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Ryan Eashoo
F L I N T O I D
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Flint elected officials don't get raises
FLINTTHE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITIONThursday, December 20, 2007By Holly Klaft and Marjory RaymerJournal Staff Writers
QUICK TAKE
How much they make
Here are current salaries for Flint's top elected officials:
Mayor: $102,190*
City Council president: $23,174
Council vice president: $22,646
Other council members: $22,118
* Mayor Don Williamson says he will accept only 50 cents a year
FLINT - The mayor and City Council members will receive no raises in the next two years.
In fact, Mayor Don Williamson announced he will voluntarily take a 50 percent pay cut - from $1 a year to 50 cents.
The Local Officers Compensation Commission met Wednesday and decided to keep elected city officials' salaries the same for another two years, despite an effort by the commission's chairman to increase their pay by 5 percent.
The commission voted 3-1 to maintain the current salaries, which reflect a 5 percent pay cut enacted in 2003. The pay also went unchanged when the commission met in 2005.
Commission Chairman C. Frederick Robinson noted that city unions that previously took pay cuts have since gotten raises, and he saw the 5 percent raise as simply restoring the mayor and council members' previous pay level.
"I felt that the council, in these trying times, deserve to have the former salaries restored," he said.
Vice Chairwoman Brenda Adams said raises should reflect the local economy.
"It depends on how the city is doing," said Adams.
The salaries are $102,190 for mayor (of which Williamson accepts only a token sum), $23,174 for council president, $22,646 for council vice president and $22,118 for other council members.
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Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com |
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Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:59 pm |
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FlintConservative
F L I N T O I D
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| Typical symbolism over substance. Maybe he can give that 50 cents to the families that just won (again) the lawsuit over the sewers. |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:35 am |
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Ted Jankowski
F L I N T O I D
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| OUCH!!! Another good observation! |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:49 am |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
FlintConservative schreef:
Typical symbolism over substance. Maybe he can give that 50 cents to the families that just won (again) the lawsuit over the sewers.
Where do you think the difference between 50 cents and $102,190 goes? Does it stay in an account for him to do with as he pleases, such as donating to local groups, or does it go back into other funds of the city to support what the city has to pay? |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:16 am |
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FlintConservative
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
00SL2 schreef:
quote:
FlintConservative schreef:
Typical symbolism over substance. Maybe he can give that 50 cents to the families that just won (again) the lawsuit over the sewers.
Where do you think the difference between 50 cents and $102,190 goes? Does it stay in an account for him to do with as he pleases, such as donating to local groups, or does it go back into other funds of the city to support what the city has to pay?
I think it goes to whatever group he needs to buy off at any given moment. My point is not that he isn't taking a salary. My point is that Ryan's excited because The Don took a 50 cent pay cut. |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:24 am |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
FlintConservative schreef:
My point is that Ryan's excited because The Don took a 50 cent pay cut.
If you saw the same ABC12 video tape I did of Williamson's actual statement, you would have seen the jest with which he made it--"now I'll make 50 cents." It certainly doesn't warrant headlines and isn't anything to get excited about but was actually a little bit humorous.
What I find more interesting was that C. Frederick Robinson recommended raises for city council and it didn't pass. I suppose he could be commended for making the gesture (maybe he has someone in mind to fill the first ward seat) but given the productivity of council for the past year I don't believe a raise is warranted at this time. Let's hope the next year is more productive. |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:43 am |
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BlahBlah48439
F L I N T O I D
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Honorable Don Williamson is a great mayor, I agree with Eashoo on this one.
quote:
FlintConservative schreef:
Typical symbolism over substance. Maybe he can give that 50 cents to the families that just won (again) the lawsuit over the sewers.
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 4:09 pm |
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Mark Bonto
F L I N T O I D
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Mayor Don Williamson is
not
an honorable mayor - he's a schiekster!
Sure, take a pay cut from $1 to 50 cents a year. Here's soemthign you didn't know. He's wasting, and I emphasize "wasting", $1,780 a day appealing an $11 million decision the courts ruled where the city of Flint is negligent. So is he honorable, taking a pay reduction of $180,000 a year, or is he a scumbag, scamming me from getting $11 I rightly deserve (proved by courts)? Does anyone have any idea at all what he's
really
doing? |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:16 pm |
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last time here
Guest
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take 2 aspirin and call ted in the morning.  |
_________________
Guest post |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:49 pm |
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Ryan Eashoo
F L I N T O I D
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Gosh, some people here instead of working towards a solution to Flint's problems would rather .. about them and do nothing productive.
quote:
last time here schreef:
take 2 aspirin and call ted in the morning.
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Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:52 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
Mark Bonto schreef:
he's a schiekster! *** or is he a scumbag, scamming me from getting $11 I rightly deserve (proved by courts)? Does anyone have any idea at all what he's
really
doing?
