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AG Nessel rolls out legal team at new Flint office: now what?
By Harold C. Ford “The Flint water crisis is not over.” –Fadwa Hammoud, Michigan Solicitor General, Dec. 19, 2019 In front of several dozen citizens and a scrum of media, and with a panoramic view of the Flint River some five stories below, Michigan Attorney General (AG) Dana Nessel rolled out a large team of lawyers and support staff at a new office in Flint on Dec. 19. The office, a first of its kind in Flint, is located at the State of Michigan Office Building, 125 E. Union Street. Newly...
read moreUnitarian Universalist ministers choose Flint as new spiritual home
By Harold C. Ford In the summer of 2019, Jerry and Lynn Kerr tearfully saw their only child, Rowan, off to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. They quit their jobs, sold their Ohio home, and moved to Michigan to take positions as co-ministers at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Flint (UUCF). Yes, Flint. The city with soaring headlines about a water crisis that poisoned its people, decades of depopulation hurried along by the abandonment of big industry, a reputed high crime rate, high poverty, and crumbling infrastructure. In an...
read moreA tai chi chronicle: From marathon to moving meditation and 13 classes
By Teddy Robertson It all began with a New York City police officer. Michigan-native Gloria Kramer was an accomplished 5K, 10K, and half-marathon runner when she realized she wanted something more than what she got from a good run. Living in Florida where she worked as a registered dietitian, running had been her avocation. “I was in my thirties,” Kramer says. “Meditation was becoming popular and I was interested, but I had a heck of a time just sitting still and clearing my mind.” That’s where the policeman came in. Kramer saw an ad for a...
read moreCity Council Beat: Last council meeting of 2019 a panoply of democracy
By Tom Travis It was a jam-packed evening of activity at city hall on a chilly and snowy December Monday night, the last city council meeting of a tumultuous year for the city’s legislative body. The council meetings this year have been five, six, seven, eight and even nine hours long, some stretching past midnight. This year there have been arms raised, voices yelling, threats made, name calling and numerous points of order and points of information — too many to count. Beginning in January, 2019, the then Finance Committee...
read moreFifteen small businesses receive grants from MovingFlintForward program
By Jan Worth-Nelson From an espresso machine to snow plows, from drywall to parking lots, from a kayak launch to a flat top grill, from beauty supplies to fabrics, from TV marketing to landscaping, from outdoor lighting to pizza stones. All these are among a diverse batch of practical projects awarded $10,000 each to 15 small businesses through a new General Motors-funded small business program of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce under the MovingFlintForward (MFF) umbrella. The small grants are an acknowledgement that...
read moreLGBTQ Choir honors John Bradford Bohl with Carriage Town caroling
By Tom Travis Celebrating one year of performances, rehearsals and making music in Flint, the John Bradford Bohl LGBTQ Choir met at Good Beans Cafe on a chilly gray December Saturday. They proceeded to observe the anniversary by doing what they do best: singing, caroling in Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood–in memory of the man whose life they honor. A year ago in December 2018 a number of friends and singers and John Bradford Bohl’s parents launched a new choir. Brian and Dorie Barkey wished to carry on the musical...
read moreDowntown Flint “Impeach Trump” rally draws spirited protesters on cold night before the vote
By Jan Worth-Nelson Though Flint is 600 miles and a ten-hour drive from Washington, D.C., about a hundred supporters of impeaching President Donald J. Trump congregated in front of City Hall on a the cold Tuesday night to shout out their arguments on the eve of the historic vote. Doug Kaylor came in from Gaines, where many of his acquaintances are Trump supporters, to join the rally. “If the people in the streets don’t protect the Constitution, everybody’s freedoms are going to be gone,” Kaylor said, brandishing...
read moreRuss Dotson turns abandoned wood into Flint’s “found beauty”
By Jan Worth-Nelson After 22 years in the Navy, including tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and finally, Ethiopia, in 2015 Flint native Russ Dotson came home. Casting about for things to do, he found himself watching a YouTube series called “Strangely Satisfying Videos” — described as “mesmerizing and hypnotizing” clips of the actions of (for example) weaving, frosting a cake, painting a perfect stop sign, peeling cellophane wrap–and turning a wooden spindle, the shavings dropping off, curled and serene....
