by CHRIS GRAY Observer Staff Writer A renowned economist has indicated that the road to economic recovery may be jagged, but it is on the way to recovery. Dr. Jim Jacobs, Macomb Community College presi- dent and economist, gave his annual economic fore- cast for both the county and country on Jan. 20. Despite negative factors such as unemployment over 12 percent in Macomb County, Jacobs was opti- mistic about recovery, say- ing the nation is in what he dubbed a “saw-tooth recovery.” “It’s a recovery that pro- ceeds in fits and starts, that lurches forward, that receives some good news and some bad news,” he said. “Living in this uncer- tain period is going to be now a new way of life both for most of us in the Unit- ed States and certainly for Macomb County.” Overall, he said Macomb County is going to do better than the national economy in terms of growth and recovery, with unemployment possi- bly falling below 10 per- cent. He said the north end of the county will have a good impact in this saw- tooth recovery, such as defense suppliers moving their operations into the area. For those involved in farming, he said the good news is that there will be growth in commodity prices, such as for soy- beans and corn. The challenge for the north end, however, is going to be boosting hous- ing and development. “I don’t think that is going to come along,” he said. One of the high points for the state and county is growth of the auto indus- try. Over $1 billion in new investments will be made by Chrysler and Ford in Macomb County, said Jacobs. He said over 67,000 jobs in the auto industry will come from improved sales, and 22,000 new manufac- turing jobs will develop in the next year for Michi- gan. “As a result of the growth of the auto indus- try and the re-growth of manufacturing as a whole, the state is well-positioned in terms of economic recovery,” he said. He said continued growth in the defense sec- tor will improve the coun- ty’s economy, as over 60 percent of defense con- tracts awarded to firms in Michigan are awarded to firms in Macomb County. Health care expansions is also expected to increase jobs by 500,000 in the next two decades. Even with this good news, there were still indi- cations of decline. Manu- facturing, which has the highest number of private sector jobs, has decreased from 106,415 to 51,526 between 2000 to 2010. Unemployment has dropped to 12.4 percent, but Jacobs said a part of the dip has resulted from people exiting the labor market. The impact of unem- ployment was shown by the city of Sterling Heights, which had the steepest income decline in the entire nation between 2000 and 2009 of cities with a population of 65,000 and above. “What we’re starting to see is a disappearing mid- dle class in Macomb Coun- ty,” he said. Jacobs also pointed out a lack of new housing per- mits as well as declining tax assessments for all communities, such as a 9.1 percent loss for Armada Township and a 2.6 per- cent loss in Washington Township. “Prices in housing are beginning to bottom out,” he said. To move forward, he said the county will have to look at focusing on its current businesses, devel- oping local infrastructure for transportation and child care and the decen- tralization of services. The latter of these can be seen in examples such as Bruce and Armada townships joining together to bring water to their industrial areas. Like last year, Jacobs said one of the wildcards in looking at the economy is the new county execu- tive position. “We not only have a central place to represent Macomb County, but that county executive has the ability to brand us in the region and the community as a major play in our eco- nomic future,” he said. County Executive Mark Hackel said the presenta- tion was extremely inform- ative, and said a message he took was that all the county’s residents need to contribute to the recovery. “Eighty-five percent of our economic base is small business, and we need to re-invest in that small business,” he said. “We need to do that more as a regional cooperative effort.” by KIMBERLY SCHERER Observer Special Writer To send Assistant Fire Chief John Clark off prop- erly, Washington Township firefighters gathered in their Class A uniforms for a formal mustering out at the township’s Board of Trustees meeting Jan. 19. Clark has left the town- ship for the opportunity to be Delta Township’s fire chief. “With his talent for writing grants, his expert- ise in technology and his tireless drive, he helped catapult this department forward,” said Chief Dave Poterek. With Clark’s help, Poterek said the depart- ment was able to put lap- tops in every