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Topic: the Eric Mays Saga contiues
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Flint elects four newcomers to city council, two incumbents retained

Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com
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on November 06, 2013 at 2:36 AM, updated November 06, 2013 at 2:48 AM



FLINT, MI – The makeup of the Flint City Council will change following the Nov. 5 election of four newcomers, according to unofficial election results.

Wantwaz Davis knocked off an incumbent in the Fifth Ward and two other incumbents also were re-elected.

Eric Mays won in the First Ward, in the Seventh Ward it was Monica Galloway and Vicki VanBuren won in the Eighth Ward.


“Let’s get to work and see if we can help the people,” said Mays, who beat Anita Brown by seven votes. “I’m humble and thankful first to God and then they people across the First Ward. I’m anxious to be able to prove we can do things decent and in order.”

The new council members will have little power and a fraction of their regular pay because Flint is being run by state-appointed Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. Under Public Act 436, the state’s emergency manager law, city council can only do what Earley allows them.

Gov. Rick Snyder recently told The Flint Journal that he expected Flint to transition away from an emergency manager in a matter of months, which could restore power to local officials.

Flint resident Annie Edwards voted for Mays.

“He seemed like he was the most popular person and he seemed like he could get something done,” she said. “We really need someone to step up and talk for us. They need to get rid of all the old council.”

Councilman Bryant Nolden held off A.C. Dumas in the Third Ward, earning 56 percent of the votes. Nolden and Dumas spent more than $10,000 combined on the campaign .

“I’m just happy that residents of the Third Ward wanted to retain me,” Nolden said. “I feel like I’ve done an adequate job and I feel like I have more to do.

“Dumas is a very formidable opponent and my hat does go off to him.”

Councilwoman Jackie Poplar beat Michael Harris by 327 votes in the Second Ward.

In the Fifth Ward, Davis beat incumbent Bernard Lawler by 71 votes. There also were 117 write-in votes.

The Flint Journal could not reach Davis for comment.

Galloway beat Alex Harris with nearly 54 percent of the vote in the Seventh Ward.

Flint resident Chatmon Thorn Jr. said he chose Galloway, despite both candidates being qualified.

“I don’t know her personally, but I trust her judgment – that’s why I went with her,” Thorn said.

VanBuren won by 133 votes over Joyce Ellis-McNeal in the Eighth Ward.

James Teeple decided who he’d vote for in the parking lot moments before he cast his ballot. In the end, it came down to VanBuren.

“I didn’t know either one of the candidates – that was the bad thing about it,” said Teeple, of Flint. “I didn’t have a decision – I just voted. To me that’s a sorry way to vote.”

Councilmen Joshua Freeman, Sheldon Neeley and Scott Kincaid all ran unopposed and were re-elected.

Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.


Last edited by untanglingwebs on Fri Dec 13, 2013 6:49 pm; edited 4 times in total
Post Wed Nov 06, 2013 6:32 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

They had better tighten council rules and develop an ethics policy.

Some challengers kept spreading the rumor of a poll being conducted by an anonymous Lansing firm. If such a poll showing they were winning by a landslide existed the results would have been given to the journal.
Post Wed Nov 06, 2013 6:35 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Flint voters elect two convicted felons, two others with bankruptcies to city council

Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com
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on November 06, 2013 at 8:27 PM, updated November 07, 2013 at 12:02 AM


FLINT, MI – The newly elected Flint City Council includes a convicted killer, a man who served probation for felonious assault and two people who have gone through personal bankruptcies.

Wantwaz Davis, who beat incumbent Bernard Lawler by 71 votes to win the Fifth Ward seat, served 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 1991.


Davis said he didn't hide his murder conviction from voters and openly talked about the conviction with residents, but it never was publicly reported. The Journal learned of the conviction Wednesday and Davis confirmed it when asked.


"The council people are elected. They're going to get sworn in on Monday. Nothing you write about it is going to change it now," Council President Scott Kincaid said. "It's not something that was hidden or should be a surprise to constituents in the Fifth Ward."

Davis was 17 years old in August 1991 when Kenneth S. Morris, 27, was killed at his home on Grace Street. Morris died after being shot three times -- once each in the hip, abdomen and mouth, according to The Flint Journal archives.

"He went and reached in his pocket, so I reached in my pocket and I shot him," Davis said Wednesday, Nov. 6. "When I found out he later died, I turned myself in. I never intended to shoot Mr. Morris. To this day, I am very remorseful."