read moreLocal lawyers to serve more than 1,000 at free turkey dinner Thursday at Masonic Temple
By Jan Worth-Nelson The Genesee County Bar Association and the Genesee Bar Foundation are offering their 29th annual free turkey dinner with all the trimmings from 4-7 p.m. Thursday Dec. 19 at the Flint Masonic Temple, 755 S. Saginaw St. If the Community Holiday Dinner is like previous years, event planners expect to feed more than 1,000 diners. The Temple Dining Room’s Battiste family donate their labor and members from the two sponsoring groups pay for the food. The bar association hires MTA buses to get people to and from the...
read moreReview: Local actor, director, poet, activist reflects on recent “Passing Strange”
By Patsy Isenberg Her name’s Harvey. Just Harvey. She’s been in numerous Flint area theatre productions. She was in “The Wolves” at Flint Repertory Theatre last season and played The Orator in their recent “The Chairs” show. And she’s been studying theater arts since elementary school here in Flint and has a B.A. in both theater arts and French from the University of Michigan – Flint. Before the Flint Repertory Theatre (The Rep) left the “Flint Youth Theatre” name behind, she was in several of those shows as a youngster...
read moreMayor Neeley visits Flint Neighborhoods United; Mott CC presents strategic plan
By Luther Houle New Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley told residents face-to-face at this month’s Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU) meeting that he will not tolerate those who see Flint as “a garbage can” and that he is sending out a team of blight restriction enforcers to address blighted areas. He also “deputized” the 40-plus attendees to be “agents of change” to convince people who have not “opted in” for water pipe replacement to do so as soon as possible. The Dec. 7 meeting also featured a...
read moreCity Council beat: Hurley bonds, Gleason subpoena, drama and more
By Luther Houle Highlights from the Dec. 9 Flint City Council meeting included endorsement of up to $55 million in bonds for Hurley Medical Center, a vote to subpoena County Clerk John Gleason, and a response to – and a defense of – the drama witnessed at last week’s finance committee meeting. Up to $55 million bonds to be issued for Hurley Medical Center As presented in the Dec 7 finance committee meeting, the Hurley Medical Center board of managers requested approval from the city to issue an additional $20 million in bonds...
read more“SMILE” mobile dentists putting smiles on faces of Flint students and improving dental health
By Harold C. Ford A lot of kids don’t like going to the dentist. Not surprisingly, a 2013 report found that up to 20 percent of kids around the world experience dental fear and anxiety. Further, researchers report that 35 percent of school absences are dental-related and that in any given year, four out of five low-income children do not see a dentist. But thanks to a crew of mobile dentists from the national “Smile Program,” students in the Flint Community Schools (FCS) are finding out being in that dental chair is not so...
read moreBuckham Gallery hosts first artists member show Dec. 13 in accessible new location
By Jeffery L. Carey Jr. The first Artist Member Show opening Friday in Buckham Gallery’s new locale “will cap off a milestone year,” artist member John Dempsey said about the coming event. “Our new street-level location has made the gallery accessible to everyone.” The theme for this year’s Artist Member Show, celebrated with an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Friday at the Gallery, 121 W. Second St., will be the passing of time and Buckham’s longevity. According to Executive Director Lynn Penning, “Members have come and...
read moreReview: One more weekend to see “outstanding” Flint Rep’s “Into the Woods”
By Patsy Isenberg “Into the Woods” is an outstanding blend of talents that came together just right. The musical opened at Flint Repertory Theatre (The Rep) Friday, Dec. 6 to a sold out audience. Rumor had it the rest of that weekend’s performances were also sold out. The blend of talents includes the direction of this Sondheim/Lapine collaboration by Michael Lluberes, The Rep’s producing artistic director, who does such a great job with every one of the shows he’s chosen to direct. Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the music and lyrics, and James...
read moreMayor to residents: help test water quality before crucial deadline
Flint residents, who once turned themselves into chemists by the thousands at the height of the water crisis, are being asked by Mayor Sheldon Neeley to urgently once again become scientists and test their water quality. In a press release issued this morning, City of Flint Communications Director Marjory Raymer said “The City of Flint is combining forces with the United Way, Habitat for Humanity and the state of Michigan to meet its deadline to conduct water quality tests at homes most at risk for having lead service lines. About 100...
