Issues

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The main job I have as your County Commissioner is to deliver quality government and quality services for your Wayne County property tax dollars. These issues I am working on may not be headline grabbers or debated in the media, but they directly impact the job County government does for its citizens:

 

1) STRENGTHEN the County Health Department

The pandemic has clearly shown the racial disparities in health care. Wayne County is rated 83rd out of the 83 counties in Michigan with regards to the health of its citizens by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. With the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars coming to the County, the County Executive has indicated an interest in a $60-70 million investment in the Health Department. I will be working to see that:

1. The expenditures will create permanent improvements in the Department. We cannot afford to make changes that cannot be sustained once the ARPA money is spent. Spending must produce long-term changes.

2. The principle of the Social Determinants of Health become a central part of delivering heath care to citizens.

3. The gap must be closed on the racial disparities in the health of our citizens.

 

2) REVIEW and UPDATE County Ethics Ordinance

I was a member of the committee that drafted the original Ethics Ordinance 10 years ago. It is time to do a formal review of that ordinance and make changes as necessary. If we have learned nothing else in the last several years, we have learned that strong ethics laws for public officials are necessary.

 

3) INVEST in County Employees

The workforce in the County has shrunk dramatically over the last 15 years. The downturn in property values beginning in 2008 crushed the County financially. It is only now, 14 years later, that our property tax collections are getting back to the 2007 levels. Employees have barely seen any kind of raise in the last several years. The County health plan for our workers has been downgraded and that has stretched family budgets even more. In addition, we are having difficulty attracting new employees as our wage rates cannot compete with private companies. With this in mind, improving pay and/or a better health plan will help us retain and attract the necessary talent to public service. For our workers and their families, this would also provide a brighter future.