Detroit transit and presidential politics

Jeff Wattrick observes an interesting political thread that may (or may not) be running through Detroit transit talks: 
(Michigan's) Republican (Governor Rick) Snyder and President Obama’s Department of Transportation are seen as BRT champions while local businessmen, including Mitt Romney’s Michigan finance chair Dan Gilbert, and several high-profile local Democrats like Carl Levin and John Conyers want M1’s (rail) plan incorporated into the larger transit strategy.
Whether that interesting political dynamic proves to be relevant or just curious remains to be seen. Metro Detroit’s transit discussion has long seemed less about differing political ideologies and more about a conflict of purpose.