Wayne County Executive Warren Evans sat with Carol Cain of CBS Detroit and the Detroit Free Press to discuss Wayne County’s wins and what to expect from the county in the future, including keeping regional transit from being opted out of and filling talent pipeline gaps across different industries.
Evans explains that regional transit is “huge” and that efforts to expand into opt-out communities began with a visit to each of the 43 cities in the county to ensure that what residents want aligns with the plan the county intends to put on the ballot in August 2026.
“The homes are affordable, the communities need the vibrancy,” he said. “And I think to a large extent, if we get the transit, they’ll be able to come to Detroit for recreation…and businesses in Wayne County will be able to get workers where they need to be.”
The city of Detroit’s aging infrastructure is responsible for some of the flooding the city has seen. Evans said that Wayne County understands the infrastructure is old and should be bigger, but the county is spending money to maximize the infrastructure that exists now.
“There are water pipes in Detroit that are still made of wood,” Evans said when asked about how old the infrastructure really is.
Evans has recognized that aerospace and aviation are industries in constant need of new industry experts as they continue to evolve, but there aren’t enough resources for Detroit residents to gain the skills needed for those professions. Consequently, he has collaborated with Wayne RESA to develop a curriculum and to spark conversations with industry giants to secure their support and assess how they can help.
“We’ve got a world-class airport here. What we don’t have is a world-class feeder system for that airport,” Evans said. “There are airport jobs that are being created all of the time…and frankly, we’re not doing near enough, in my opinion, to fill those gaps. This program will help do that.”
Evans has also already met with new Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and looks forward to partnering with her on initiatives to improve the county’s economic growth and development.
“I think that economic development and the further growth of this region are of critical importance,” he said. “What we as government officials have to do is make sure that we’re doing all of the things we can to create the workforce that’s necessary to create the job opportunities like the aeronautics and aviation program.”
This session was sponsored by Comcast Business.
