Meet Dave Coulter, Oakland County’s New Executive
Coulter joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to talk about his appointment and the future of leadership in Oakland County.
For the first time ever, a Democrat is Oakland County executive.
After two weeks of political wrangling, the County Commission voted along party lines to appoint Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter to the position long held by Republican L. Brooks Patterson.
Coulter was sworn in on Monday, but the legal fight isn’t over yet. Republicans say they have a case to make that would nullify Coulter’s appointment.
Although things have been turbulent in Oakland County lately, Coulter says he doesn’t foresee problems working with Republicans on the commission going forward.
“Despite the politics of last week, I am confident that we all have the same interests at heart,” he tells Stephen Henderson on Detroit Today.
On whether he’ll run for a full term as executive in 2020, after his partial term ends, Coulter says he expects to announce a decision after things settle down a bit in his new office.
“I know I have to decide those things sooner or later,” he says. “But I would like a week on the job before I decide what I’m doing next year or after.”
