Reflections on 2020

The calendar says it has only been nine months since March, but it feels much longer. Fittingly, my “year” as Chairperson of SEMCOG, which started in July 2019 was supposed to last the customary 12 months, is now in its 18th month. After some necessary adjustments to our schedule due to the pandemic, we look forward to the election of our new leadership at the March 18, 2021 General Assembly meeting. I personally could not be more thrilled to pass the gavel to my colleague and friend, Brenda Jones, Detroit City Council President.

One privilege of my unexpected term extension is additional time to reflect on our collective efforts to sustain and enhance quality of life in Southeast Michigan. When I became Chair, I was very aware of the unique role SEMCOG provides for its Education members. As a SEMCOG delegate representing Macomb ISD, this is very important to me.

Many regional councils do not offer the same opportunities to participate in regional planning and collaboration. SEMCOG recognizes that a strong region requires strong relationships, and a strong future must prioritize educational opportunities that meet the needs of our people and our economy.

This year has turned education (along with everything else) on its head. At a time when difficult challenges demand creative solutions on a rushed timeline, the prescience of an organization that brings peers together has never been clearer to me. As educators and local government officials have been forced to pivot to new ways of doing things, SEMCOG has been with us each step of the way.

Because SEMCOG staff members work with local communities on a daily basis, they understand our needs and the demands we face. When the pandemic hit, they knew those demands would be amplified and made sure that services continued without interruption. As SEMCOG staff quickly adapted to new, challenging circumstances to continue supporting us, they helped us to do the same for our constituents. In addition to providing the data and expertise upon which we rely, they helped to keep us connected to one another. In this difficult year, it has been more important than ever to have easy access to the robust network and forum for peer learning that SEMCOG provides.

While it feels impossible to remark on all the significant work done at SEMCOG this year, here are just a few highlights.

Economic Development

The SEMCOG/MAC Economic Development Task Force officially kicked off in February, about a month before the pandemic hit our region. Led by its phenomenal co-chairs, City of Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp and Flagstar Bank President and CEO Allesandro DiNello, the task force didn’t miss a beat. New data resources and analysis also revealed that the Great Recession did not impact all jobs and workers equally, and neither has COVID-19. As a public health crisis not seen in our lifetime intersected with broader understanding of basic societal inequities, this task force has continued its work to develop policies that are reflective of where our region’s economy was, where it is now, and how to get where it needs to go.

As the task force continues its work on a new Economic Development Strategy to be unveiled in 2021, I encourage you to visit SEMCOG’s Economic Trends page. In addition to the Economic Indicators tool, which measures annual changes in a range of factors, it also features a new High-Frequency Economic Dashboard with measures that focus on the business climate, labor market, and quality of place; however, they are updated more frequently.

Transportation

The transportation planning process administered by SEMCOG is critical to Southeast Michigan’s ability to make needed investments in our roads, bridges, transit systems, walking and biking amenities, and much more. The Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program are responsible for more than $40 billion of investments in our region. Allocating resources on that scale to a region as large and diverse as ours is no easy task. This is why I am incredibly proud that this organization underwent a very successful Federal Certification Review in 2020. Officials from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have confirmed what we already knew: SEMCOG’s dedication to a transparent and data-driven transportation planning process is serving our region incredibly well.

Legislative Advocacy

As local government officials, we function in significant relation to the decisions made at the state and federal levels. It is essential that we have a strong voice in Lansing and in Washington, D.C. to represent the common interests of our region. Under the leadership of Chairperson Jason Morgan, Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, and Vice Chair Theresa Rich, Trustee for Oakland Schools, SEMCOG’s Legislative Policy Platform Task Force had an extremely smooth and productive dialog and produced an excellent product. While we do not have to look far to find division and gridlock in the legislative process, SEMCOG’s 2021-2022 Legislative Policy Platform was crafted in a bipartisan, collegial spirit. In addition to a set of common-sense policy recommendations, this platform features data resources that illustrate the veracity of these recommendations. SEMCOG will work with our state and federal partners to turn these recommendations into reality.

Underground Infrastructure

My career was in Public Works, and now I spend a lot of time working on education. Most people can tell you when a road needs to be repaired, but how well do we really understand the condition of our water infrastructure? It exists beneath the road, and it is typically just as old and just as in need of attention. SEMCOG’s Infrastructure Asset Management Program has provided an opportunity for our entire region to develop a more comprehensive appraisal of underground assets, which will position us to make wise investments and compete for needed funds. While my affinity for sound water and road infrastructure investment might be predictable for a DPW guy, this year has also highlighted something we already knew: access to broadband is absolutely critical to our education and economic needs. SEMCOG’s Broadband Availability and Usage map can help us to identify where the greatest needs are so we can improve access to this essential service.

This is just a taste of what has been an eventful year at SEMCOG. I encourage you to keep tabs on SEMCOG’s Map Gallery, which is always being updated with new data and tools to support strong decision-making. While this has been a challenging year, it has been my honor and privilege to serve this organization as Chairperson for a few extra months. I wish you a very Happy New Year, and I look forward to seeing you in 2021.