Rochester Hills Mayor Speaks At National AARP Conference

Rochester Hills, MI – Last week, Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan K. Barnett joined Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, in a keynote discussion about the issues that affect the older citizens in our community the most, including mobility, aging in place, changing technology, affordable housing and quality of life.

This timely and relevant discussion took place at the 6th Annual Livable Communities National Conference, where over 500 local leaders from around the country came together to share ideas and solutions for making places more livable for people of all ages.

With its nationally recognized Older Persons’ Commission (OPC), Rochester Hills is known for its active and vital senior community. As mayor, Barnett has made a point to discuss upcoming technological changes with this community and share how it can extend mobility for our residents, as well as inform the way cities plan communities in the future.

In his role as the Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), he has partnered with USCM President Mayor Steve Benjamin on a two-year bi-partisan strategy focused on three I’s: Infrastructure, Innovation, and Inclusion.

During his discussion with LeaMond, Barnett spoke about the “Three I’s” platform and particularly on the subject of keeping seniors mobile. “There’s probably no subject that embodies these three subjects more than the future of mobility and the advent of autonomous, self-driving vehicles,” said Barnett. “Staying ahead of this new technology and having these discussions with our residents will help us take the best steps forward.”

On November 5th, Mayor Barnett hosted a community forum about autonomous vehicles at the OPC where seniors from across our region engaged in a discussion about how AV technology will transform the future of mobility. To view the entire forum, visit https://bit.ly/2Q6Ssxn.

“I think you can all appreciate why we invited Mayor Barnett to be here today," LeaMond said. "He pushes us to think differently and to look at problems from a different point of view.”

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