Also on the nine-member council are:

• First Ward councilman-elect Eric Mays pleaded guilty to felonious assault in 1987 and served a year of probation. Mays said the man had been threatening his life before Mays threatened him with a gun.

• Second ward Councilwoman Jackie Poplar filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in federal bankruptcy court in 2004, a year before first being elected to City Council. She repaid nearly $21,000 to her creditors over six years.


• Newly elected Seventh Ward councilwoman Monica Galloway and her husband filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1999, according to federal court records.

The newly elected council comes as the city looks to regain local control after one year, 11 months under a state takeover.

Gov. Rick Snyder recently told The Flint Journal that he expected Flint to transition away from an emergency manager in a matter of months, which could restore power to locally elected officials including the mayor and city council.

"My reaction is this is not good for Flint," said Flint native and political analyst Bill Ballenger, who said in his 50 years in politics he's never heard of two convicted felons elected to the same council. "This is probably still another black eye for the city of Flint."

Davis was paroled in 2010, after 19 years in prison.


"I want the (Morris) family to know that I am extremely apologetic for what I did to their family member," Davis said, adding that he does not shy away from his past, and that it will help him on council. "The elders and youth are looking for someone who actually understands what they're going through and who has rebounded and made something of themselves."

Mays defended his actions in his felonious assault conviction: "I defended myself," Mays said of the incident that occurred while Mays was home in Flint for the summer after being accepted into law school. "That destroyed my law career."

Poplar, an incumbent who won more than 65 percent of the vote over, said her debt followed the death of her mother.

"I had to spend all I had to bury her," Poplar said. "If I had to do it again, I would."

Galloway could not be reached for comment. She beat Alex Harris by 123 votes in the Seventh Ward to win the seat being vacated by Dale Weighill.

The new council members will have little power and are paid $7,000 a year, a third of their regular pay because Flint is run by state-appointed Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. Under Public Act 436, the state's emergency manager law, city council can only do what Earley allows it to do.

"I intend to work with whoever is sworn in on Monday," Earley said.

There is nothing illegal about convicted felons running for office or voting, according to Fred Woodhams, spokesman for the Michigan Department of State.

In 2010, Woodhams said the state Constitution was amended to ban felons convicted of fraud or similar charges from any elected office.


"As far as the state law, the amendment only talks about fraud, deceit and dishonesty – felonies about that," Woodhams said.

Davis and Mays are not the first convicted felons to win election in Flint.

Former Mayor Don Williamson served three years in prison in the early 1960s on two felony convictions involving business scams. Williamson resigned in 2009 on the verge of a recall election.

Ballenger said the council members' records could make the state less likely to end the takeover.

"It's certainly not anything that's going to make them want to turn it over to local control," Ballenger said.


Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
Post Thu Nov 07, 2013 7:17 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

The Journal failed to report on Mays extensive history of assaultive behavior. The paper even covered the Saginaw case where he was convicted of felony stalking an ex-girlfiend.

Mays admitted in council that he had a standard contract for his lobbying efforts. He received $10,000 for each liquor license or zoning change and returned $5,000 if he failed. Kerry Nelson filed a PPO against Mays when Mays attempted to intimidate him after he did not vote as Mays wanted.

Mays lobbied for the now failed Sunoco Station on Pasadena and Milbourne. Mays was later hired by the store. I read the police report where Mays alleged he allowed a female to use the back room while he talked to another female in the front. The police report alleges the female stole money from the back.

Mays sued his union in Saginaw and received more than one payout from GM.

Mays had other assaults on his record.
Post Thu Nov 07, 2013 7:27 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Woodrow Stanley


In the last four years or we've seen many insidious initiatives designed to suppress the vote in minority communities.Do you remember voter ID,tightened absentee ballot procedures,new immigrant obstacles,etc.Of course having over 50% of Michigan's African American population living under emergency rule hasn't helped voter participation. Now in the aftermath of tuesday's election the Flint Journal published a front page story assailing the fact that residents had elected two felons and two individuals with past bankruptcies. For the record ,felons in Michigan are allowed to vote and hold public office.There are a few exceptions.May I point out that when Flint residents elected a twice convicted felon as mayor there was no banner headline trumpeting this fact. Why the double standard? Are there individuals serving in the hundreds of political offices in Genesee County who have also filed for bankruptcy? And why would the Flint Journal callously associate filing bankruptcy with felony conviction? Is it no wonder that the Flint Journal limps along as a part time publication? Will any of us be surprised when the Journal joins the dinosaur in permanent extinction.
Post Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:31 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Davis never hid his prison record from anyone. During the election debate, he brought it up. The Flint Journal is disingenuous to indicate they did not know. In the past they wrote articles on all contested races and investigated the candidates. Those who voted for Davis knew who they were voting for. The comments I hear is why they preferred an ex-con over a minister.

