I delivered my fifth State of the County address last night and the good wishes and gracious reception I received from the crowd at The Hawk Community Center in Farmington Hills was another reminder of how honored I am to serve the residents of Oakland County.
This year’s theme – “Our Strength. Our Purpose. Our People.” – was a nod to what we do in Oakland County, how our values and priorities drive our service and the remarkable people of the county, both the 5,000-plus employees who work here and the residents who live here.
Our strength lies in our ability to address issues head-on, find solutions to problems and provide excellent services to our residents.
Our purpose is to provide support at every corner to ensure people are living their best lives and businesses have the tools they need to succeed.
And our people are compassionate, creative and dedicated to their families and communities.
Let me give you some examples of our strength:
- We have balanced budgets, healthy reserves and an AAA bond rating.
- We support our residents in need with programs like Oakland SAVES, which offered a total of $5million in grants for energy efficiency improvements to their homes.
- We, along with voters, approved a countywide transit millage that is already paying dividends with expanded routes, hours and ridership in all corners of the county.
Our purpose is to be a true public servant and offer resources and programs that can help our residents and businesses succeed and thrive, including:
- Establishing a $20 million Housing Trust Fund that is increasing the stock of affordable housing options in the county. We know this will help us grow our population and attract the young people who will fuel the county’s economy. We’ve invested in affordable housing projects across the county, including a neighborhood in Rochester Hills that includes housing for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
- Providing education and training for our residents so that they can gain a college degree or certified training that will lead to a good-paying job and successful career. We’re expanding the program into our high schools so that students who frankly didn’t think that college was an option know that it is within reach.
- Supporting our small businesses with coaching, access to local, state and federal resources and workshops on everything from social media and marketing to financial business plans.
Our people are dedicated and passionate about public service. Here are a few you should know:
- Stephen Rideout, an attorney for the county’s Clean Slate program, has helped nearly 650 people get their non-violent records expunged giving them a second chance at getting a good job or buying a house.
- Beth Hella, a public health nurse, is helping parents with children who have severe special medical needs manage their care and navigate complicated bureaucracies.
- Brooklyn Frontiera, our training and development director of Workforce Development, is doing such a great job at getting high school students excited about potential careers and their future.
Lastly, there is such love and respect for Dr. Calandra Green, the Oakland County Health Officer who we tragically lost last year, that we’re collaborating with Oakland University to start a scholarship fund named in her honor and used for nursing students.
I just wanted to share some highlights from the speech. But if you missed it last night, you can learn more and watch the replay here: OakGov.com/SOTC.
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