Former State Sen. John Hertel has been tasked with forging a regional consensus on moving mass transit forward in Southeast Michigan, leaders announced at the Detroit Regional Chamber Policy Conference on Mackinac Island earlier this month.

Detroit and Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties want Hertel to break a decades-long transit malaise and bring regional consensus to an efficient bus system linking the sprawling region's jobs and people.

Two separate bus systems-one in Detroit and the other primarily in the suburbs-lead to confusion and lack of coordination in moving people to and from the city and suburban jobs. Huge budget deficits in Detroit have slashed bus service options there, cutting nighttime runs and prompting fare increases.

In addition to elective office, Hertel has been manager of the Michigan State Fair, served on the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority board and been a key figure in many regional issues. "He knows politics up and down, and he knows all the players," Nancy White, chairwoman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners told the Detroit Free Press.