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Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of joining Warren Evans and Mark Hackel, my friends and counterparts in Wayne and Macomb counties, on the WDIV morning livestream to talk about the region and the issues that we will tackle in the coming year.
The list for all of us was familiar: roads, transit, affordable housing and the struggles facing our residents.
But one section of our discussion stood out for me: regional collaboration.
For a long time, regions like ours competed internally – county against county, city against city. Today, the reality is different. The competition isn’t across 8 Mile or M-59. It’s national. It’s global. And the regions that win are the ones that show up together.
That’s why regional collaboration isn’t a talking point anymore – it’s a strategy.
It’s a point of pride for all three of us now.
We stay in touch and bounce ideas off each other and even when we’re faced with contentious issues where our positions might not align, we’ll pick up the phone and be able to talk it through.
And the best interests of the region are paramount for all of us.
Through efforts like the Detroit Regional Partnership, leaders across Southeast Michigan are choosing to market ourselves as one economy. When we do that, we’re able to attract jobs and investment that no single community could land on its own.
I would often cringe when we used to cheer companies for crossing arbitrary geographic borders into neighboring counties. I always felt that moving a few miles this way or that produced a zero sum gain.
So when companies choose Wayne, Macomb or Oakland counties – instead of Georgia or Ohio or overseas – those wins ripple across county lines, benefiting workers, suppliers, and families throughout Southeast Michigan.
The same is true with the Detroit Regional Defense Coalition. Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, and the City of Detroit are working together to protect critical defense assets, support employers, and position the region as a national leader in defense and aerospace.
These collaborations send a clear message: we’re serious about competing – and we’re doing it together for the benefit of our communities.
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