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East Village Magazine – December 2019
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
read moreCity Council Beat: Hurley bond refinancing resolution described, council drama erupts again
By Tom Travis The Flint City Council, meeting as the Finance Committee Wednesday night, moved a proposed resolution of support for a refinancing and additional $20 million to a Hurley Medical Center bond to the full council for consideration. Several members of the public, many of the city administration staff, all council members except Allen Griggs (8th Ward) were packed with standing room only into the City Council committee room. In the second half of the meeting, Councilperson Eric Mays (1st Ward) demanded the police officer covering the...
read moreReview: “Hatred, Inc.” and “Why We Hate” cast light on today’s quagmires
By Robert Thomas Matt Taibbi’s book Hate Inc. and the Discovery Channel’s six-episode series Why We Hate makes for an informative multi-media journey along the trail of human hatred. Hate Inc. examines why today’s media makes us despise one another. Why We Hate examines causes of hatred using scientific tools like evolutionary anthropology, cognitive science, and neuroscience to flesh out hatred’s roots. Evolutionary anthropologist Brian Hare uses examples of our evolutionary relatives like the male aggression of chimpanzees competing for...
read moreNeurodevelopmental Center for Excellence marks first year of helping Flint kids
By Teddy Robertson January 2020 marks the first year of operation for Flint’s Neurodevelopmental Center for Excellence (NCE), a service of Genesee Health System (GHS) for neuropsychological assessment of children impacted by Flint’s water crisis. But while the Center may be just one year old, GHS visualized its need five years ago, said Dr. Lauren Tompkins, vice president of clinical operations. As Genesee County’s public mental health provider for over 50 years, formerly known as Community Mental Health, GHS — like the medical community —...
read moreVillage Life: Every day, I dream of Down Time
By Jan Worth-Nelson Every day I keep dreaming of Down Time. I used to crave adventure, no day complete without a conscious tablespoon at least of risky business, a routine to kickstart adrenaline, an agenda to keep me in the loop – the loop of life, baby. I aimed to be a player. If I didn’t push my limits a little bit, I lost a dram of self-respect. One time I had a lot to prove and I had a drive to Be There, wherever that was. I hitchhiked across the country (everybody was doing it back then), I took a small cargo ship to remote...
read moreSally Shaheen Joseph named Sybyl Award winner; ELGA’s Karen Church also honored
By Jan Worth-Nelson Sally Shaheen Joseph, a trustee of Mott Community College cited as a “tireless” volunteer whose work has touched almost every corner of Genesee County, was named the 2019 Sybyl Award winner Tuesday night in a celebration at Factory One. Karen Church, CEO of ELGA Credit Union, was named the 2019 Lifetime Award winner. The awards recognize a top community volunteer. The celebrates Sybyl Atwood, for many decades a formidable lynchpin of community volunteerism at what was then called Resource Genesee. As her...
read moreFlint Registry paying $50 for completed water crisis surveys
The Flint Registry is increasing “thank you checks” for completing surveys about individual exposure to Flint water during the crisis from $25 to $50 in December and January 2020. “We want everyone in Flint to benefit from the awesomeness of the Flint Registry. Thousands have already joined and gotten connected and supported to critical health and development services,” said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, associate professor of pediatrics at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and director of the MSU-Hurley...
read moreCustomers at two area KFCs may have been exposed to Hepatitis A in November
Anyone who consumed food or drink from the Kentucky Fried Chicken at 6021 Dort Hwy in Grand Blanc or 9230 Birch Run Road in Birch Run during two time frames in November may have been exposed to Hepatitis A from a foodservice worker employed at both places. Dates of the possible exposure are Nov. 14-16 at the Birch Run KFC or between Nov. 20-26 at the Grand Blanc KFC. “Anyone who visited KFC in Grand Blanc or Birch Run during these dates and has not been vaccinated for hepatitis A or has a sudden onset of any symptoms of Hepatitis A...
read more“Loads of Luv” laundry program helps kids have clean clothes; benefactor honored
Children needing access to laundry facilities and clean clothes are better off because of the contributions of a Flint businessman, Sheldon T. Banks of the Sheldton T. Banks Funeral Chapel. Banks was honored Tuesday by the Genesee Health Plan (GHP) for contributions to the “Loads of Luv” laundry program to ensure students and their families have access to clean clothes. The program was started by Genesee Health Plan community health worker Melody Relerford at Freeman Elementary School. “As a Flint native, living, working and...
read moreCommentary: Three budgets, three deficits, three crises?
