Sketchy plan to quickly appoint L. Brooks Patterson's replacement backfires

Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Dave Woodward resigned Wednesday in hopes of getting appointed to the county executive job following the death of L. Brooks Patterson.

But his ethically sketchy plans to get appointed by the board Thursday while one of the Republican commissioners was out of town backfired.

The board of commissioners, which now has 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats, has 30 days to appoint a new county executive. By law, Woodward had to resign because a sitting commissioner can’t be appointed to the county’s top job.

But the board’s new chairwoman, Commissioner Marcia Gershenson, D-Bloomfield Township, postponed the appointment meeting to allow public input and invite more candidates to apply.

If the board doesn’t make an appointment, a special election will be held.

Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner, who is vying for the county executive job, called attention this week to Woodward’s plan to be quickly appointed.

"Voters, not politicians should choose our elected leaders," Meisner said in a news release Tuesday. "If the Commission must appoint, it should use an open and transparent process that allows for the voice of the people to be heard."

The board is inviting others to apply for county executive, which pays $201,193, on the county's website. Applications were not posted on the site as of Thursday morning.

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