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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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On a program on Cable Channel 17 tonight Sheldon Neeley said Genesee County is the biggest landowner in Flint (not a quote).
Flint mayor threatens to take county land bank to court
Posted by Joe Lawlor and Bryn Mickle | The Flint Journal February 12, 2008 20:05PM
Categories: Community - Genesee County, Community: Flint
FLINT -- Mayor Don Williamson is threatening legal action against the Genesee County Land Bank, claiming the agency is ineffective and hurting the city.
"The land bank is not doing what they're supposed to be doing," Williamson told The Flint Journal on Tuesday. "They're driving the price of real estate down dramatically. They're creating places for rats and prostitutes."
Williamson said the city may take the land bank to court.
"We're going to ask the court to appoint a receiver to run the land bank," Williamson said.
Genesee County Treasurer and Land Bank Chairman Dan Kildee called the threat of a lawsuit "beyond bizarre."
Kildee said the properties are already abandoned when the city gives them to the Land Bank to be demolished or renovated.
"We get those properties because they are in (bad) condition," said Kildee. "Not the other way around."
When asked how the land bank was creating additional dilapidated properties that wouldn't have existed otherwise, Williamson said that would be explained in detail next week.
An agreement between the city and Land Bank expired in July, but Kildee said both sides have been in active negotiations to sign a new one.
Once that agreement is signed, Kildee said he is prepared to give the city $1.2 million to demolish more properties.
If the city doesn't want to continue its relationship with the Land Bank, Kildee said it would hire private contractors to do the work.
The city already has received $3 million in grant money since 2005 through the Land Bank for demolition work, said Kildee.
Although most of the properties are empty lots, about 800 structures have been demolished since 2003 -- work that Kildee would prefer stay with the city.
"I would prefer to have the city do the demolition because the city needs money desperately," said Kildee, who plans to meet with Williamson Wednesday to discuss the mayor's concerns.
Williamson said the Land Bank, which now owns 3,100 properties in Flint, has not lived up to its promise to revitalize the city.
Kildee counters that the county is trying to help the city and called the Land Bank's work "an act of generosity."
"We're all in the same boat," said Kildee, adding the city should enforce its dumping laws if there are concerns about blighted properties.
The Land Bank was discussed at a meeting of neighborhood block groups on Tuesday.
Earnestine Towns, president of the Bonner Park Block Club, said she has two land bank houses on her street, but she doesn't blame the land bank for the problems.
"I think the land bank is doing the best that they can," Towns said. "You see some blocks that only have a few occupied houses, and the rest of them are boarded up. That's just the way it's going right now."
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Permalink:
http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2008/02/flint_mayor_threatens_to_take.html |
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Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:59 pm |
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andi03
F L I N T O I D
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I find it interesting that the article states that the landbank owns 3100 houses in Flint....if the Landbank is the biggest landowner in Flint, does that mean that there are less than 6000 properties in a big city such as that? Or that they have the biggest acreage? Don't answer that, early morning sarcasm...
IF Don takes them to court and asks for someone else to be appointed to run the "thing" than this effects more than just Flint, it affects everyone in the outbound area....oy. |
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Build a bridge and get over it! |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:34 am |
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Ted Jankowski
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http://www.maps-n-stats.com/us_mi/us_mi_flint_h.html
I've often wondered exactly how many homes there are in Flint. According to the information in this link there are Householder: 48744 Assuming this is a close number. (It is somewhat believeable). We Know that Flint used to be a city of 225,000 people and that is is currently at approx 111,000. So we would have to assume that we had housing to house 225,000. There are many housing projects seems visually that most of them are not even at half capacitiy and some closed completely.
http://flintexpats.blogspot.com/2007/10/flint-and-cowboy-economy.html
Now on to the Fun Part!
"beyond bizarre." Doesn't even come close the Don's thinking. See this is why I get people calling me telling me to stop making fun of a senile old man who probably has altziemers. Did he forget how he took credit for the last three years for all the homes that DAN KILDEE actually paid for to have torn down.
All generosity to the Don is seen as suspect. When you spend your whole likfe ripping people and businesses off. You think everyone is out to get you. It's hard for someone like that to believe anyone is willing to do something just because it is the right thing to do.
I wouldn't worry about him being able to take them to court. I think he is trying to set this up in order to deflect from his magnificent budgeting and finance ability. Possibly even blame to county somehow for the Problems he has caused the City. |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:29 am |
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andi03
F L I N T O I D
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I kind of feel sad for him...dunno. He was in the hospital twice in the last two months? He's older and obese and he cannot be in good health, yet he is determined to work, come hell or high water. The normal person would be able to take some time off and take a break and surround themselves with people that would be able to get the job done in a competent manner.......
When he says that he HAS to get back to work, I hate to say it....no one HAS to do anything, but HE feels that he has to....why? Is he immortal? Is someone going to die if he doesn't get back to work? No. His egotism will kill him if he thinks that he's too important to miss a weeks worth of work.
