Detroit COO Brad Dick got bitten by the public service bug

Brad Dick, the city of Detroit’s chief operating o cer, has a lot of plans for his new role. There are alleys to be cleaned, trees to plant, trash to pick up, parks to complete, equipment to update and an airport plan in the works. He wants to relaunch the Improve Detroit app. And then there’s the Grand Prix this year on Detroit’s city streets, not to mention the NFL Draft in 2024 that he’s already prepping for.

Dick, who was previously the city’s group executive for services and infrastructure, rose in the ranks since he joined city government in 2006. Here, he talks about some of his most noticeable programs, what kept him from leaving city service and how his dairy farm background served him well.

BY | ARIELLE KASS

 You were recently promoted to chief operating o cer. What does it mean for you to have been tapped for the role?

I’ve always been a believer of public service … I was a Peace Corps volunteer for two years and I think the public service bug bit me — well, I had malaria, too, so more than one bug bit me. But the bug bit me then. And I went into private sector work for Ford Motor Co. and a couple other companies, too, and then I was eager to come back to public service. I guess just the chance to do things and to leave lasting impacts, it means a lot to me.

 And you were in Tanzania in the Peace Corps. What was that experience like?

So I grew up on a dairy farm in the middle of nowhere, Indiana, and after college … (I) went to the recruiter armed with my big degree in advertising and marketing thinking I can go save the world … Go in there and they said, “Well, you have no skills that we need.” “Oh.” And they were like, “Well, tell us about yourself.” I said, “Well, I grew up on a dairy farm.” They go, “You grew up on a dairy farm?” And the recruiter nearly jumped out of her chair and she goes, “That’s a scarce skill in the Peace Corps.” I just got o the farm, I don’t want to go back. They were able to take my experiences … with my business degree and I ended up teaching at a technical school in Tanzania and I taught dairy farm management.

 Talk to me more about the importance of the city’s da odil and mural programs and the Joe Louis Greenway.

We talked about ways we could make Detroit look better and what would be

Rumblings

its signature … We’re going to start planting along the Joe Louis Greenway and ring the Joe Louis Greenway in da odils. So come spring over the years, we’ve got the yellow brick road wrapping around Detroit for a few weeks a year. … It’s funny because the mayor was talking, he goes, “I just can’t believe the dang old da odils, everybody just loves those things.” He goes, “People stop and talk to me about it all the time.” And I told him, we were laughing, I said, “People literally email us and call us come spring about how happy they are.”

 And what’s the e ect of the mural program been?

Last year, we unveiled the mural at Kercheval and Van Dyke. The crowd of people were just thrilled and happy and one guy was standing next to us, he was so funny, he says, “It’s so beautiful. I feel like I live in Grosse Pointe now.”

… I kind of laughed. … Everybody was there looking at that mural and just happy.

 You’re also a senior adviser to the city’s LGBT resource group. Why is that important to you?

I don’t think everybody was as fortunate as I was to be raised in a loving family.

… So I think it’s important that the resource group is there for employees to come to and to speak with. … I had one older gentleman stop me in the hallway last week, he goes, “Oh, you’re the COO aren’t you?” I said, “yeah.” He goes, “And you’re also with the LGBT group?” He was kind of whispering. … And he said, “I think it’s great. I wish I was as brave as you were.” I think it’s important to be who you are and be out and be proud of who you are. … I just think it means being a good leader, just being supportive and being a leader, by setting a good example.

 What you do outside of work?

I’m kind of boring. My partner and I, we’re actually getting married this summer. I think it’s about time. I asked the mayor if he would marry us and he said, “Hell yeah.” … I’m looking more forward to the honeymoon. We’re going to go to Italy.

 You said previously that you thought about leaving the city in 2013 and decided to stay. What about government work has been rewarding for you?

It’s the ability to actually do something. In the private sector, you might negotiate a contract for something, you don’t see anything about that contract. Here, you get to design and build parks. And everywhere I go, I get to see the fruits of my labor. …. I think that’s the biggest thing, you actually get to see something you’ve done.