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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Council approves Community and Economic Development director
By Laura Misjak | The Flint Journal
February 22, 2010, 10:57PM
FLINT, Michigan — Flint City Council voted 7-2 to approve the appointment of Wendy Johnson as the new director of the Department of Community and Economic Development.
The council had previously postponed her appointment after Mayor Dayne Walling had said he might make her an executive appointee, which wouldn't need council approval.
Johnson, a seven-year Flint resident, was previously program director of the Ruth Mott Foundation.
"We need to be clear about what we're moving towards," Johnson told the council about the department. "We need to create a goal for the department."
Johnson's $80,000 salary will be paid for from community development block grants, which will support a salary, insurance and retirement for Johnson for at least the next three years, said city administrator Greg Eason.
Eason said within three years, he believes the city will be able to find other sources to fund the position.
Johnson's background with the Ruth Mott Foundation will help her in the new position, he said.
"She has a unique set of experience, she's worked with foundations," he said.
Posted by oldflintguy
February 23, 2010, 5:55AM
Is this appointment the precursor to the in-sourcing of the Economic Development activity in the City? Surely, with a qualified Director, those efforts can be brought back from the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce and managed within the administration now. Is that the plan? If not, what is the goal mentioned? What is the purpose of the department if not Community and ECONOMIC Development?
Inappropriate comment |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:26 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Under the reorganization of the department, the job duties of the Director of DCED have been crossed out . This person will be the Director of Planning and Development and in sectio 2-42 of the ordinance:
"The department of Planning and Development will assimilate the existing Department of Community and Economic Development. In addition, with the approval of the mayor shall have theauthority to establish such other divisions in the Department of planning and Development as shall be necessary.
Also removed was the section referencing personnel policy compliance governed by Sections 4-301 and 4-302 of the charter. The new version allows the director to change the rules.
Last Wednesday Michael Townsend, Finance Director, told council that $364,962 in general funds were spent last year in the salaries and fixed costs portion of DCED's grant funds. I remember Nancy Jurkiewicz coming to council and explaining her budget amendments to approve similar general fund HUD expenses.
If Johnson is a supervisor, HUD has traditionally declined to pay 100% of the salary of a supervisor. Three individuals in DCED had 50% at least of their salary paid by the general fund. Why would this supervisor job be different.
Walling told people that Eason misinterpreted hid decision. If council did not approve Johnson for DCED Director, he would have appointed her the city planner, a posion not requiring council approval.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:48 am |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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| Which 2 council members voted no? Rather than going to war with Walling, it sounds like the council's in his hip pocket. |
_________________
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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Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:29 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Speculation is rampant that Foss Avenue Baptist Church plays a key role in getting some of these plans passed .Eason is married to Karen Aldridge, daughter of the founder. Lawler is an associate pastor and was part of the housing development team that worked with Habitat for Humanity in the area around the church. Nolden belongs to the church and both he and Lawler served on the North east District Council, which is receiving money to devlop the area around the church, Kincaid and his wife joined the church several years ago.
The allegations state Eason committed to helping Foss Avenue with funding for an Economic Development Corporation.
Rev. Reginald Flynn discussed his admiration of Avery Aldridge when he came to Flint to become Pastor of Foss AvenueIn these excerpts from the Flint Journal story of his arrival, his political aspirations take precedence.
_____________________________________________________________________
Flynn is the son of a preacher, a 1984 Beecher High School graduate and basketball star who was determined to never become a minister.
"I'd seen the pain my dad and other pastors had experienced: the 3-o'clock-in-the-morning calls, the hospital visits, sometimes having people you'd baptized and married turn against you because of a disagreement. I knew that a pastor could die prematurely, just of a broken heart," he said.
Instead, Flynn's plan was to become involved in politics, helping impoverished communities.
"I was going to major in political science and change the world. I was going to maybe be the first African-American governor of Michigan; I wanted to make that kind of impact," he said.
Flynn attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College on a basketball scholarship, then served in the U.S. Navy for five years. He relocated to South Carolina, where he completed his bachelor's degree and later served as an executive assistant at United Way, where he coordinated a faith-based foster care and adoption recruitment initiative.
"As chairman and CEO of the Nehemiah Project, Flynn helped bring together groups of people from diverse cultures and denominations to solve neighborhood problems.
"I learned how much can be accomplished if you don't care who gets the credit," he said. |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:47 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Neeley and Sarginson voted no. |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:49 am |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
untanglingwebs schreef:
Speculation is rampant that Foss Avenue Baptist Church plays a key role in getting some of these plans passed. Eason is married to Karen Aldridge, daughter of the founder. Lawler is an associate pastor and was part of the housing development team that worked with Habitat for Humanity in the area around the church. Nolden belongs to the church and both he and Lawler served on the North east District Council, which is receiving money to devlop the area around the church, Kincaid and his wife joined the church several years ago.
The allegations state Eason committed to helping Foss Avenue with funding for an Economic Development Corporation.
Eason, Nolden, Lawler, Kincaid. That explains a lot. Speculation? No, confirmation. |
_________________
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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Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:46 am |
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Ryan Eashoo
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
untanglingwebs schreef:
Council approves Community and Economic Development director
By Laura Misjak | The Flint Journal
February 22, 2010, 10:57PM
FLINT, Michigan — Flint City Council voted 7-2 to approve the appointment of Wendy Johnson as the new director of the Department of Community and Economic Development.