By Paul Rozycki “Flint’s ‘comeback story’ at odds with its bleak fiscal outlook” Chad Livengood, Crain’s Detroit Business, Nov. 10, 2019 “Dismal finances place future of Flint Community Schools in doubt” Mark Bullion, WJRT, Nov. 5, 2019 “With budget issues looming, Genesee County looks to sell Lake Huron property,” “Genesee County commissioners ask departments to cut budgets by 10%” Ron Fonger, MLive, Sept. 6, and Aug. 27, 2019 As we move beyond celebrating the last election and into the next one — ponder those headlines. They say a lot...
read more“We knew about it,” former Mayor Weaver says of $20 million water fund balance
By Jan Worth-Nelson Former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said today that the $20 million “found” in the city’s water fund in a preliminary audit report from incoming Mayor Sheldon Neeley was well known to her administration. Though she has been largely silent as the Neeley administration took over, Weaver agreed to a phone interview, she said, because”I don’t want it to appear that this was money that had just been found–because it’s not true.” The Neeley administration asserted in a press release...
read more“More than $20 million” balance found in water fund audit, new city administration claims
By Jan Worth-Nelson The City of Flint’s water fund has a “fiscal year 2020 balance” of more than $20 million, according to a startling press release issued this afternoon from Communications Director Marjory Raymer. Municipal finance expert Eric Scorsone, hired by Mayor Sheldon Neeley in the first week of his administration, said it appears “budget estimates and forecasts have been used for years when assessing the status of the Water Fund — without updating the balance based on actual revenue and...
read moreCity Council Beat: Water shutoff fee removed, city administrator and EAB appointees approved
By Tom Travis and Luther Houle A $75 fee for water shutoffs in Flint has been eliminated by unanimous vote of the Flint City Council. After the vote on ending the fee, proposed by Councilperson Eva Worthing (9th Ward) the audience of about 50 applauded. Worthing explained, “I’m a single mom… I have my parents, though, and they help me when I struggle. If I didn’t have them and I needed to pay $75 for a shut-off fee and another $75 for a turn-on fee, I wouldn’t have it. I don’t have $150 in my bank account.” She continued, “We’ve got...
read moreMCC unveils a third Ballenger sculpture–this time at Ballenger Fieldhouse
By Paul Rozycki After unveiling statues of William S. Ballenger Sr. at Ballenger Park just a month ago, and at Memorial Park, William Ballenger III was joined by family and friends Nov. 25, as he dedicated one more remembrance of his grandfather — a bust at the Ballenger Fieldhouse on the Mott Community College campus. In his remarks, Ballenger said that, while his grandfather was a “numbers man” and the first treasurer for Buick and Chevrolet, his life reflected several major characteristics that began with the letter ‘I’. He was...
read more“The weight of an entire community” — Mott Foundation execs describe what they’ve learned in “Focus on Flint,” what they worry about, and how they hope a targeted $1 million might help
By Harold C. Ford Editor’s note: The following is an interview with the C.S. Mott Foundation’s Ridgway White, CEO and president, and Kimberly Roberson, Flint area program director. Also present at the interview was Kathryn Thomas, vice president for communications. After release of a 24-page Focus on Flint report, available here, the Mott Foundation announced availability of $1 million in grants for projects to improve Flint neighborhoods. The foundation is accepting ideas through Nov. 30 to improve Flint neighborhoods. Interested persons...
read moreLead line replacement opt-in alerts, census urgency top items at Neeley’s first press conference
By Melodee Mabbitt There was more than talk of a “bug” at newly-elected Mayor Sheldon Neeley’s first press conference Saturday, when local media were hauled in at 10:30 a.m. to an otherwise closed City Hall. The first item was a presentation by Neeley’s Interim Police Chief Phil Hart, who donned a suit on Saturday morning to try to close out coverage of an “electronic surveillance device” found in the mayor’s chambers at City Hall. That story has been covered elsewhere, including here and finally, here. Urgent...
read moreDemocratic leaders, supporters gather en masse for Gary Peters campaign kickoff
By Paul Rozycki The 2020 Michigan U.S. Senatorial campaign may be nearly a year away, but it got an early kickoff when incumbent Democratic Senator Gary Peters paid a visit to the White Horse Tavern in Flint Nov. 23 for one of his first campaign fundraisers. He was greeted by a standing-room-only crowd that included lots of local political leaders, as well as many other supporters. The event was hosted by State Senator Jim Ananich, State Representatives, John Cherry, Sheryl Kennedy, Tim Sneller and former Representative Jack Minore. Also...
