Harry E. Lester, who currently serves on the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority Board of Commissioners as a Governor appointee, has been named to represent Wayne County on the HCMA Board by County Executive Robert Ficano to serve a six-year term that will end on May 15, 2013.
This is Lester’s fifth appointment to the HCMA Board, having served four terms as one of two Governor appointees. Lester was first appointed by Governor James Blanchard in 1984 and 1987, and reappointed by Governor John Engler in 1991 for a total of 11 years of service on the Board. He was appointed by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm to serve on the HCMA Board for a term from December 2003 until May 2, 2007.
Lester, a labor leader, was the Director of District 2 (Michigan and Wisconsin) for the United Steelworkers of America. He is Secretary of the U.S. Steel and Cleveland Cliff Negotiations. He also serves as Chairman of the Dow Chemical Negotiations. He currently serves on numerous boards of labor, educational, political and civic organizations, among them the United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO-CLC, Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO, Michigan State AFL-CIO, United Foundation, United Way of Michigan, National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, Economic Alliance of Michigan, Greater Detroit Area Health Council and the Michigan Economic & Environmental Roundtable. In 1988 he founded and is co-chairperson of the Annual Downriver Community Prayer Breakfast, held in Southgate. In 2000 he founded the Harry E. & Mary E. Lester Scholarship Fund for Steelworker Children, which provides college scholarships for steelworker children for the states of Michigan and Wisconsin.
Lester is the recipient of many awards, including the Organized Labor Award by the National Kidney Foundation, the Menorah Award by the Michigan Trade Council for Histadrut, the Man of the Year Award by the Boys’ Towns of Italy, Inc., the Volunteer Service Award of the National Kidney Foundation, the State of Israel’s Labor Solidarity Award, the Mason of the Year Award by Hiram Lodge No. 110, the Lord Baden Powell Award of the Boy Scouts of America and the Citizen of the Year Award from Brownstown Township. In 1999 he was honored and elevated to “Ambassador” for the Detroit Muslim Temple of the Shrine. The Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority bestowed a special award in 1988 to Lester in recognition of his efforts to save McLouth Steel.
Lester and his wife, Mary, have lived in Brownstown since 1969. Lester replaces William E. Kreger, HCMA Commissioner who represented Wayne County for nearly 50 years, and whose most recent appointment expired on May 15.
The HCMA is a five-county special parks district within the counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Livingston. The system currently maintains and operates more than 24,000 acres of recreational land within 13 Metroparks. It is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners. Each member county appoints a representative to the board and two are appointed by the Governor to represent the district at large.
There are four Huron-Clinton Metroparks in Wayne County: Lower Huron Metropark near Belleville, Willow Metropark near New Boston, Oakwoods Metropark near Flat Rock and Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown Township.
