For years, more than a couple crossover Democrats and Republicans in Michigan have been trying to figure out whether to cheer for Brooks Patterson or pray for his retirement.

Last fall, I moderated one of the debates between Brooks and Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence, who failed in her attempt to unseat the long-serving Oakland County executive. There were whispers in the audience that night, even among some of Brooks' Republican friends, that Metro Detroit would never move forward as a region until the cheery, silver-haired, Detroit-bashing obstructionist got out of the way.

This winter, as Brooks considered a run for governor, I heard more than one Lansing insider, including some Democrats, acknowledge that Brooks might be the only candidate in either party with the guts and expert, business-minded staff who could transform state government through serious reforms.

Now comes the miserable news that Brooks' new vision for Metro Detroit is to split it in two — North and South. Apparently ticked over the momentum for the Wayne-County-based Aerotropolis concept that could bring diversified economic development to all of Metro Detroit, Brooks wants to take his marbles and join forces with the disparate cities of Flint and Port Huron.

"My future lies with these counties that are more like my own," Patterson told Crain's Detroit Business.

Well, I don't know where Brooks' future lies, but Oakland County's is inextricably linked to the rest of Metro Detroit, like it or not.

At times, it can seem like Brooks can move heaven and earth in a county budget. But there ain't no way he's moving airports.

The region can't support two major air transport/logistics systems or two back-biting regional economic development strategies.

Coming on the heels of the Cobo debacle, this bipolar regionalism is just one more sign that it's going to take a new generation of political leaders to move ONE region forward. Metro Detroit's young professionals have received much love and good press as they've begun to organize in the past couple of years. This is their challenge.