This week marks the beginning of my tenure as Executive Director of SEMCOG. As we move forward, I am humbled to begin my tenure on the strong foundation built by those who ran this organization before me. I especially want to thank Kathleen Lomako, who retired last week and wish her the best in the next phase of her life.
I’d like to begin this new chapter with a request. I’m asking you to lean into Southeast Michigan.
What do I mean by that? This year has been very challenging for all of us and for a variety of reasons – losing loved ones to COVID, living with restrictions on our daily lives, reckoning with racial and social justice, being thrust into new ways to educate our children, and on and on. While it would be easier for many of us to get swept up in the fog of uncertainty and distrust, our region needs us working together now more than ever. Our strength has been and continues to be when we unite to meet the needs for all people of Southeast Michigan. Instead of pulling us apart, our diverse perspectives strengthen the common ground that will lead us to a better future.
I am proud that during all this uncertainty, we continue to do our part as an organization in moving forward. We had record turnout and participation at our virtual General Assembly last month. Our members engaged and spoke clearly on the issues that bind us together. We heard from you on the importance of providing broadband for all people, maintaining our legacy of leadership in the future of transportation and mobility, leveraging the strength of our unified voice on legislative priorities, and evolving our economic development strategy to adapt to challenging times and to integrate both health and equity.
We heard you, and we are responding.
We are working to understand future travel patterns and the demographic outlook for the region. We are collecting data on underground infrastructure to understand the condition of that system we cannot see. We are building new online tools, such as our broadband maps, to initiate and inform important policy discussions. We continue to promote traffic safety to the public with our Walk.Bike.Drive. Safe campaign, and we continue to adapt our One Water campaign to respond to the pandemic. We engage our membership through small group discussions, virtual roundtables, SEMCOG Universities, and a membership satisfaction survey. We are successfully initiating conversations on important transportation projects, including the I-375 project. We are monitoring and making recommendations on the impact of COVID on the future of transportation, telework, and the economy. We have convened and continued the work of our Executive Committee, Transportation Coordinating Council, Legislative Task Force, Economic Development Task Force, and General Assembly remotely.
While much work has been done, more is needed. We can and must do more. Today I am asking you all to lean into Southeast Michigan. There’s more to be done, but we are always better together. As the new Executive Director, I will continue to lean into Southeast Michigan. I hope you will join me.
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