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Steve Myers
Site Admin
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Go Josh!!!
Newly elected city Councilman Josh Freeman isn't wasting any time.
A little more than a week after he was sworn in to represent the city's 4th Ward, Freeman is calling for the elimination of Flint's Office of Ombudsman.
The position, which has cost upwards of $400,000 annually, is provided for in the city charter. Doing away with it would require putting a charter amendment before voters.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/11/flint_city_council_member_want.html |
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Steve Myers |
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Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:32 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The office is important when operated correctly. Unfortunately, city council selects the ombudsman for political reasons. Jesse Binion was chosen because she was a black female and the decision to hire a black female was made before the selection process began.
When Ramona Sain was acting Ombudsman the office came out with a number of important critical reports. One important report dealt with allegations that department heads and vendors were being pressured to buy tickets to the Mayors Ball. One cost center manager alleged Charles Winfrey wanted cash and was paid in the stairwell. These are serious allegations and need to be dealt with.
The police department can't be trusted with these complaints because of their relationship to the administration. Recently a Lt. messed up an investiagtion thaat should have been sent outside the city and said he didn't "want to be involved in this political crap".
Another investigation involved the Last Chance Golf Outing and allegations vendors bought influence by paying for employees golf fees and paying fees for holes and other expenses.
City Council was afraid to get rid of Binion because of her illness. During the time she was not in her office the city received complaints about nonprofits receiving HUD funs through the city making contractors pay kickbacks to get jobs. Party store owners alleged they were being discriminated against but they were afraid to go public. Citizens receiving services through nonprofits alleged shoddy construction.
Television and the Journal reported on the complaints against Salem Housing for substandard work in Smith Village.
The biggest reason the Ombudsman office was put in place was police abuse towards citizens.. Jim Ananich (the former councilmans father) was an excellent ombudsman as was Joe Dupcza.
Today he office serves to help citizens with complaints they can't get resolved through the administration.
Freeman has reason to fear the ombudsman office and time will reveal the reasons.
Posted on Flint City Council discusses eliminating ombudsman's office on November 18, 2009, 10:07PM |
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Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:10 pm |
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back again
F L I N T O I D
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personally, elimating the ombudsman's office will give carte blanche to many who
will
play that game!  
i wonder if this is somehow tied to the not so clandestine push for a lesser number of councilpeople?? |
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even a small act of goodness may be a tiny raft of salvation across the treacherous gulf of sin, but one who drinks the wine of selfishness, and dances on the little boat of meaness, sinks in the ocean of ignorance.
P.Y. |
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Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:30 pm |
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1pissedoffguy
F L I N T O I D
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| When was the last time did the Ombudsman's office do what it was supposed to do though? Maybe sometime in the 90's? Axe it,the office is a drain on the little money the city has. |
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Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:41 pm |
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back again
F L I N T O I D
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well pissed, instead of spouting off as usual,
why don't you take your whining ass
down town and do a little research and see what cases the ombudsman has taken care of last AND the current year.
or are you just blowin smoke again?? hot air??? |
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even a small act of goodness may be a tiny raft of salvation across the treacherous gulf of sin, but one who drinks the wine of selfishness, and dances on the little boat of meaness, sinks in the ocean of ignorance.
P.Y. |
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Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:52 pm |
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Domet
F L I N T O I D
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| Of every department I called last year in the City of Flint looking for data and resources, the only office which was willing to work with me and actually give me information was the Office of the Ombudsman. I don't know that the position warrants a 400k a year salary, but I think that removing it isn't necessarily the best idea. Perhaps a review of the position is in order, but isn't it important to have an office which
should
investigate complaints against the city and file reports available to the public? |
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Lack of support for your assertions does not make you a sage, it just makes the rest of us doubt your reasoning skills. - Elias12, Flint Talk Poster |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:21 am |
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1pissedoffguy
F L I N T O I D
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| Wow,, they helped you Domet, a politcal insider, a member of ACORN, a Lefty who is sympathetic to their causes. the office hasnt done anything with a woman who wasnt there 85% of the time. And didnt one of the Poplars have the position? Oh sure ,,expect anything from one of that family of worth. Okay, here is what we do we reassess the taxes even more so that the Ombudsman's office can stay open,, great! Hell we don't pay enough taxes on houses we can't give away , why not add more then ? Folks , realize a dead horse when you see it and move on! |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:47 am |
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1pissedoffguy
F L I N T O I D
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| BA,,, don't tell me what to do , I am not going to be "your boy" . The city can't afford this friggin office anymore, get used to it ! |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:50 am |
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back again
F L I N T O I D
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| well pissed,
again
your spouting off about something you know absolutely nothing about, yet you (
as usual
) refuse to take your "pissed" butt to city hall to do some research. don't you see this is why
not one soul can take you serious
??
jeeees brother
i'm trying to help you gain some legitimacy!!!!! help me help you!!! |
_________________
even a small act of goodness may be a tiny raft of salvation across the treacherous gulf of sin, but one who drinks the wine of selfishness, and dances on the little boat of meaness, sinks in the ocean of ignorance.
