Patterson to face primary challenge from Sherrod III

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson will be facing a challenger in the August Republican primary election.

E. Wadsworth Sherrod III, a West Bloomfield Township Republican, filed candidate paperwork to run for the county executive position late last month.

Sherrod said he is a college student who believes change is needed. He said the county needs “someone who really cares about the people of the county.”

There are “several struggling communities that need the county’s help and they aren’t getting it,” Sherrod said. “They are hurting and they are not getting the county’s help.”

Patterson — who declined comment for this report — was first elected Oakland County executive in 1992 after serving as Oakland County prosecutor. In 2008, he defeated Democratic Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence, who is now running for the U.S. House of Representatives, in the general election, by a 58 percent to 42 percent spread.

Kevin Howley has filed to run for county executive as a Democrat.

Patterson and his team declined to comment for this report, and it is unclear when he last faced a primary challenge.

The candidate filing deadline is May 15. The primary election is set for Aug. 7 and the general election is scheduled for Nov. 6.

The county executive serves four-year terms and currently earns $173,500 annually.