Mayoral candidate speaks to business group

Mayoral candidate Darryl Buchanan said Flint needs a tough man in tough times at the Flint Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Sept. 24. Members came back with some tough questions about his plans to revitalize the city and Buchanan's personal integrity.

"Integrity matters," a member said. "Tell us about the lawsuits you were involved in and your associations with persons involved in a numbers racket."

"I won all the lawsuits against me," Buchanan said. "People elected me to Flint City Council because I have the get up and go to keep trying. I won't let negative press stop me. And I won't turn my back on a friend who is also a deacon in my church."

Asked if he would support the ombudsman position if elected, Buchanan said he is a strong supporter of that job having filled it once.

Public safety was another issue members voiced concern about.

"If we don't have fire and police protection, new businesses will not come here," a member said.

"We need to look at the grants for funding public safety," Buchanan said. "Even our unions have identified ways to save the city money. But the current administration is not listening. We need to listen to our union members."

Asked if he supported the Smith Village project, Buchanan said it has a lot of merit, but the people currently running it are unfamiliar with HUD guidelines.

"That's why we're running into problems. If you don't know the basic guidelines, how can you monitor the project? That's why we're in court," Buchanan added.

Two of the Smith Village contractors are suing the city for more than $1 million, alleging the city conspired to cut them from the project after they invested time and money to help get it started.

Buchanan said he favored using the money that poured into the Smith Village project to create ways for existing homeowners in foreclosure to keep their property.

"The city could purchase the foreclosed homes and sell the property back to the owner on land contract," Buchanan suggested.

Asked how he would make the city look attractive — not only downtown, but also the neighborhoods — Buchanan said he would consider using prisoners for cleanup.

Raul Garcia, the firefighters union president, said the union filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the city because officials haven't approved multiple contract proposals that offered concessions. According to Garcia, there are only 86 firefighters serving the city today.

"We (the firefighters union) will not endorse a candidate because we've been burned before," Garcia said.

Buchanan promised if elected to find funding to hire and retain as many police and firefighters as possible.