P.Y. |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 3:30 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The Ombudsman is required to turn over any investigation that should be investigated by law enforcement. Therefore they have and should work with the sheriff, the prosecutor's office and the FBI.
Some city employees just adamantly refuse to serve the public in a cordial and respectful manner. Granted sometimes the citizen initiates the conflict. The Ombudsman has resolved many of these contentious issues.
Some on council want to eliminate the position because once selected, the Ombudsman is independent. Brenda Purifoy has completed investigations into council members and that made them furious. Council doesn't want any scrutiny. However, throughout the history of Flint there have been allegations of wrongdoing by council. The 70's were rife with allegations of kickbacks and bribery among councilmembers , especially in relationship to proposed building projects.
The same thing happened with recent administrations. The compost scandal that was to be a millionare dollar job that after confrontation became a less than $100,000 job. Campaign finance complaints, cronyism, kickbacks,fraud and other issues are all in the purview of the office.
The $400,000 costi is not all salary. Each department pays for the expenses of their office including rent, phone, supplies etc. So no matter what department was there there would be related expenses. The Ombudsman must also emply te services of an independent attorney to ensure the integrity of the office.
It is important to keep this office in place and I hope Brenda is up to the task as some serious issues will be arising. I do not believe the calibre of her present staff is sufficient. Her two best investigators were laid off. |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:59 am |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
1pissedoffguy schreef:
When was the last time did the Ombudsman's office do what it was supposed to do though? Maybe sometime in the 90's? Axe it,the office is a drain on the little money the city has.
Within the last 2 years, the Ombudsman investigated the attempt by Carolyn Sims to remove Lynne Waybright from the Board of Review. The report found that the attempted removal was a blatant violation of the charter and Lynne was not removed.
Have you forgotten the council's recent attempts to handcuff the office by refusing to fund it at a reasonable level?
Who would stand up for the citizens if the Ombudsman was eliminated? The council? It appears that we have an administration and council that wants no checks on what they do. |
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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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Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:10 am |
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Adam
F L I N T O I D
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Are city employees protected if they treat the public like s***? Have you guys talked to Walling and or Eason about some of the bums we have working for us? What ward are you in Domet?
Some normal/"non murder capital" cities have emplolyees that actually care.
When I went to a city of Davison council meeting they didn't seem to have any "council rules" and there were a couple residents there that had some flooding issues and it was obvious all the public officials were concerned with getting the issue resolved ASAP. In Flint something like that would probably just get referred to the Ombudsman.
We should just have one ombudsman with no employees and have that person recommend to the mayor who should be reprimanded and or fired or recommend a recall if the mayor is another bum.
If Walling can't deal with bad employees maybe he should be recalled. |
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Adam
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Mysearchisover.com
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FB
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Jobs
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:48 am |
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Domet
F L I N T O I D
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First thing's first.
quote:
1pissedoffguy schreef:
Wow,, they helped you Domet, a politcal insider, a member of ACORN, a Lefty who is sympathetic to their causes.
A political insider? In what way? A lefty who is sympathetic to which of "their" causes? Beyond that, I don't know of any relationships between their office and ACORN, so I don't know why I would be granted some sort of special status. Further, not being an ACORN member any longer who left on relatively unpleasant terms, I don't see how that relationship would help build bridges.
Beyond that, I have no idea who works in that office, I barely know who the ombudsman currently is. When I approached their office it was after three solid months of various city departments refusing to work with a UM: Flint student conducting research, or giving me misinformation or no information. I approached them as a researcher looking for access to data - that's it. Your accusations aren't only off base but make no sense, in the least. Try again or continue ranting like a fool, doesn't much matter in the end.
I largely agree with Dave Starr's and Untanglingwebs' sentiments on this issue - the office is important, and should be funded properly. The way the original post was worded made me think that the 400k was the salary, which would have been insane almost certainly. It is important to have an independent office in a city bigger and more complex than Davison or neighboring municipalities - independent investigations are a useful way to get at problems and understand what is going on when nobody else wants to talk about it.
