By Jennie Miller
C & G Staff Writer

OAKLAND COUNTY —  Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence formally announced her bid for the position of Oakland County Executive, taking on the long-standing leadership of L. Brooks Patterson, during a press conference May 9 on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester.

“I’m rolling my sleeves up today. We’re gonna win this race,” Lawrence said, adding that challenging times call for a new era in Oakland County.

Lawrence’s vision, which she said is in contrast to that of her competitor, includes plans for mass transportation, a focus on regionalization and improving quality of life, while staying lean and trim financially.

“We aren’t just committed to protecting the quality of life that we expect and deserve, we’re going to raise the bar,” Lawrence told the crowd of supporters. “To survive, we must change. We have to find ways for the first time in our history to do more with less, to be the most efficient, the tightest-ran ship you can find.”

The crowd that gathered at the Oakland Center included county and nationally elected officials, including Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods; and Rep. Marie Donigan, D-Royal Oak; along with Oakland County Board of Commissioners members Eric Coleman, D-Southfield; Vince Gregory, D-Southfield; Dave Woodward, D-Royal Oak; Dave Coulter, D-Ferndale; and Mattie Hatchett, D-Pontiac.

“This is beyond Democrat or Republican, this is about new ideas,” said Woodward, chairman of the Oakland County Democratic Party. “Unprecedented challenges require a new vision and new ideas. When a woman of the caliber of Brenda Lawrence stepped forward … no one was more excited than myself. There is no question in my mind that she is up for the task.”

Other county officials pledged their support for the mayor.

“I’m excited,” Coulter said. “She’s the strongest candidate we’ve run for county executive in decades. If anyone can beat L. Brooks Patterson, Brenda Lawrence can. She wants to be a partner in southeast Michigan, and not an obstacle, and that’s important. I think she’s the right leader to move these regional issues forward.”

Patterson has served the county for four consecutive terms, first elected in 1992. If Lawrence succeeds in November, she will not only be the first woman to hold the office, but the first African-American as well.

“I think she has an excellent chance,” Gregory said. “The issues she brings forward resonate with all the county residents. Brooks has done a good job; you can’t take that from him. But there’s a lot of things he’s missed the boat on … and it’s time for change.”

Patterson, who has run unopposed in the past, was interested to hear of his new competition.

“But if it’s going to be Brenda Lawrence … I know her. She’s a friend. I think it’ll be a civil campaign,” Patterson said.

Patterson maintains every confidence that he will win his fifth election this fall, but he’s not going to just sit back and watch in the meantime.

“The public knows I’ve worked hard the last 16 years,” Patterson said. “I’m going to run on my record. My record will support my campaign.”

While largely unfamiliar with what issues Lawrence will base her campaign on, Patterson did comment on her push for mass transportation.

“Everybody favors mass transportation,” he said. “But where’s she going to get the money to pay for it? She doesn’t have a plan. She favors the concept. It’s easy to favor the concept. We’ve got to see a plan.”

Lawrence has served as mayor of Southfield since 2001, leading a community of some 80,000 residents, 9,000 businesses and 26 million square feet of office space, along with a daytime population of nearly 175,000, 700 acres of parkland and a balanced city budget of $118 million.

“I and the city of Southfield have one-third of all the businesses in Oakland County,” Lawrence boasted. “And the largest business address in the state of Michigan.”

Lawrence has 15 years of experience as an elected official, having served on the Southfield City Council and the Southfield Board of Education before being elected mayor seven years ago. Born and raised in Detroit, she graduated from Pershing High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in public administration from Central Michigan University.

Comparing the anticipated battle between herself and Patterson to that of a boxing match, Lawrence said it’s the experience and training brought into the ring that will determine the winner, not the words that are slung during the battle.

“It’s going to be a competitive race,” she said. “I plan on knocking this one out.”

For more information on the campaign, visit www.brendalawrence.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennie Miller at jmiller@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1108.