It is amazing to me that they only focused on one of Mays arrests and never mentioned how Jackie Poplar got a federal pass when she was extorting money from Party Store owners.


Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:13 am; edited 1 time in total
Post Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:20 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

The major complaint about council is they don't return phone calls and they don't deal with the quality of life issues. They should at least let the citizens know they are trying although they have little power under the Emergency Manager.

In the 5th ward the residents are calling former councilman Matt Taylor and a former ward captain for advice. The vote was as much anti-Lawler as pro-Davis.
Post Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:59 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Channel 5 this morning presented a clip of the radio show hosts, Dan and Brenda as they discussed the news article about council and they focused on Davis. The repeated how Davis never hid his record and they spoke about redemption. With the high rate of incarceration among our black youth, redemption and a new start should be emphasized.

I got into an argument with a person I thought was a good friend. They felt the article by the Journal was racist and told me I would understand if I were black. What I see is the Journal deviated from their previous pattern of examining all of the candidates and suspect that it was for fear of being called racist.

In the past they discussed Jackie Poplar's bankruptcy. The Journal followed the story of Poplar's federal pass when she was caught on tape extorting money from Party store owners.

There were stories in the Saginaw News, a sister news agency, about Mays case of felony stalking, his lawsuits and battles with the union. The Journal even wrote about Mays being kicked out of council and the PPO's that resulted from his actions in the council chambers.

So why are they suddenly so timid. Could it be because of the criticism about their ta abatements that they never lived up to and their relationship to the downtown groups that minorities find so objectionable. The Journal needs to step up to the plate. Yes there were a large number of minority candidates, but the Journal should not hold them to a lesser standard. Every one entering a public office needs to aboveboard about their past discretions.
Post Sun Nov 10, 2013 10:34 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Wanie Davis commented on his own photo.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Options


Wanie Davis


To all of the people who read the newspaper today about me being 5th ward city councilman and a convicted felon for murder. The Flint journal knew about my conviction many months ago. They also knew that my mother was sexually assaulted by the man I murdered, before then I never had a felony nor ever spent any day in the county. I was convicted for a crime that was committed because I loved my mother. I could have went about it different, but the basis of my case was because my mother was sexually assaulted. This is my story and the flint journal knew this and never mentioned anything about my mother, that was the sad part. But it is okay because 455 people who voted for me understood and knew about my past and still believed in my ability to run this city and help resolve some of the problems we are suffering from.
Post Sun Nov 10, 2013 3:45 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Flint, Michigan City, Elects 2 Felons To City Council, Including A Convicted Murderer


Posted: 11/11/2013 6:59 pm EST | Updated: 11/11/2013 7:39 pm EST


People often like to complain that politicians are crooks. But they usually aren't actually convicted felons.

That's about to change in the city of Flint, Mich., where two convicted felons -- including a man who went to prison for murder -- will be joining City Council.

The new councilman with a record is Wantwaz Davis, who beat incumbent Bernard Lawler by 71 votes to win a seat in Flint's Fifth Ward. Davis served 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 1991.

From the Flint Journal/MLive:

Davis was 17 years old in August 1991 when Kenneth S. Morris, 27, was killed at his home on Grace Street. Morris died after being shot three times -- once each in the hip, abdomen and mouth, according to The Flint Journal archives.
"He went and reached in his pocket, so I reached in my pocket and I shot him," Davis said Wednesday, Nov. 6. "When I found out he later died, I turned myself in. I never intended to shoot Mr. Morris. To this day, I am very remorseful."


Davis told NBC 25 that he killed Morris after the man sexually assaulted his mother and that he began studying politics in prison.

In Michigan, there are no laws barring felons from being elected officials -- the exception being those convicted of fraud or public corruption charges related to service as a government official. Wantwaz said that he has been forthcoming with residents about his prison record, but the Flint Journal notes they weren't aware of Wantwaz's conviction until Wednesday, when they asked the newly-elected official to confirm the report. The Flint Journal editor has since apologized to residents for failing to uncover Wantwaz's biographical information.




“We reported it the same day we discovered it,” Raymer wrote of the story published last Wednesday. “However, we did not inform voters — the way we all wish we could have — of that information before they went to the polls on Tuesday.”

