untanglingwebs
El Supremo
|
PUBLIC OUTCRY!
Citizens Parade to Podium for More Than
Two Hours to Complaint About Flint's Lack
of Police Protection and High Water Bills
BY MIKE KILLBREATH
CRUSADER NEWS SERVICE PUBLISHER & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Flint attorney Terry Bankert offered free drinks at Soggy Bottom Bar for anyone who showed up Monday night to tell the Flint City Council they favored a charter revision. Few took him up on the offer despite a "storm city hall" event organized by political activist Bobby Johnson. Most of the speakers in Johnson's group didn't have time to mention charter revision while blasting city officials for water bill rate hikes and a lack of police protection.
They paraded to the podium one after another to let Flint City Council members know how unhappy they are with crime that is out of control.
City council members heard from members of the Rollingwood neighborhood crime watch group and from a former leader of the neighborhood group at Howard Estates. All of them cited numerous neighbors who have moved out of the city because of continued crime problems and a lack of response from police
.
One woman told about a friend with a military police background who pulled a gun on three young teen-aged intruders, forcing them to strip naked and march into the street where she and neighbors held them face down on the pavement at gunpoint while waiting for police. After a few hours when police did not respond, they let the young hoods go free. Now, neighbors worry they will return for revenge.
"Most of these people are here tonight because of me, and we're tired of it," Johnson said. "The city raises water rates to a point where people can't afford to take showers. They tax us for mistakes on things like Genesee Towers. They tax us and tax us, yet we have no police. This mayor laid off police and fire in the most dangerous city in America. That makes no sense. Without public safety, we can't have a city to attract businesses to bring jobs."
Another political activist, Eric Mays, echoed support for Johnson and got into heated exchanges with City Councilman Mike Sarginson and City Council President Jackie Poplar. Mays also took several opportunities to point out how City Administrator Gregory Eason was "laughing and thinking all this is a joke." Mays said "most feel Eason will be indicted" as a result of a raid on Flint City Hall by the FBI and a grand jury investigation into city finances.
All the activity from citizens speaking out came on a night that the Flint City Council wanted to give the Flint Journal $30,000 for an advertising campaign to promote the Smith Village housing project that has come under fire.
The city administration also attempted to get the council to authorize an "add-on" to a master resolution without discussion for more than $750,000 to a developer in that project. A $9 million "add on" was approved earlier this month in similar fashion. City Councilman Sheldon Neeley walked out of the meeting last time, refusing to vote on the matter. This time, he and Councilman Sarginson grilled City Attorney Peter Bade about why requests for information was not produced for them to review.
"How do I vote on a project for $600,000 or $700,000 and not even know what I'm voting on," Councilman Sarginson said.
Bade defended his office, saying council members do not need to file freedom of information act requests to get information. Councilman Sarginson said he instructed a staff member to e-mail Bade, and the staff member admitted this was done under questioning from him. "So then I file a freedom of information act request and still I get nothing," Councilman Sarginson said. "What are you hiding? You have five days to produce the information under the law, yet still you do not do it. It must be pretty bad what you are hiding to break the law to keep council members from seeing it."
Sarginson wants answers on the FBI investigation into how energy grant money has been used. He is also demanding to know more about Smith Village which has been in the headlines with reports last week by AM ADVANTAGE and WNEM TV-5.
Bankert noted all the citizens who spoke about feeling unsafe in their homes and said his "deep love for the city" is motivating the push to develop a charter revision commission. He says the city council can vote to put the question on a ballot proposal to avoid the need for a petition drive to collect more than 8,004 signatures. That's what is currently required to get it on the February ballot.
Bankert began lobbying for a charter revision committee to form in hopes of changing the charter that has been in place since the strong mayor form of government was created in 1975. He's a former city clerk and city ombudsman who now operates a successful law practice in Downtown Flint. He owns a home in the COllege/Cultural Neighborhood and also owns an office building and other property. "My roots in this city are deep," he noted. "I was born here, live here, operate my law practice in the city and own property in the city. I care about this city. I love this city."
Bankert is on a panel for an "Armchair Politics" segment every Wednesday morning on Tom Sumner's Off the Kuff radio program. It's broadcast live at the White Horse from 7-9 am on Kettering University's 94.3 FM station. Bankert is also a former city ombudsman and city clerk in Flint. He led a push in 2006 for a ballot proposal that kept the ombudsman's office in city government.
City Councilman Josh Freeman reacted to Bankert's bid on Facebook to develop a committee to review the idea by bringing it up two weeks ago at a regular meeting. Councilman Freeman asked for the city attorney to have the law office write the ballot question and put it to a vote by his fellow council members. "It is still in committee waiting for a response from the city attorney," Bankert reported in a story published on AM ADVANTAGE before Monday night's meeting when revealing he had learned from Councilman Freeman that the issue would not be a topic of discussion among council members at the council session.
"Freeman will need the votes to get it out of committee," Bankert reported. "At this point, he does not have the votes. But the council has yet to hear from the community."
"When an offer of free beer can't get people to show up and show support, I'm not sure anybody cares," said one citizen who asked not to be idenified.
Mays also blasted Bankert's proposal for a charter revision, saying, "There's nothing wrong with the charter we have right now. We just need the city to follow it." |
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Political Talk
