Macomb County’s Antoinette Wallace acknowledges the crowd after giving her inaugural address as MAC’s 117th Board President on Oct. 1, 2025, at the Grand Traverse Resort.
New MAC President Antoinette Wallace delivered these inaugural remarks to attendees of the 2025 Michigan Counties Annual Conference on Oct. 1, 2025, at the Grand Traverse Resort in Grand Traverse County:
Good evening, everyone.
It is with gratitude and honor that I stand before you today as the newly installed President of the Michigan Association of Counties.
First, I want to thank you all for being here this evening. I also want to recognize the leaders who came before me — your vision, persistence and commitment have paved the way for the work we will continue together.
This association has always been more than just an organization — it is a family of leaders united by one goal: to serve the people of Michigan. From the Upper Peninsula to Southeast Michigan, from our smallest townships to our largest counties, we are bound together by the belief that strong counties build a stronger Michigan.
As your president, I want to hear the voices and needs of your county We know the challenges we face: infrastructure needs; economic development; public safety; health care access; mental health, which is very close to my heart. We know our ongoing responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
These are not just policy issues — they are quality of life issues that impact our neighbors, our families and our communities every single day.
But I also see opportunity to strengthen our partnerships, to advocate for policies that respect local control and to share innovative solutions across counties. Opportunities to invest in the next generation of leaders, ensuring that young people see county government not as something distant, but as a place where real change happens.
Together, we will continue to push forward with unity, courage, and vision.
Our work will not always be easy, but it will always be meaningful. Because when counties succeed, Michigan succeeds.