hummingbirds and pollinating bees, or taking a bag along on your evening walks to pick up litter in yards and roadways or stopping the use of pesticides or chemicals in the garden.
In Oakland County, we are thinking about sustainability every day, not just in April or on Earth Day or Arbor Day. Because Henry David Thoreau’s words in “Walden,” are as relevant today as they were in 1854: “We can never have enough of nature.”
With gratitude,
Dave Coulter Oakland County Executive
Coulter Hires Veteran Transit Planner Eli Cooper as Oakland County’s First Transit Manager
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter has named a talented transportation manager with more than 35 years of professional transportation planning, programming, and policy experience as the county’s first transit manager. Eli Cooper will oversee the implementation of countywide public transportation made possible by Oakland County voters who approved a $68 million transit millage last November.
“Eli is recognized as an innovative and experienced transportation leader with a proven track record of leading the development and implementation of new ideas and programs,” Coulter said. “He has the background and know-how to help lead Oakland County through the next steps of making public transportation available in all four corners of the county.”
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John Bry, Main Street Oakland County Program Coordinator, Honored with National Main Street Leadership Award
At their national conference in Boston, Main Street America announced that John Bry, Program Coordinator at Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) in Michigan, is the 2023 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient. This award is the organization's top honor recognizing individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the field of comprehensive preservation-based economic development and commercial district revitalization. The award amplifies the critical role that leaders play in shaping the Main Street Movement.
"Our Main Street communities provide the unique environments that make our downtowns vibrant and lively," said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. "When it comes to attracting and keeping businesses and residents actively engaged in their communities, John Bry and Main Street Oakland County are playing vital roles in improving the distinctive nature in the county's town centers."
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