read more“Bug” matter dropped by Hart; “insignificant” device never seized
By Melodee Mabbitt “I would always make an inquiry before an indictment,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said when asked how he learned of a “device,” at first thought to be an electronic surveillance bug, found in the mayor’s office following the Nov. 5 election when Neeley defeated incumbent Karen Weaver. In a press conference unusually called on Saturday morning, Flint Police Chief Phil Hart attempted to close the matter when he said the device was never seized by Flint police because it was “insignificant” and only capable of...
read moreMayor, police chief connect, state reps offer update, councilpersons conflict at CCNA
By Jan Worth-Nelson It was the night of the politicos Thursday at the November meeting of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA), as the assemblage of about 50 residents heard from the city’s new mayor, the interim police chief, the state senator, the state representative, and the chancellor of the University of Michigan-Flint. To top it all off, residents were bystanders to a brief brouhaha between two Flint City councilpersons, Council President Monica Galloway (Seventh Ward, including the CCN) and Kate Fields...
read morePolice Chief Hart: Device found at City Hall “not sophisticated” and does not record video, audio
By Melodee Mabbitt Flint Police Chief Phil Hart confirmed today that a device found at City Hall is not capable of recording video or audio and is not sophisticated enough to warrant sending to state police or the FBI for further investigation. East Village Magazine (EVM) learned of the device when Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley appeared on a Nov. 16 WFLT 1420-AM 10 a.m. radio show, where he stated that “in having the office swept, there was one electronic surveillance device left in the office.” Neeley defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Weaver...
read moreEducation Beat: School closures put on hold as Flint School officials search for deficit solutions
By Harold C. Ford “We have to get to a number that will allow us to be a viable district…We have too much infrastructure for the number of students we’re trying to educate.” …Derrick Lopez, superintendent, Flint Community Schools The elected and appointed leaders of Flint Community Schools (FCS) have decided to keep looking for possible solutions to eliminate the district’s massive debt and, for the time being, postpone final decisions on the closing and consolidation of school buildings. The postponement decision was announced before an...
read more“Meaning Train” author Carrie Cunningham appearing Saturday at Totem
By Jan Worth-Nelson Carrie Cunningham, author of a new book exploring ” how ideas of nonviolence and love might save the world” will appear at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at Totem Books, 620 W. Court St., Flint. Meaning Train: Essays on Religion and Politics was published by Archway Publishing this autumn. Cunningham, of Grosse Pointe Farms, graduated from Harvard College where she studied American and African history. She identifies herself as a progressive Christian writer. She states the book “counters the divisive...
read moreCity of Flint Communications Director Raymer says document about device found at City Hall was “not a press release”
By Melodee Mabbitt City of Flint Communications Director Marjory Raymer sent multiple text messages to East Village Magazine (EVM) since Tuesday night’s publication of a story on Mayor Sheldon Neeley’s allegations that an “electronic surveillance device” was found in the mayor’s office at Flint City Hall. Neeley defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Weaver Nov. 5 by 205 votes and was sworn in Nov. 11. At 9:27 p.m. last night, EVM received the following text from Raymer: “To clarify. That is not a press release that I am sending but I got a...
read moreNeeley alleges, and city press release asserts, “electronic surveillance device” found in mayor’s office
By Melodee Mabbitt Newly elected Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley insinuated Nov. 16 that someone in the outgoing administration of former Mayor Karen Weaver left a bug in the mayor’s office, and the mayor’s office today gave East Village Magazine a press release on letterhead marked “Flint Police Department” stating a device had been found. Neeley appeared on a WFLT 1420 AM radio show at 10 a.m. Nov. 16, where he stated that “in having the office swept, there was one electronic surveillance device left in the office.” The mayor...
read moreSchool board to meet on deficit elimination plan, school closings Tuesday, Nov. 19
By Harold C. Ford The Board of Education of the Flint Community Schools (FCS) will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, at Southwestern Classical Academy, 1420 W. 12th St., to consider a controversial deficit elimination plan. The plan is expected to result in the closure of several buildings in the financially besieged district. Four schools—Eisenhower Elementary, Pierce Elementary, Scott School (now Accelerated Learning Academy), and Flint Junior High School (at the site of the now-closed Northwestern High School)—are...