The council had previously postponed her appointment after Mayor Dayne Walling had said he might make her an executive appointee, which wouldn't need council approval.
Johnson, a seven-year Flint resident, was previously program director of the Ruth Mott Foundation.
"We need to be clear about what we're moving towards," Johnson told the council about the department. "We need to create a goal for the department."
Johnson's $80,000 salary will be paid for from community development block grants, which will support a salary, insurance and retirement for Johnson for at least the next three years, said city administrator Greg Eason.
Eason said within three years, he believes the city will be able to find other sources to fund the position.
Johnson's background with the Ruth Mott Foundation will help her in the new position, he said.
"She has a unique set of experience, she's worked with foundations," he said.
Posted by oldflintguy
February 23, 2010, 5:55AM
Is this appointment the precursor to the in-sourcing of the Economic Development activity in the City? Surely, with a qualified Director, those efforts can be brought back from the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce and managed within the administration now. Is that the plan? If not, what is the goal mentioned? What is the purpose of the department if not Community and ECONOMIC Development?
Inappropriate comment
Nobody understands that this is more money being spent while we threaten the publics safety.
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Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:54 am |
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Bossman
F L I N T O I D
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| Ryan, this is exactly what I've been saying. This administration continues to hire, appoint, and annoint, all while pleading poverty and laying off already depleted public safety positions. The priorities are askew. |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:01 am |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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| They either don't, or don't want to, understand that if Flint isn't safe, nothing will succeed. Who would want to move to a city with practically NO police or fire protection? Unless, their "plan" is to protect certain areas and ignore the rest. |
_________________
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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Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:24 am |
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ConcernedCitizen
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
untanglingwebs schreef:
Johnson, a seven-year Flint resident, was previously program director of the Ruth Mott Foundation.
So much for my cautious optimism about City Council. I applaud Neely and Sarginson for standing up for the people of Flint.
Did anybody else on Council investigate Johnson? My insider at Keep Genesee County Beautiful tells me that a couple of years ago, Johnson’s group (Metawananee Hills Neighborhood Association) was told that they would receive no more grants because of no accountability of funds. KGCB’s grant applications clearly state that all funds spent must have receipts and they must be turned in at the end of the project. Johnson’s group is controlled by Johnson, David Caswell and Bill Hammoned, with no election of officers and no financial reports to its members, unless it just recently started doing it. At that time, Johnson controlled the money. When the project ended, she had no receipts and turned nothing in to KGCB. When pressed for the paperwork, she tried to blame it on members that had no access to the checkbook or any funds. It’s also interesting that mulch that was for the project ended up in her yard, also a KGCB violation.
Is this the woman you want in charge of Flint’s major grants?
Did anybody ask why she is no longer the Program Director of Mott? A couple of years ago, people at Mott told me that she was not good at her duties, so she was released.
Once again I ask, is this the woman you want in charge of Flint’s major grants?
Johnson is actively trying to get a large section in the Metawananee area classified as a Historic District. She even spoke before Historic Commission and she told them that everybody in the area covered is in support. Go over to that area and knock on any random 10 houses and I bet that 9 or 10 of them will know nothing about the Historic District. And when they find out that they will have to ask for, and be granted, permission to do anything to the outside of their house, they will not be "in support." Johnson blatantly lied! Residents in the area have told me that they have received no information on the subject.
Once again I ask, is this the woman you want in charge of Flint’s major grants?
I've seen a copy of her online resume. Is does not even look professional let alone show that she is qualified. She states that she has done a lot of things, but there is no listing of employers or references to back any of it up. It sounds like a lot of inflated self promotion. HUD will not accept her claims so easily. I fully believe that they will not approve of her appointment.
Once again I ask, is this the woman you want in charge of Flint’s major grants?
I am sure there are people out of work that are much more qualified and available that would be willing to take that position. Oh I forgot, they’re not Walling’s Buddies!
Long Live Cronyism!
So it appears that once again we have a City Council that is mostly about fulfilling their own agendas and either does not have the intelligence or cajones to stand up to the Mayor or for the people!
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"When people fear their government, there is TYRANNY.
When the government fears the people, there is Liberty"
Thomas Jefferson |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:12 pm |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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| I originally had hopes that this council would stand up to the mayor. I was partially correct; they stand up, then bend over. |
_________________
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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Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:16 pm |
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Pachuco
F L I N T O I D
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| Isn't this position required by the Charter? |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:59 pm |
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Derrick1965
F L I N T O I D
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| And she was let go by Mott |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:06 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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quote:
Pachuco schreef:
Isn't this position required by the Charter?
Yes it is, however under the Brown administration, Flint told HUD they had eliminated this position and replaced it with a Superintendent position held by Tracy Atkinson. She actually was given duties over more than one dept.
Now the question is whether Tracy or Wendy is in charge. When the superintendent position was created, did it constitute the creation of a a department head, which should have been required to go before council. I don't believe it did as the charter issue would have been dealt with.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Thu Feb 25, 2010 8:44 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:42 pm |
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back again
F L I N T O I D
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honestly, all of this is hard to fathom seriously. 
dayne's gotta have something up his sleeve!!  |
_________________
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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Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:16 pm |
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