In campaign literature posted on his public Facebook page in May, Davis suggested he would try to improve treatment of ex-felons as a way to "resolve the crime in our community":

The City of Flint population is 100,000 or less, with a great amount of men and women with felonies on their record who are being ignored and treated like second class citizens. Corporate America, entrepreneurs, and private sectors will not employ or hire these ex-felons, who should be afforded the same equal rights as all citizens, if shown to be a productive member in society. Hiring these men and women could place federal and state taxes into the general fund that would produce revenue, revenue creates more jobs. Taking the gun out of these men and women's hand and exchanging it with a good paycheck would bring a sign of relief to not only our community, but build a strong robust economy.

He's not the only elected official with a checkered past to win election last Tuesday in Flint. According to the Associated Press, Eric Mays, who pleaded guilty to felonious assault in 1987 and was placed on probation for a year, also won a seat on Council. Mays said a man had been threatening his life before Mays, in turn, threatened him with a gun.

Things have been bleak for a long time in Flint, a former industrial center located about an hour north of Detroit. Like Detroit, control of the cash-strapped city has been vested in an emergency manager appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder (R). But the financial manager is soon expected to hand control back to the city this year.

Two other city council members in Flint know something about dire financial circumstances -- they both previously filed for personal bankruptcy.

Jackie Poplar filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in federal bankruptcy court in 2004. The Second Ward city councilwoman, who won re-election for the second time last week, repaid nearly $21,000 to her creditors, the Flint Journal reported. In the Seventh Ward, new councilwoman Monica Galloway and her husbands filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1999.

Don Williamson, a former mayor of Flint who was loved and hated for his gruff style, served three years in prison in the 1960s for two felony convictions involving business scams. Williamson, a high school dropout who later became a multi-millionaire, resigned in 2009 before a recall election to remove him from office.





Also on HuffPost:
Post Mon Nov 11, 2013 8:26 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Mays certainly knows about deals being cut as he helped with other candidates absentee ballots in return for votes for President. Remember the deals he cut in the Ombudsman mess with Tyrone Croom.




Kincaid re-elected as Flint City Council president

Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com
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on November 11, 2013 at 8:30 PM

FLINT, MI – Ninth Ward Councilman Scott Kincaid was retained as president of the Flint City Council during the annual organizational meeting on Monday, Nov. 11.
Kincaid beat First Ward Councilman Eric Mays on a 5-4 vote.

“I want to commit to you that I will work with you in the future,” Kincaid said to the four council members who didn’t vote for him.

Mays wanted to allow the public a chance to comment before voting took place and while Clerk Inez Brown presided over the meeting.

“I want the public to see us talk,” Mays said. “I know deals has been cut.”


Bryant Nolden was re-appointed as vice president in an 8-1 vote.

The meeting was the first for Mays and other newcomers Wantwaz Davis, Monica Galloway and Vicki VanBuren.


Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
Post Mon Nov 11, 2013 8:47 pm 
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D

November 11, 2013
Huff Post WEIRD NEWS
Flint, Michigan City, Elects 2 Felons To City Council, Including A Convicted Murderer
Posted: 11/11/2013 6:59 pm EST Updated: 11/11/2013 7:39 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/11/flint-city-council_n_4256514.html
--------
This is the source of one of the stories posted above. The original source contains quotes and many sources of the author's information which are not distinguished in the copy and paste as posted by untanglingwebs. Please remember to provide links for copy and paste.
Post Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:02 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Sorry- The quotes are the same type as what was in the Journal. The links often don't work shortly after publication and all that is found is a 404 error note. I did not see any source used other than what was in the article. This story came from Huffington Post crime not weird. I am not going to change and don't feel most people need unnecessary BS. Anyone who wanted more could have gone to Huffington Post as you did.
Post Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:28 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

News about Flint Journal

bing.com/news





Flint, Michigan City, Elects 2 Felons To City Council, Including A Convicted Murderer

The Huffington Post · 1 hour ago

In campaign literature posted on his public Facebook page in May, Davis suggested he would try to improve treatment of ex-felons as a way to "resolve the crime…
.

Flint Journal editor apologizes for election coverage after 2 ex-convicts win council seats

The Detroit News · 20 hours ago


Manufacturing to return to Flint's abandoned Buick City, sources say

MLive.com · 4 hours ago
Post Tue Nov 12, 2013 7:10 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

I was just on Facebook and got a chuckle out of Josh Freeman asking at 10:30 pm why he was still at council.

One of his commenters laughed and indicated Mays had waited 20 years to be on council and he had a lot to say. Said it before but council may want to update their rules.


Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:14 pm; edited 1 time in total
Post Tue Nov 12, 2013 7:13 am 
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