Former city administrator running for mayor

Mayoral candidate, Darryl Buchanan, was the featured speaker at the East Side Business Association meeting July 6. Buchanan, past president of city council and former city administrator under Mayor Don Williamson, told the group about his priorities if he is elected mayor.

"My first priority is to reduce the financial deficit and balance the budget," Buchanan said. "I've studied what other cities are doing — cities like Newark, N.J., and Chelsea, Maine. I'm looking at cutting the number of hours city employee's work — from 80 hours every two weeks to 64 hours. The city could save about $3.3 million in wages. Benefits would also be reduced by another $1.7 million," Buchanan added.

Buchanan said he would also pursue concessions with fire and police unions while hiring more public safety personnel.

When asked how he would change the long wait for police to respond to a crime, Buchanan said, "I'll put captains, lieutenants and sergeants on the street. If they beat the patrol officers to the scene, the patrol officers will have to explain what took them so long."

Reducing crime rate is a top priority, Buchanan said. Asked if he would reorganize the police department if elected, Buchanan said he would look for a police chief that has a reputation for getting things done.

"We have to reduce crime before we can attract businesses," he said.

"I plan on promoting downtown and citywide development. I propose we form a partnership with our businesses and youth like other large cities have. These cities have seen a 40 percent drop in crime when they put the youth to work," Buchanan said.

"I'll work with Genesee County and other regional partners to efficiently utilize our finances and blend our work forces," he continued.

"I favor bartering with the county to enhance city services. We could allow the county to use our jail space. In turn, the county would provide free rent for the 68th District Court," Buchanan explained. "Or we could allow the county to fix our sewer lines and we could pave their streets."

Asked about rumors of a state takeover of the city, Buchanan said he has investigated every city department and has a long-term financial plan that will work.

"The state won't take over if they see we have a plan that works," he said.

Buchanan, a lifelong resident of Flint, served as Flint's ombudsman and as director of government policy for the city. He graduated from Northwestern High School and completed a bachelor's of arts in political science from Kalamazoo College. He was a foreign exchange student at Cuttington College in Liberia, West Africa. He has a master's degree in public administration from Western Michigan University where he was a Thurgood Marshall graduate fellow.

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