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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I must admit that I always thought of a shadow government in the context of the movies and even Anonymous. The shadow government was this secretive hidden entity that represented the true power over our elected officials. Also, because our elected officials needed the shadow government to get elected, they were subservient to this private group.
However, after reading Robert P. Stoker's "RETHINKING OUR CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: STRONG DEMOCRACY IN BALTIMORE'S EMPOWERMENT ZONE", I began to see the similarities and parallels to the Flint ENTERPRISE ZONE and the redevelopment efforts that are ongoing.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:42 am; edited 4 times in total |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 6:39 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The Baltimore Sun newspaper was instrumental in the use of the shadow government term to describe politician's creation of quasi-political corporations to circumvent government agencies and city politics, especially in the redevelopment and policy making process. (Stoker, Robert, 1987, "Baltimore: The Self Evaluating City?" The Politics of Urban Development.)Stoker (2003) described shadow government as an "ad-hoc, secretive and unaccountable to public and market discipline.
Flint, like Baltimore, created a quasi-public corporation to manage their zone, controlled to a great extent by the Mayor. The Mayor, the county and Mt Morris Township created the Flint Area Enterprise Community and a revolving loan fund, FAIC, which was managed by Community Capital Development Corporation. This entity was subject to abuse and to a great extent evaded public scrutiny when they circumvented sound investment policies and redevelopment strategies. The news media only captured a small portion of the intrigue that went on in the zone.
Flint was also awarded a "Renaissance Zone" designation from the state hat overlapped the Enterprise Zone in many areas and part of downtown. The state designation angered some business people as those not favored by the administration were cut out of the zone in a pattern resembling a jig saw puzzle.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:22 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:09 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| To a great extent the zone was unsuccessful. The enterprise zone focused on the north and was expected to build sustainable business ventures and limit the proliferation of car washes and bars. The opposite happened, bars and car washes became even more prolific. Allegations of kick backs and other illegal ventures were rampant in the last years of the FAIC, but those making the allegations would not give specifics and made enforcement difficult. Couple that with a City Council that made decisions that rendered investigations nearly impossible and had allegations of illegalities against some of their own members and failure was somewhat inevitable. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:21 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Community Capital Development Corporation denied FAEC access to the loan records to monitor for nearly three years. Emergency manager Kurtz refused to aid Flint Area Enterprise Director Nancy Jurkiewicz-Rich in accessing the records. After Mayor Williamson ordered FAIC to grant her access, a month long review started. Records were not in order, were incomplete and rife with federal violations.
I remember meeting with FAIC board members and staff, city representatives and FAEC employees regarding the monitoring findings. A local bank representative that served on the board of FAIC became angry. Nancy Jurkewicz-Rich is a small woman but she surprised me when she leaned completely across the conference table and told the management team how they ran the fund like a "slush fund". Since a great deal of anger was directed at me and my findings, I left so Nancy could regain control. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:35 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Nancy finally got the management agency to submit to audits, three years worth. She also stopped their arbitrary raising the cost of their fees, which far exceeded the expense for the revolving fund. Since the money was passed through thee Michigan Department of Human Services from HUD, the monitor was rightfully upset when the extent of the abuse was uncovered.
A HUD inspection cited the Director of CCDC, Harold Hill, leaving by the back door as they entered through the front. FAEC hired an attorney and the process of clean up occurred to limit as much as possible the blame of each agency's failure to monitor. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:43 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I am not sure when the apparent shadow government was formed. Nor do I know if it was formed to counter the perceived special status of the north end zones.I have discussed Highsmith and his writings on "DEMOLITION MEANS PROGRESS" in which he detailed the extensive influence of Charles S. Mott in racially charged Flint politics.
I have also written about FAEC details before along with the Flint Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation (Uptown).
On 3/5/2003 the City of Flint held a special order and created a master file (030240) for Tim Herman, representing the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation. He was invited by Inez Brown, City Clerk and Vice President of Uptown. Herman was President of Uptown and CEO of the Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 8:00 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Herman presented a working document related to the Sasaki master plans developed with private funds and substantially with Mott Foundation funds. (The Mott Foundation also was funding the promotion of a new city master plan and had helped sponsor a large event for community input.) It was hoped these plans would be incorporated into a city Master Plan.
