Patterson and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel – who declined comment for this story – withdrew support and are blocking a November vote on the measure that would have taxed residents in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties 1.5 mills for 20 years.

Patterson wants some communities, including far-flung ones such as Keego Harbor (which is 24 miles from Detroit) to be able to opt out of the tax. Hackel raised similar objections and said roads are a higher priority than buses.

During the debate:

Duggan accused Patterson of spreading “false” information about the proposal.

“false” information about the proposal. Deadline Detroit

Hackel dismissed suggestions that race fueled opposition to the tax (the suburbs are predominantly white; transit users are disproportionately black.) “People continue to divide this region. I will not allow that,” Hackel said in April.

Despite all that, suburban officials are genuinely excited about Detroit’s recovery, said Macomb County Commissioner Leon Drolet, R-Macomb Township.

He led the opposition to a similar transit tax proposal, which voters in the region narrowly defeated in 2016.

“I think RTA obviously has pitted leaders and voters in different communities against each other,” said Drolet, R-Macomb Township.

“It’s a blip in a broader trend of a region that’s feeling more and more united."

Evans, the Wayne County executive, intimated that other factors are at play.

“What is the substantive difference between transit and our cooperation on the zoo? On the DIA? On Great Lakes Water Authority? We’ve come to an accommodation that had a regional benefit on all of those issues. But not transit. My question for people is why not? That’s where the ghost is.”

Evans added: “Everybody has to put their cards on the table and talk about what their specific issues and and concerns are. I’m not always sure that’s the case.”

Business moves ‘causing waves’

Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner said high-profile business departures from the suburbs to Detroit are “definitely causing some waves” – especially among Patterson.

Coupled with lingering feelings about the state’s $350 million contribution to Detroit during its bankruptcy, a transit debate “imbued with a lot of racial baggage” adds to the friction, Meisner contended.

“What might seem like a threat at looking at growth in city and companies leaving Oakland county, I see it as a opportunity,” said Meisner, a Democrat who is viewed as a contender for the county executive post should Patterson, 79, retire after his seventh term ends in 2020.

Among other high-profile moves, the Detroit Pistons left the Palace of Auburn Hills last fall for Little Caesars Arena downtown and auto supplier Tata Technologies is moving its headquarters from downtown to Midtown.

Metzger, the Pleasant Ridge mayor, said suburban fear that growth is a “zero sum game” and competition between the city and suburbs is divisive.

By 2025, areas such as Oakland County will have more residents over the age of 65 than under the age of 18, he said. That means the region needs more workers and people need to realize the city is now the region’s growth magnet, he said.

“While the suburbs have benefited from both federal policies and Detroit’s downward spiral, their ‘strength’ is illusory,” he said.

“We must be able to attract a young, educated workforce and our far-flung suburban job centers are not the answer.”

Mullan said Oakland’s economy is humming and accusations that race influences regional discussions are “ignorant and morally defunct.”

Oakland County Commissioner Shelley Taub, R-Bloomfield Hills, said there’s no comparison between the disagreement today and racor of the past.

“I really don’t see the kinds of push pull we’ve had in past,” she said.

“The plan put forth by Mr. Evans was not a plan that was viable in our minds or in Macomb either. It just wasn’t a viable plan.”

Grace Shore, CEO of the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce, agreed, saying the only real dispute is the RTA.

“These are professionals, these are people who deal in complex issues,” she said of the region’s leaders.

“I don’t think they’re going to let something like this taint or spill over into other issues at least I would hope not.”

Oakland County Commissioner David Woodward, D-Royal Oak, has another idea: Old-time pols should retire for the good of the region.

That would tamp down tension overall, help smooth out the transit plan and improve regional cooperation, Woodward said.

“Leadership starts at the top. Those who made their career on bashing Detroit need to go,” Woodward said. “The region is moving forward.”