Adam - what does it matter which ward I am in? I don't mind sharing that I am in Ward 7, but I didn't disclose that information when asking them for information or directions on how to get at information. Just curious why you asked! |
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Lack of support for your assertions does not make you a sage, it just makes the rest of us doubt your reasoning skills. - Elias12, Flint Talk Poster |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:04 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
F L I N T O I D
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Wow, Here's one I mostly agree with untangling webs.. I he/she straighten everyone out on it not being a 400K position that's the budget for the office. And the point was made and very (a little skewed) but still it was a political appointment. And if the City Council isn't happy with the current Ombudsman they should remove her.
If anyone wants to know what the Ombudsman does, they should go down to the City Clerks office and ask to review the Ombudsman report. or if your lazy just click here
http://www.cityofflint.com/ombudsman/reports.asp
I'm not worried about it getting on the ballot again. We've defeated that initiative twice with new city councils. Their main argument is that it would allow for more police officers Ie public safety. Big Deal. Without anyplace to put criminals we could have thousands of officers and crime would barely be affected. Criminals keep committing crime in Flint because thee is no punishment. Or the crime isn't serious enough for them to waste their time. Unless we make room to put criminals in jail.. the number of officers isn't going to matter. BUT BACK TO THE OMBUDSMAN
My problem with the Current Ombudsman is basically two areas. Allowing her self to be used as a political pawn. Looking into issues that the had already been investigated and cleared while being completely one sided in those investigations. When she was receiving complaints about the way the departments were being run and the misuse of City money by Don Williamson She did nothing. But if it involved someone on the City Council who was not a supporter of Williamson she jumped on it no matter how politically charged it was without any factual information to go off of.
Second, She fails to defend her office. She should be viable. I've seen her at city council meetings three times. She's been in office for almost three years. If she was reporting to City Council every quarter as she should be. Not just sending them a report. Coming to City Council and verbally speaking to them People would see what she is doing. Every time she has it was always created a stir with City Council which she never turns into her benefit. WHICH SHE COULD HAVE DONE EVERY TIME. EXAMPLE:
When she shows up, some begin to find things for her to investigate. Such as a Citizens comes to the City Council for help with an issue. Then someone on the council has the Bright idea to have the Ombudsman investigate. That happened almost the very first day she showed up at a city council meeting. I told her what to do but she didn't do it. She allowed them to walk all over her. I told her. Go up there and take that ref feral right out of their hands. ANd then make it known If this city council with the Same investigative power I have isn't willing to help this citizen. And since My office is the last resort because everyone before me is supposed to have the opportunity to help the citizen with their concern. If city council doesn't want to take care of this citizen. I will be more than happy to do their job for them. So you guys better remember I'm doing your work for you when it comes budget time. Because you are passing off your responsibilities to me.
They'd never done that again. Had I been Ombudsman. But I wouldn't have been using the office to play politics either. I'd been dropping the political complaints back in their laps. Mayor and Council Lackey's included.
The office is to ensure that people are being treated fairly and services are being rendered efficiently at city hall. When her budget was cut like everyone elses she didn't cut her investigators. She blew her budget. If it's ineffective now she has no one to blame but herself. I believe most of those complaints are unfounded. She is there and does show up for work and things are getting done. Much better than the Ombudsman that we had before that hadn't showed up for work in what Months... Years? With the time Brenda has been in her office. She should be one of the best known people in the community and people should recognized and know exactly who she is and what she has done for this community. She has done alot for people. But, it's her fault they don't know about it. She should be at every community block club meeting, every forum this city has related to anything with city services, should be at every city council meeting and reporting every quarter what is being accomplished in her office. That's the main reason she is having problems and people on city council can make these silly recommendations to remove her. It would be political suicide to suggest removing the office if she was doing just those few things to prove the worth of her office. |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 2:58 pm |
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back again
F L I N T O I D
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the ombudsman showing up at community meetings is a great idea ted.
as for showing up at council, if she publishes a report regularly and they don't read it, isn't that their fault? i've watched council perform at council meetings and was painfully aware they never read the agenda. i was amazed by what they appeared not to know only because they failed to take time to read prior to a meeting. if i was the ombudsman and knew i had to deal with a city council actually ignorant of the issues i wouldn't waste my time either. this was a few years ago when i witnessed this show of idiocy and perhaps it has gotten better with the newer members. it was embarrassing to watch my city council in a meeting that was nothing more that a "look at my suit" sideshow... i'm sorry if this appears disrespectful, as it's only an outsiders observation. |
_________________
even a small act of goodness may be a tiny raft of salvation across the treacherous gulf of sin, but one who drinks the wine of selfishness, and dances on the little boat of meaness, sinks in the ocean of ignorance.
P.Y. |
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Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:22 pm |
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