read morePoet Laureate Semaj Brown launches literacy project in compelling UM – Flint performance
By Patsy Isenberg “Say Her Name.” Semaj Brown. Flint’s first-ever poet laureate, made that powerful line one of her central refrains at a performance, discussion and launch of a literacy initiative at the University of Michigan – Flint’s Kiva Auditorium Nov. 13. Brown had received a proclamation from then-Mayor Karen Weaver announcing her as Flint’s first poet laureate Sept. 27 after a performance at the Flint Public Library. The UM event, sponsored by the UM-Flint English Department, was hosted by linguistics professor Erica...
read moreGalloway elected Flint city council president, Mays vice president
By Luther Houle Following Mayor Neeley’s swearing-in at City Hall, Flint City Council held its own election at 5 p.m. Monday Nov. 11 to decide who would lead council meetings in the coming year. Seventh Ward Councilperson Monica Galloway was elected president, with First Ward Councilperson Eric Mays chosen vice president. He also will head up the Finance Committee. The process took up most of the uncharacteristically short meeting, which adjourned before 8 p.m. How the votes played out Starting with the Special Affairs Committee meeting...
read moreMott Foundation to invest $1 million in Flint neighborhoods: deadline Nov. 30
By Harold C. Ford On the heels of a recently released 24-page Focus on Flint report, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has announced the availability of $1 million in grants for projects to improve Flint neighborhoods. “Residents told us a focus on neighborhoods is their top priority,” said Mott President and CEO Ridgway White in a press release, “and they want to see improvements to address safety and blight.” White rolled out the initiative at the Mott Community College Event Center Nov. 9. Ideas are being accepted through Nov. 30 in the...
read more“Unity is strength, division is weakness,” Flint’s new mayor asserts at swearing-in
By Tom Travis Despite a snowstorm barreling down outside, it was standing room only in the 440-seat Council Chamber room on the third floor of City Hall Monday for the swearing in of Flint’s new mayor, Sheldon Neeley. The audience was a “who’s who” of politicians, entrepreneurs, business leaders, ministers, activists, city leaders. The crowd depicted the ethnic diversity and broad spectrum of the Flint community. Three rousing familiar gospel songs were offered by musicians from the community. Hands lifted and people stood, many...
read moreVillage Life: Remembering a Flint walk when far away–my secret of self-care
By Jan Worth-Nelson I swear, by the time I stride onto the south end of Kensington, just a few hundred yards from my house, the endorphins already are kicking in. My breathing evens out, and there’s often a cardinal or two darting around in the brush bending over Gilkey Creek. I don’t know what most of those plants are—mostly “weeds,” I guess, but I don’t care. They’re green and they’re wild and they belong there as much as I do. And I love the sun-yellow signs tucked along the creek, installed by neighbors of the winding little waterway—no...
read moreLet’s “come together and move on as one,” outgoing Mayor Weaver exhorts in open letter to the city
The following arrived today from Mayor Karen Weaver, defeated by 205 votes Tuesday by State Rep. Sheldon Neeley. It was sent by her public information officer, Candice Mushatt. Dear Residents: The last four years of my life have been some of the best. I had an opportunity to serve as Mayor of the greatest city in the world. When I stepped into office we were in a crisis, we needed answers we weren’t getting and we needed help that was seemingly never going to come. Throughout these last few years, we have been able to move from crisis to...
read moreFlint city council already battling over leadership; vote for new president set for Monday Nov. 11
By Tom Travis Just a few hours after the noon swearing in of Mayor-elect Sheldon Neeley in City Hall Monday, the Flint City Council (FCC) will meet. City Clerk Inez Brown will begin that meeting, at 5 p.m. in council chambers. The first order of business will be a vote on council leadership for the year 2019-2020. Back-and-forth campaigning breaks out At the Wednesday, Nov. 6, bi-monthly FCC committee meeting, First Ward Councilperson Eric Mays was one of the first to speak and began a a dialogue about the upcoming leadership vote. The...
read moreNeeley resigns as state rep, effective Monday, to become Flint’s new mayor
The following press release just landed from the office of state Rep. Sheldon Neeley, Flint’s mayor-elect: “FLINT — On Monday, state Rep. Sheldon Neeley will officially resign his seat in the state House of Representatives and be sworn into his next chapter of public service as Mayor of the city of Flint. Neeley served as the state representative of the 34th House District for five years. “When I came to Lansing, my city was in the middle of one of the worst public health and confidence crises our state has ever faced. Abandoned...
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