| Author
|
Post |
 
|
|
Steve Myers
Site Admin
|
Flint mayor
Primary voters Tuesday should choose from 3
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
By Journal Editorial Board
Circumstances and self-inflicted wounds have put Flint in the hole it's in, and it will take outstanding leadership to dig us out or finish a renaissance already begun, depending on one's perspective.
Therefore, Flint voters can't afford to take this year's mayoral election lightly. They must pick the best available candidate, starting with Tuesday's primary.
Fortunately, there's talent, even outstanding potential, available. However, The Flint Journal Editorial Board has not settled on one. Like the voters, we're not only seeking the right mayor for the moment, but someone who could take this community to improbable, but not impossible, heights.
After interviews with all seven running, three remain on our list, and we recommend voters choose from among them in next week's balloting. The top two finishers will qualify for the Nov. 6 general election.
In alphabetical order, the candidates we feel most suited to be mayor are: Sheldon A. Neeley, councilman from the 6th Ward; Dayne Walling, former research fellow for the Genesee Institute at the Genesee County Land Bank; and Mayor Don Williamson, who's completing his first term.
Neeley: What impresses us about this first-term incumbent is a workmanlike approach to his council duties and a passion for helping Flint in every way he can.
Neeley, 38, sees the problems at the street level, from youth involved in crime, to the renters with marginal interest in maintaining their homes. When he says he would look for ways to help people get down payments to buy homes, or work on broader strategies to improve the city, you can take him at his word. His push for curfew and truancy ordinances is an example of his nitty-gritty focus.
For better or worse, Neeley's sincere caring for people and their needs is matched by his dislike and distrust of the mayor. He says Williamson has "bamboozled" people, believes the city's finances are less solid than advertised, and that the administration's actions often ignore rules and procedures. Whether one believes Flint is moving forward or city government is "dysfunctional" - Neeley's view - might determine whether he survives Tuesday's voting. Still to be answered, too, is whether his capacity for leading equals his contempt for the way things are.
Walling: On paper, Walling's preparation for public service might be the equal of any we've seen in two generations. Academically gifted - a Rhodes scholar like President Clinton - he served for two years in the office of the Washington, D.C., mayor and recently was a research fellow connected to the Genesee County Land Bank, which has done yeoman's work in neighborhoods.
Walling, 33, is well-connected and well-funded for a first-time candidate, and has a thoughtful and detailed program for the city's physical, economic and social renewal - what he calls a "Road Map to Opportunity."
If elections were won on first impressions, Walling would be hard to beat. He's comfortable talking about Flint's failings and strengths and his plans for fixing or taking advantage of both.
The main doubt he poses as a mayoral hopeful is whether his education and sophistication is accompanied by sufficient street smarts to handle the pressures public office can present. We don't question his passion or vision. However, we might wonder about his grit for this daily grind.
Williamson: No politician in Genesee County is more of a known quantity than the mayor. The multimillionaire businessman's gruff persona is almost larger than life, and much of his record is plain to see in the hundreds of miles of streets that have been paved since he took over from a state-appointed financial manager about eight months into his term.
Williamson, 73, also might take credit for downtown renewal under way, though other agencies mostly did the work.
While his critics are vocal, if not legion, Williamson has shown that the nuts and bolts of municipal upkeep aren't beyond a place supposedly as far gone as Flint.
Detractors focus on other traits: His frequent feuding with the City Council and other politicians, his alleged disregard for legalities and an unpredictable disposition that makes relationships problematic.
With Williamson in office there's little doubt City Hall would stay open and the streets would get swept. However, whether the mayor knows the right road to Flint's future is one of the primary questions.
Tuesday's outcome and what we learn in the rest of the campaign will help determine our endorsement.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flintjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-3/118597622932570.xml&coll=5 |
|
|
Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:45 pm |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Political Talk