Herman noted "The Flint Master Plan is truly a partnership between a number of entities in the City of Flint and Downtown. He wants to emphasize-it is a partnership between the City, the county, the Downtown Small Business Association, the Downtown Development Authority, Community Capital Development Corporation, University Village mainstream, a lot of local institutions and developers, and foundations. That is very, very important-this is not just the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation doing it on their own-they are working in partnership with a lot of different entities in th downtown area. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 8:24 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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[NOTE: Stoker described a shadow government as one presented as a reform strategy and combined of quasi-public corporations and several "extra governmental entities". This allowed selected government officials to "exploit ambiguous public/private status of these organizations to exclude political opponents, circumvent city policies and evade responsibility for controversial development decisions."
People trained in HUD policies are surprised that HUD allowed the use of HUD funds to demolish Genesee Towers when it is a common belief the expenditure was not allowable. This would not be the first time HUD has bent the rules for politics.If you remember there were promises that public funding would not b used for the demolition.
Stoker described how a quasi-public institution :
1) can promote a reform strategy to save money, increase efficiency and effectiveness while being used to revitalize the central business district... ( Genesee County Commission and the Regional Chamber?)
2) can be a useful mechanism for the city's business elite to join private and public resources to facilitate redevelopment while insulated from the political culture of patronage and race.
In Genesee County, the croneyism and patronage are not hidden. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 8:39 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Herman discussed Uptown as "looking at all of the downtown area and looked at all the districts, the commercial property and they looked at open spaces, especially along the Flint River They looked at the institutions, (University of Michgan, Kettering, the City, the County, the hospitals) because they felt these should all be looked at. They looked at the open space system along the river that he thinks is very,very important and also the open space behind City Hall and other parts of downtown. They considered "way-finding"- how one would get to the downtown area. It is very difficult sometimes, from the expressways to determine how best to get to the downtown area. Uptown Reinvestment looked at "way finding" and the study.
Uptown Reinvestment looked at the landmark buildings, the significant buildings, and found there are some opportunity sites (District Court Building, Discount Tire, the motor pool site, the building on the corner and the building by Plaza One). This is Sasaki's recommendations to the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation which are opportunity sites. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:21 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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(Herman used maps and slides to discuss options, pros and cons to downtown development)
According to Herman, Sasaki recommended housing options as a major priority for downtown Flint (housing, adaptive use). "They also looked at office buildings, warehouses, factories, and stores, the waterfront (that is important) and also Brownfields, public housinimage"g, mixed use projects for the downtown area as well as "niche" market, such as seniors, students, empty nesters in the loft apartments and the historic preservations to forma a special identity."
Herman noted that "distinct image" is a reference by Uptown to , "maybe, a college town, loft apartments, an essential market place and if it is possible to bring the Farmer's Market to the downtown area.
(Note) Uptown created an entity to control the Farmers market and then facillitated the move they were contemplating in 2003 and earlier. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:40 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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"They (Uptown) are looking at the compact building pattern in relation to the buildings in the downtown area. Also considered was a concentration of housing and an understandable transit system, open space and a sense of permanence (soul). The Uptown Reinvestment Corporation believes they they can work with all leaderships to share the visions of all the sections in the downtown area.
The characteristics of a successful downtown call for identifying the unique attributes of the area, such as, the University and promoting a college town atmosphere; promotion of and rewarding historic preservation. As members of the City Council know, many of the buildings in the downtown area are historic and have historic value. Pedestrians are "primary", automobiles are secondary and they need to make sure the streetscape project is very pedestrian oriented and there will be no above or below grade walkways. Referring to the Riverbank Park, Mr. Herman stated that walkway is below grade and Sasaki is recommending it be brought up to a grade level. A dense "mixed use development" will create a street front with underground "pour in" garages. They believe the garages and decks are very,very feasible, but the underground parking is not feasible unless they build from the bottom up. Unless they build "new", they will not have underground parking in downtown, but that is not out of the question. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:45 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Herman discussed the area behind City Hall and said Sasaki indicated it would be a nice park if connected all the way down to University of Michigan, through greenspace on Wallenberg. He said Uptown is working with the Downtown Development Authority on new zoning laws as well as working very closely with Mayor Rutherford, Inez brown, and others on zoning overlays.