His thinking cannot be all there, with what he has gone through in the last month. All is not right with the news reports.....pieces of the puzzle are missing. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but something smells rotten in Denmark....dunno. He is getting on in age, he may have the spunk of a young person, but maybe paranoia is getting in the way now. With him wanting to get back to work so fast when he has the "flu" and was in the hospital is just "beyond bizarre" in and of itself....No one is that important.
I am off of my soapbox..... |
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Build a bridge and get over it! |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:22 am |
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Steve Myers
Site Admin
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I think the land bank is poorly managed and needs a kick in the ass.
True "
beyond bizarre
" story.
A couple months ago I called the Land Bank for information on a house on Leith St. (2002 Leith St.)
I gave the person the address of the house and said I would like to know more about it.
The person form the Land Bank said it was sold about six years ago. I told the the person according to the Property Tax website the Land Bank still own it.
She said she would have to research it and would call me back.
3 day later she called me back and said the Lank Bank had an offer on the house six years ago, but during closing the buyer didn't have the money to close and some how it fell off the Land Bank books.
I had my handyman look at the house, he said it was too far gone.
The Land Bank needs to go! It is just another tax we pay to big government like the GCHP, Mott, the senior tax and my favorite MTA. |
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Steve Myers |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:03 am |
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andi03
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Than by your example it does need a kick in the proverbial booootocks, but yet, putting someone else in charge ain't gonna change things, internal changes OF the way they keep track needs to change.
I am sorry that it didn't work out for you, it's people's intentions that are good seem to be thrown by the wayside in instances such as this.... |
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Build a bridge and get over it! |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:15 am |
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Dave Starr
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| At the ministation meeting yesterday, the land bank rep was asked why the bank doesn't keep the houses they own boarded up, and the empty lots mowed. He said they don't have the money, and hoped people living near the houses & empty lots would keep them mowed. In the past, several people at that meeting have said they board up houses in their neighborhoods out of their own pockets to keep hookers & druggies out. |
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I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:29 am |
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Tegan
F L I N T O I D
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I have my thoughts about Williamson and the Land Bank, but I don't live in Flint and haven't dealt with the problems that others have, so I dunno...
I hate the idea that Williamson thinks that the answer to everything is demolition. Its not. Demolition in other cities with similar organizations to the Land Bank rarely see revitilization through demoltion. Of course, I'm a preservationist, so I'm biased.
The Land Bank needs to be reorganized to focus more on renovation. Of course, many of the houses ARE far gone, but others wouldn't be if they weren't left to sit for years and years.
sorry, i could rant longer, but I need to go to school! |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:33 am |
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last time here
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andi. re: work ethic. most, if not all company owners are workaholics.
i understand him totally.. and hey!!! stop pickin' on us fat guys!! 
come on ted  "spent his whole life ripping off people"..
i must admit, i'm sorry to see this happening....i wish him the best! |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:39 am |
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Public D
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Don certainly has nerve and a knack for timing. Only this blow-hard would start needling the Land Bank about how it handles properties the day after his team of legal-bunglers cost the city millions with their handling of the Genesee Towers case.
Keep suing, boys, you're bound win eventually. Besides, we have plenty of emergency money in the budget earmarked for the purpose of helping the Mayor save face and postponing public outrage by tying up the courts with never-ending nonsense." |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:53 am |
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Demeralda
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Andi, as for it being the largest property holder, they don't mean a majority holder. Do you know any other person who owns 3,100 properties? I don't think they're counting land or value or anything like that. Strictly ownership.
It's hard to say how many "properties" per se there are in the city or the county even, because most counts done by common sources are based on "households". So you'd have to divvy up renters, rental property owners, etc. etc. Makes it complicated to get a count of actual buildings. |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:08 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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[quote="last time here"]i understand him totally.. and hey!!! stop pickin' on us fat guys!!
come on ted "spent his whole life ripping off people"..
quote]
So What? Your saying he hasn't been the majority of his life?
How do know what cousin Don has done most of his life? |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:33 pm |
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last time here
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come on ted. how do you know that?? 
you have always criticised him too much without proof. 
thats why your arguments lack sensible credability. you take it too far.  |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:56 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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LTH Please put the Crack Pipe down and step back from the keyboard. I filled pages upon pages of proof and evidence. Then you say something as stupid as that! With the years of proof just in the Flint Journal alone. Not to mention the 3 lb folder that I have of the investigation of the mayor's background.  |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:09 pm |
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andi03
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****How do know what cousin Don has done most of his life?*****
Ted you may want to "reword" this, it doesn't sound good, I know that that is not your intention, but, it does leave a lot to the imagination....eeeekk. Do you mean to say, "How do you know what Don has done, negatively, in the course of his life?" |
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Build a bridge and get over it! |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:54 pm |
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