It’s pretty clear where some of the region’s heavy-hitters in the business community stand on mass transit, especially after a letter sent to the executives signed by nearly three dozen people.

In a letter sent to Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, they line out many of the benefits they see in allowing the regional transit plan by the Regional Transit Authority to come to a vote.

Dated July 27, 2016

Dear Executives Patterson and Hackel:

As leaders of Southeast Michigan’s largest businesses, health systems, colleges, non-profits, and other institutions invested in the future of this region, we are asking you to work through any open issues in the days ahead to ensure that the people of this region have the opportunity to vote on the regional transit plan.

Virtually all of us signing this letter lead regional institutions. Our employees live across the region. Our facilities are located across the region. Our students come from across the region. Our ability to attract and retain talent is tied to what we have to offer as a region. It takes but a glance at successful regions across the nation to know that the issue before us is one of the most important regional issues of our lifetime.

We have come too far, after too long, to see our best shot at regional transit in a generation fall before the people are able to decide.

We appreciate that you have expressed past support for regional transit, and that you want the time to get it right. That time is short, measured in days.

The weight of this moment is great. We are asking you to come to a resolution of the issues you have raised so that the people of this region, as a region, can have the chance to decide on something fundamentally important to our collective future.

Sincerely,

Gerard M. Anderson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DTE Energy

Dennis Archer, Jr., Founding Principal & President, Archer Corporate Services, LLC

Sandy Baruah, President & CEO, Detroit Regional Chamber

John Carter, President, Michigan Middle Market, Chase, J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC

Matt Cullen, President & CEO, Rock Ventures, LLC

Mark Davidoff, Michigan Managing Partner, Deloitte LLP

Bud Denker, Executive Vice President, Penske Corporation

Richard DeVore, Regional President – Detroit and Southeast Michigan, PNC Financial Services Group

Shauna Ryder Diggs, MD, Regent, University of Michigan

David Egner, President & CEO, The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Linda Forte, Senior Vice President, Comerica Incorporated

John T. Fox, President & CEO, Beaumont Health

Dan Gilbert, Founder & Chairman, Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures LLC

J.G. Ted Gillary, Executive Manager, Detroit Athletic Club

Antoine Garibaldi, Ph.D., President, University of Detroit Mercy

Herman B. Gray, MD, MBA, President & CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan

Cindy Hill, DRIVE

Sen. Carl Levin, Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn, LLP

Daniel J. Loepp, President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Florine Mark, President & CEO, The WW Group, Inc.

Jean Meyer, President & CEO, St. John Providence Health System

Patricia E. Mooradian, President, The Henry Ford

Rev. Louise R. Ott, Congregational Church of Birmingham

Heather C. Paquette, Managing Partner, KPMG LLP

Roger S. Penske, Founder & Chairman, Penske Corporation

Cameron H. Piggott, Member, Dykema Gossett PLLC

Rip Rapson, President & CEO, The Kresge Foundation

Michael T. Ritchie, President – Michigan Market, Comerica Bank

Andra Rush, Founder, President & CEO, Rush Group LLC

Nancy M. Schlichting, Chief Executive Officer, Henry Ford Health System

Ramesh (Ray) Telang, Greater Michigan Market Managing Partner, PwC

Brad Simmons, Director, Government and Stakeholder Relations, Ford Motor Company

Mark Wallace, President & CEO, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy

Roy Wilson, President, Wayne State University

Hackel has raised objections that include the entire structure of the RTA, saying that everyone on the board should have veto power. That, however, would require re-opening the legislation that was passed to set up the Regional Transit Authority and Hackel has stated his openness to that. Both executives raised issues about not enough funding staying in Oakland and Macomb County.

From a practical standpoint, sending the process back to the legislature would put the effort close to back at square one.

A vote is scheduled for tomorrow at 1 p.m. to put the issue on the November ballot by the RTA board. August 16 is the ballot deadline for the November election.

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