"Festivals and Events- " The Downtown Small Business Association, the Greater Flint Arts council,and the DDA are looking at special events and a number of festivals for summer activities.
Active Publicly Accessible Waterfront and Riverfront-Mr Herman stated the Riverbank Park needs to be cleaned up and maintained and he is aware of a plan by the DDA to work on that. They are going to engage the best developers
and architects which they believe should be local companies. In addition to, working with local developers to maintain that goal.
Concept Goals- They (Uptown) have identified five (5) districts in the downtown area, The Riverfront, Saginaw Street, west end and east side and "the government" and believe the goal should be to improve the City of Flint's identity, develop a college town concept,establish gateways and define "edges" and neighborhoods. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:08 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Councilman Horrigan asked Mr. Herman to define "west end and east side and Herman displayed a map to help understand those terms. Herman added thy needed to "market the downtown area as: urban, residential, cultural entertainment, banking district, arts, government and spiritual areas. In addition to creating open space frameworks from the Flint River corridor linking Kettering University and the University of Michigan down the Flint River. They are looking to create a space for gatherings and Sasaki is recommending the surface lot (downtown)-half of that lot would become a Town Square or a park and this concept is being discussed with the Downtown Development Authority. Mr Herman pointed out, they also need to improve existing space, parks, and civic plazas, develop a network of pedestrian connections and also connect the institutions to the downtown area, especially Mott College and the Cultural Center. The Cultural Center needs to be more connected into th downtown area along with Kettering University, the hospital ad other institutions.
Another goal is to re-introduce the City grid. Sasaki is recommending the City re-open Kearsley Street through the campus of University of Michigan, connecting the University down Kearsley Street into the Cultural Center, and also extending Stevens Street to kearsley Street-taking Stevens Street, from City hall, down to the University of Michigan, extending Third Avenue as a gateway to the city that will eventually (hopefully, working with the DDA and Downtown Small Business Association and universities) result in the renaming of Third Avenue to "University Boulevard". They would lso be working with the city to introduce two-way streets. At this time, teh general concensus regarding the one-way streets in the downtown area is business owners want the two-way streets".
(Note: Remember this was 2003. Much of this has already occurred at this point in time.) |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:00 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Herman discuss the "need to establish downtown residential neighborhoods. He indicated possibilities on the west end, behind First Presbyterian Church, for infill. Some of the plans are short-term and some are long term, said Herman, some will not occur for 10 to 15 years. "There will be an introduction of new neighborhoods on the east side and also retirement housing near near the Church sub-district, possibly, located behind First Presbyterian Church (somewhere off Beach Street and Church)"
"They are looking to strengthen the Saginaw Street District. The partners are working on Fourth and Kearsley and Harrison to beach with the streetscape project , which is out to bid by the City's Purchasing Department and will, hopefully, be started by the first part of May. Those bids would be for all new lighting, all new trees and all new sidewalks in the downtown area.
Restoration infill with improved Streetscape, Arts and Entertainment Block and the Mott Block Renovation. There are some proposals on the table to review these areas." Herman indicated the renovation of the Durant Hotel as being too costly at tis time and there needed to be discussion on the five year plan for moving the Farmer's Market.
(once again some of this has already occurred) |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:35 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Herman showed Council a slide indicating the amount of development that has already taken place in downtown:
(2003 figures are $230 million)
University of Michigan William White Building $41 million
Cultural Center $15 million on their master plan
Greater Flint Arts Council almost $1 million
Kearsley Park approximately $5 million
Kettering $36 million
University Park$9 million
"There has been a lot of investment that has happened in the downtown area and most people don't know about that "gift" money", said Herman. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:48 pm |
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