You must be one of the 180 homeowners with the $10.8 million dollar award that is accruing daily interest while the matter was being appealed. The Flint Journal article reference below states "The city had appealed an earlier ruling by a circuit judge, upholding a jury's decision, that said those affected by the sewage backup were entitled to both economic and noneconomic damages." In my mind that's a legitimate appeal, however, it would have been simpler if back in 2000-2001 when the damages occurred the injured parties had been reimbursed for their damage claims so the lawsuit didn't have to be filed--under Woodrow Stanley's administration. Williamson was elected in November 2003 and his powers were limited during term of the Emergency Financial Manager until 06/30/04. So why wasn't the sewer problem resolved under Stanley, Kurtz or Rutherford? I think it's wrong to blame Williamson, there's plenty to go around. More importantly, aside from your financial loss, has the sewer problem been corrected?
Reference to lawsuit:
Sewer Ruling Upheld
Source:
http://www.mlive.com/news/flintjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-48/119831521418290.xml&coll=5
Accessed: December 22, 2007
Michigan Court of Appeals Opinions related to sewer litigation:
http://courtofappeals.mijud.net/resources/ds.htm
UNPUBLISHED
July 19, 2005
No. 252399
Genesee Circuit Court
LC No. 00-069124-NZ
No. 252400
Genesee Circuit Court
LC No. 00-069344-NZ
__________
UNPUBLISHED
December 20, 2007
No. 272329
Genesee Circuit Court
LC No. 00-069124 |
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Sat Dec 22, 2007 8:58 pm |
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Josh Freeman
F L I N T O I D
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| When I was on the Council, Yeotis came to us practically begging to be allowed to have an executive session so that he could offer a settlement to the case. Trachelle refused to allow it. So instead of settling the class-action suit for around $2-$3 million the city is on the hook for over $11 million. This was under Don's watch. He said that he would appeal to the State Supreme court. so now we are paying the equivalent to a police officer salary a month in interest alone. So how much is our 50 cent mayor really costing us? |
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Sun Dec 23, 2007 6:22 am |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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| Josh Freeman, what was the term of your service on the city council, dates please? There were two suits filed, one by Yeotis and one by Tom Pabst. I'm not arguing the validity of the lawsuits but I am interested in the course of events. As I expressed in previous post--more importantly, has the city now corrected the physical condition of the sewers that caused the damage? |
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Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:58 am |
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Mark Bonto
F L I N T O I D
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This is for 00SL2 and Josh Freeman. You both have excellent points.
First of all, yes, 00SL2 - I
am
one of the 180 homeowners. You're right - there were two suits filed. Mine is the one by my old friend Dean Yeotis, who also happens to be one of the plantiffs in our case (he's also loves my TV show and is an avid watcher). I didn't learn about the one filed by Tom Pabst until during our trials.
You can ask whatever you like - I appreciate you taking an interest. I know the course of events of my case better than most. I'm not sure about Pabst's (did I spell his name right - it reminds me of beer).
You said you weren't arguing the validity of the lawsuits - thank you. Thankfully, the courts, judges, and juries also saw that in our view. You asked if the city has now corrected the physical condition of the sewers that caused the damage? This is one of the reasons (not the biggest) why we're all a bit ticked at Williamson. He still doesn't admit (even though admitted his own city workers and proven by courts) thatb there was anything wrong to begin with. He's not going to admit (and he should) that the city has corrected the sewers which weren't faulty to begin with. The answer is, though - yes. They have. They were forced to by the courts.
Josh, everything you said was right on! Thanks so much for what you said! You were exactly right on with all you said. We wanted to settle this right away. For far less than $11 million (and interest $1,780 a day). All we wanted was for the city to pay us for damages they were proven negligent for. All we really asked for was enough money to replace tiles, walls, objects - and oh yeah, soemthing to take the smell out of there. As my friend Bob Leonard said to me, "He (Williamson) could've paid you guys right away and looked like a hero. Done something that the previous administrations didn't do." Then Bob got up ansd walked into a wall. No, actually, Bob's also known Dean since he was a kid and is 100% on our side.
00SL2, I understand that your concerns are valid and you're genuinely interested in the solution to the problem. I believe the DPW have fixed the sewage system in Flint now, and I hope for everyone's sake they never have to go through what we have. Let's get us paid what the curts have already determined each case to be worth - so we can finally repair what the city didn't under other administrations. |
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Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:32 am |
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bigmouthconservative
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
Ryan Eashoo schreef:
Gosh, some people here instead of working towards a solution to Flint's problems would rather .. about them and do nothing productive.
quote:
last time here schreef:
take 2 aspirin and call ted in the morning.
Ryan,
Things cannot get done at city hall due to all of the backdoor deals that take place.
People get fired for theft and drinking or doing drugs and a week later they are back working because the mayor and Sam Muma do a wink-wink and handshake deal.
The only interest the mayor has is smoking his More's in his office and stuffing his fat face at a luncheon for some pastor's group at city hall on the taxpayers dollar.
I work for the city and see the stuff that the citizens and gnereal public do not. If they did have this knowledge there would be a recall! |
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Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:13 am |
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