John Charles Hertel is a former chairman of the Huron–Clinton Metroparks, chairman of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, and general manager of

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is the public transit operator serving the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, United States. It supplements the Detroit Department of Transportation, which operates buses within the ...

. He served three terms as state senator for the 2nd District in Michigan from 1974 to 1982, was appointed by Governor John Engler to run the Michigan State Fair from 1993 to 2006, and is the only person in Michigan history to serve as chairman of the county boards of commissioners in two different counties (Wayne and Macomb).

Personal life

Hertel grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and attended

Denby High School The Edwin C. Denby High School is a public secondary education school located at 12800 Kelly Road in northeastern Detroit, Michigan. Denby High opened in 1930, and the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It i ...

. His brothers Dennis Hertel and

Curtis Hertel Curtis Hertel (March 7, 1953 – March 27, 2016) was an American politician. He was the co-speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1993-1994, during the time when the house was split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. He wa ...

, and nephews Curtis Hertel Jr. and Kevin Hertel have also been elected to legislative seats. He raised his family in

Harper Woods, Michigan Harper Woods is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 15,492 at the 2020 census. Harper Woods is a northeastern suburb of Metro Detroit and shares its southern and western border with the city of Det ...

, where he served in the state senate and Wayne County Board of Commissioners, before moving to his current home in Lenox Township, Michigan, where he served as Macomb County Commissioner. Hertel raises Percheron horses on his farm in Lenox Township.

Elected office

Hertel has held three elected offices during his career: * Macomb County Board of Commissioners (chairman from 1997 to 2002) * Wayne County Board of Commissioners (chairman from 1985 to 1986) * Michigan State Senator, 2nd District (1974–1982 - Three Terms)

Huron-Clinton Metroparks

Hertel was appointed as a Huron-Clinton Metroparks Commissioner five times: * 2013 by Governor Rick Snyder * 2005 and 2009 by Governor Jennifer Granholm * 1999 by Macomb County * 1995 by Governor John Engler * 1983 by Wayne County

Michigan State Fair

Hertel was appointed General Manager of the Michigan State Fair by Governor John Engler (R) and reappointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) from 1993 to 2006. He inherited the fair after its lowest attendance in decades, and was credited by many including Governor Granholm for, "directing the rebirth of the State Fair."

Southeast Michigan Transit

Hertel was CEO of the Regional Transit Coordinating Council (RTCC) from 2006 to 2010, where he successfully developed and shepherded the Regional Mass Transit Plan to gain approval of Macomb, Oakland, Wayne counties and the City of Detroit. In 2010, Hertel was hiredHertel to lead SMART http://www.detroittransit.org/john-hertel-to-lead-smart/ as General Manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART).

Other notable positions

* Professor of Government, Environment and Technology at

Lawrence Technological University Lawrence Technological University (LTU) (Lawrence Tech) is a private university in Southfield, Michigan. It was founded in 1932 in Highland Park, Michigan, as the Lawrence Institute of Technology (LIT) by Russell E. Lawrence. The university move ...

, 1983–1995. * Public Affairs Producer and Editorial Director of Channel 7 WXYZ-TV, 1987–1988.

References

External links

Metroparks Website

SMART Website

Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hertel, John C. Politicians from Detroit Living people Wayne State University alumni County commissioners in Michigan Democratic Party Michigan state senators 1946 births Denby High School alumni Hertel family 20th-century American legislators