Opinion: What do we do about public safety?

No one can be pleased with the cuts the city has made in public safety. Since I see little hope in the short term of restoring the police and fire cuts, it's critical that we do all that we can on our own to assure our own and our neighbors' safety.

First, and probably most important, look out for your neighbors.  Know their schedules, talk with them about concerns, listen for unusual noises, etc.

Secondly, in our own homes, be sure to install smoke alarms and make sure they are in working order.  It's more important than ever to own a fire extinguishers — one on each floor of the home, near the furnace and near the stove, in particular. Avoid all dangerous smoking.

There are several things we can all do on the issue of nighttime safety.  One of the simplest is to turn on our porch lights — front and back — every night all night.  Light is the enemy of thieves and prowlers.  A motion detector light is even better. But most of us would have to spend additional money to install those fixtures —  a porch light bulb will cost, on average, less than a penny a day.

Cars are especially vulnerable. Be sure they are locked, that there are no "attractions" in view in the car outside.  When possible, put the car into the garage, rather than leave it out overnight.

Finally, I am greatly troubled by the mayor's continual insistence that cutting public safety is the only solution to our budget crisis.  While this may not be a desirable alternative, the people need to be made aware that there is an alternative — increasing our property taxes.  People, at the very least, need to be made aware of this option.  People would have to vote to increase the millage.

I am not pushing for this alternative, even though I would probably support it, but Flint folks should not be kept in the dark about this option.  A six-mill increase would generate about $4.5 to $5 million dollars in revenue.  That would restore a lot of public safety folks.   Since our property values have all gone down rather substantially, it's possible that we could increase our rate by six mills for a fixed period of time — and end up paying less (or, at least, no more) in taxes than last year.

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I invite you to e-mail me if you would like to comment, seek clarification, complain, etc. I'm at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . But don't bother to e-mail me if you are unwilling to identify yourself by name and address, or at least, neighborhood. If you're unwilling to identify yourself, I will delete them automatically. I'm insisting on you identifying yourselves because I really don't want to receive the same kind of "idiot talk" that seems to fill the Flint Journal blogs.) — Jack.

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Jack Minore is a retired teacher, former long-serving city councilperson, former legislator and active in a number of political and environmental groups — notably the Flint River Watershed Coalition and Friends of the Flint River Trail. Jack was in the original group that formed East Village Magazine.