Oakland County's Patterson Re-Elected, Democrat Brown Unseats County Clerk
ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - On a night when only 45 percent of Oakland County voters cast a straight Republican ballot, longtime county executive, Republican L. Brooks Patterson, was re-elected 57 percent to 43 percent. About 320,000 people in Oakland County cast ballots in the presidential election.
Patterson, who's only been seen a couple of times since a devastating car accident this summer left him in a coma with numerous broken bones, got rousing applause at his victory party at the Royal Oak Emagine Theatre.
Democrats had many times raised the question often of whether Patterson, 73, and in intense physical therapy to walk again, could handle the job anymore -- or if he just planned to win and hand the job over to a successor.
WWJ's Sandra McNeill asked Patterson if he ever considered not running in order to concentrate on his recovery.
"Oakland County has been a part of my life, I'm pushing 40 years - I wouldn't know what I'd do with myself if I couldn't come to the office - think up some good programs that will benefit the 1.2 million people who live here," said Patterson. "I enjoy it and I'll continue to do it as long as I'm physically fit."
But there was an upset in Oakland County government, with Democrat Lisa Brown unseating Republican incumbent Bill Bullard for county clerk. Brown garnered 53 percent of the vote to Bullard's 46 percent.
"Bill Bullard would be an upset, if we lost him and he's one of our few county-wide elected officials we have left ... so they are whittling down the Republican team," Patterson said while the votes were still being counted.