vehicle, pur- chase a new heavy rescue vehicle, two ambulances, additional extrication tools, revamp its pager sys- tem and with the help of a video conference grant, both stations can commu- nicate between each other. “His biggest legacy will be the $1.5 million he brought in to build our new fire station,” Poterek said, adding that Clark also volunteered to be the project manager. “He did an awesome job.” “This is truly the fire house that John Clark built,” he said. Supervisor Dan O’Leary said he never would have imagined they could have accomplished all that they did in only two years and said Clark’s hard, behind- the-scenes work helped them get there. “In the short time he’s been here, he’s had a huge impact on the township,” O’Leary said. The accolades didn’t go to Clark’s head. “I couldn’t have done it without the team we’ve got — it’s not just one person,” Clark said. Section B B ROMEO, MICHIGAN 48065—WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2011 THE ROAD TO RECOV- ERY. Above, Dr. Jim Jacobs, economist and president of Macomb Community Col- lege, speaks on how Macomb County’s economy is still downtrodden, but there are reasons to be opti- mistic about its recovery in 2011. At right, County Exec- utive Mark Hackel listens as Jacobs describes how man- ufacturing expansions will affect the county. (Observer photos by Chris Gray) Above, a formal mustering out ceremony was held in honor of Assistant Fire Chief John Clark. At left, Washington Township Fire Chief Dave Poterek bids outgoing Assistant Fire Chief John Clark farewell during a Jan. 19 Board of Trustees meeting. (Observer photos by Kim Scherer) Formal farewell given to WT Asst. Chief John Clark Economic forecast shows county’s slow recovery Economist predicts Macomb County will recover faster than nation On Jan. 18, the Macomb Community College Board of Trustees elected new officers and held the swearing-in ceremony for two trustees re-elected to the seven-person board in the November 2010 elec- tion. Board members elected as officers were: Chair James F. Kelly, Eastpointe; Vice Chair Christine Bonkowski, Clinton Town- ship; Secretary Connie Bolanowski, Washington Township and Treasurer Nancy Falcone, Washing- ton Township. Kelly and Bonkowski were sworn in to begin new six-year terms on the board by Macomb County chief deputy clerk Todd Schmitz. Kelly was elected to serve as the board’s chair- person and has been a member of the board since 2005. A former mayor and city council member for the City of Eastpointe, Kelly is the president and CEO of Travelers Aid Soci- ety. Bonkowski, who was elected to serve as the vice-chair, was first elected to the board in 1984. She previously served six years as the board chair and has also held the positions of secretary and treasurer of the board. Bolanowski was re- elected as the board’s sec- retary, a position she has held since 2003. She is a retired office administra- tor and legal secretary who is involved with a number of community organizations and charita- ble activities, including the Starkweather Art and Cul- tural Society, the Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Jenny Lind Club of Michigan, Assis- tance League of Southeast Michigan and as a hospital volunteer. Falcone was elected to serve as the board’s treas- urer. She served as the board chair from 2005- 2010 and has been a mem- ber of the board since 2003. She is a former Michigan Department of State employee and is cur- rently on the Region One staff of the International UAW, serving in a dual assignment as a communi- ty action program repre- sentative and a labor rep- resentative. She is also on the board of directors for the Macomb/ St. Clair Workforce Development Board. Serving as trustees on the board are Roseanne DiMaria, Eastpointe; Frank DeSantis, Sterling Heights, and Joseph DeSantis, Sterling Heights. The Macomb Communi- ty College’s Board of Trustees is composed of seven members who are selected through a nonpar- tisan, countywide election and serve six-year terms without compensation. The board approves budgets, develops policies in accor- dance with educational needs, and serves as a direct link between the college and the communi- ty. MCC trustees sworn in, board appoints officers NEWLY ELECTED. The Macomb Commu- nity College Board of Trustees elected new officers at the board’s Jan. 18 meeting. Jim Kelly, center, will serve as the board’s chair for the next two years. Christine Bonkowski, left, will serve as the vice-chair. Connie Bolanowski will serve as the board secre- tary. Not pictured is the board’s new treasur- er, Nancy Falcone. (Photo courtesy of Dan Heaton)