Dave Coulter, Oakland County Executive, has announced he will seek a full four-year term in 2020. He made the announcement today at Brass Aluminum Enterprises Forging in Ferndale.
Appointed in August following the death of County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Coulter became the first Democrat to hold that position since it was created. And he is only the second openly LGBTQ person to hold countywide office in Oakland, following Circuit Court Judge Jake Cunningham who was elected last year.
"In just a few short months, I have seen the bright possibilities we can create for our county," said Coulter, whose appointed followed a contentious political battle among Democrats and Republicans alike. "As I talk to residents, community leaders and business owners, they are eager for both stability and forward progress. We have a historic opportunity to leverage the tremendous strengths within our county to create the next and best version of Oakland County. To build on this momentum, I have decided to seek the full term for county executive next year."
A county commissioner from 2002 to 2010, Coulter was the Democratic minority leader for most of that time. He then served as mayor of Ferndale, his home since 1994, from 2011 until this April when he announced that he would not seek another term. Coulter then announced in July a run for representative for Michigan's 27th House District. That seat is open in 2020 due to term limits and is currently held by Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D-Huntington Woods) who announced a run for county treasurer.
Andy Meisner, the current county treasurer, announced in March his run for county executive and has been campaigning since. The other Democrat in the picture, County Board Chair Dave Woodward, who had announced his own bid for the county executive position, endorsed Coulter today and will not seek that office.
