Oakland County hires first transit manager

Oakland County has hired its first transit manager, the county announced Wednesday, following a voter-approved expansion of public transportation in the November election.

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter named Eli Cooper to be Oakland County’s first manager of the Transit Division of the Economic Development Department. Cooper previously served as the City of Ann Arbor’s transportation manager for over 17 years.

“Eli is recognized as an innovative and experienced transportation leader with a proven track record of leading the development and implementation of new ideas and programs,” Coulter said in a news release. “He has the background and know-how to help lead Oakland County through the next steps of making public transportation available in all four corners of the county.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, he has 35 years of experience in transportation oversight and planning with stints as director of transportation planning at Puget Sound Regional Council in Seattle and director of planning and growth management at the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities in St. Paul, Minnesota.

As part of his new role, Cooper will oversee the implementation of the $68 million transit millage passed by county voters in the midterm election and will work to expand public transportation to more communities within the county.

Supporters of the millage proposal described the effort to unite SMART as essential to provide residents with access to jobs, health care and education. But opponents, including elected officials in the northern, rural and less-populated areas of Michigan's second most populous county, described the measure as a "tax grab" and “theft.”

The Oakland County Public Transportation Millage question asked voters to approve a 0.95-mill levy — 95 cents per $1,000 in taxable value — to pay for the operation and expansion of transit services throughout the county. The money raised over the 10 years of the millage will create and expand bus routes aimed at ending a patchwork approach to public transportation in Michigan’s second most populous county.

“There’s no better opportunity than to come to Oakland County and work with our transportation providers, local communities, residents and stakeholders to ensure public transportation options are available everywhere in the county,” Cooper said in the news release. “Together, we will build a transit system that serves the needs of all of our residents and businesses.”

Cooper's hiring follows the appointment of Paulette Loftin to lead the chief Public Defender's Office, the county announced last month, another new high-profile position in the county.

anichols@detroitnews.com