If Cobo deal dies, don't let regionalism die with it, Freep editorial says

Regionalism and cooperation between counties may be the answer to a number of problems facing the area.

Excerpt:

Regional solutions are the only solutions to metro Detroit’s many challenges. The area’s political leaders have got to be able to sit down together and see their own interests, as well as the region’s, in all the other faces.

So several steps need to be taken to ensure that, at some point, the parties can come back together in good faith, renegotiate Cobo and move on to the other issues.

The first is for everyone to just hang tight on Cobo for now, and wait until the city’s political landscape is more settled. With three city elections between now and November, there’s no point in renegotiating before then. The hope is for a saner council and a mayor still committed to regionalism. But at minimum, the city will have leaders empowered for four years, not just a few more months.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who’s threatening to use the death of the Cobo deal as a tool to lure the auto show to his turf, also needs to simmer down. His response threatens regional cooperation as much as the council’s antics do.

Read the entire article here.
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