Giving Back to Flint: Donate to Drive Flint

One of the challenges for Flint Expatriates is figuring out a way to give back to the city even though we no longer live there. One way is to make a donation to Drive Flint, a business plan competition for startup or emerging businesses whose measure of success includes playing an active role in Flint’s revitalization.

The Flint Journal's Dominic Adams described the contest in an article earlier this month:

The “drive Flint" prize is part of Michigan Corps’ “Michigan social entrepreneurship challenge,” to come up with long-term solutions to the state’s social challenges, the nonprofit organization said in a statement. 

The goal is to discover ideas that are having a positive impact on the Flint community, said Elizabeth Garlow, executive director of Michigan Corps. “The competition is focused on the advent of ventures that enhance the quality of life in the community.”

Your donation will help fund a cash grant for the winning business plan and the winner will also gain access to Michigan Corps’ social impact investment fellowship and entrepreneur support services, which includes training that prepares entrepreneurs for investments of more than $50,000. 

“Flint is full of grassroots entrepreneurs seeking prosperity, civic and community change,” Mayor Dayne Walling said in a statement. “The creation of the “drive Flint” prize is truly groundbreaking, as it gives all entrepreneurs who are passionate about Flint’s future an opportunity to share their ideas, connect with support resources and a community of fellow innovators.”

Visit Drive Flint to find more information and make a donation. The goal is $15,000.

"Found Michigan" Finds Flint Mayor Dayne Walling

 
Dayne Walling at City Hall in Flint. (Photo by Emily Bingham/Found Michigan)

There's an indepth and compelling portrait of Flint Mayor Dayne Walling by Lou Blouin on Found Michigan, a site that focuses on longform journalism about the Great Lake State. It describes Walling's work to revive Flint, despite the imposition of an emergency financial manager and an array of daunting obstacles.

"In a cash-strapped city, that means Walling can only do a fraction of what he no doubt wants to do. Understanding that things move slowly in city government, lately he’s dedicated himself to making sure future city leaders have things a little better—he’s now leading the charge for a new master plan in Flint, which will guide the city’s redevelopment over the coming decades. It’ll be Flint’s first such vision in more than 50 years—since the plan in 1960, which optimistically projected nothing but explosive growth in the auto industry and corollary fortunes for Flint."

Nothin' But Blue Skies

Chicago journalist and Lansing native Edward McClelland has a new book that chronicles the "story of how the country's industrial heartland grew, boomed, bottomed, and hopes to be reborn."

Nothin' But Blue Skies covers various cities in the Great Lakes Region, including Flint, which gets two separate chapters. I just finished an advance copy, and McClelland provides an insightful and sympathetic take on the people and places that make up the Rust Belt. In particular, he captures the agonizing contradictions of trying to run a shrinking city.

"The emergency manager law was written to rescue cities from corrupt or incompetent mayors," McClelland writes. "[Dayne] Walling, a cross between a Webelo and a West Wing policy wonk, was not corrupt. Nor was he incompetent. It would have been impossible to balance the budget of a city that's lost half its people and over 90 percent of its middle-class jobs without making it look even more like the set of Escape from Flint. If a city is too poor to afford democracy, it's not a city anymore." 

 Nothin' But Blue Skies is a must read for anyone trying to understand the forces aligned against cities like Flint. Thankfully, it also presents compelling, heart-felt portraits of the people fighting to save the city.

Flint Photos: Welch Blvd. Pharmacy, 1971 and 2009

 Welch Blvd. Pharmacy, a popular destination for neighborhood kids, at its original location near the corner of N. Chevrolet Avenue, sometime in the early seventies.

 

The storefront in 2009 when it was serving as a satellite campaign office for candidate and soon-to-be mayor Dayne Walling.

Michael Brown Named Emergency Financial Manager in Flint

The state of Michigan has appointed an emergency financial manager in Flint, choosing former interim Mayor Michael Brown. Dawson Bell of The Detroit Free Press reports:

As emergency manager, Brown will assume most of the duties of elected Mayor Dayne Walling and City Council and control city operations and finances. But he will have broader powers, too, including the authority to end employee contracts.

That means the long-running standoff between the city and the Flint police and firefighters unions will finally reach a resolution, although it might not be a happy one, depending on which side your on.

Kristen Longley of The Flint Journal has more details on the move:

Brown said he'll be talking to department heads and public safety officials.

He also plans to appoint an advisory committee consisting of a city official, a representative of the business community, one Flint resident and "up to two persons with relevant professional skills" to assist him, he said.

Brown said he expects to take actions similar to those of the current emergency managers appointed in Benton Harbor, Pontiac and Ecorse.

"It's pretty clear if you read the law, there's guidelines for managers," he said. "I'm going to be no different."

Walling Wins But State Takeover Looms

Dayne Walling at the White Horse on election night. (Photo courtesy of Austin Anthony/The Flint Journal)

Dayne Walling is re-elected mayor as the city faces an emergency financial takeover by the state. It would make Flint the first city in Michigan to undergo a state takeover twice. Here's a list of the municipalities declared a financial emergency:

• City of Hamtramck - December 2000

• City of Highland Park - July 2001

• City of Flint - July 2002

• Village of Three Oaks - December 2008

• City of Pontiac - March 2009

• City of Ecorse - October 2009

• City of Benton Harbor - April 2010

Walling Leads Mayor's Race

Dayne Walling appears headed toward another term as mayor of Flint. The results from the county clerk at 11:15 p.m.

CITY OF FLINT
MAYOR  (WITH 58 OF 61 PRECINCTS COUNTED 95.08%)
Darryl E. Buchanan  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   6,432    43.16
Dayne Walling .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   8,383    56.25
WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   88        .59
Total .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .           14,903 

Flint's Financial Emergency

Flint appears to be moving closer to an emergency financial manager. Kristin Longley of The Flint Journal reports:

State officials announced this evening that an eight-member review panel appointed by the governor is recommending that an emergency financial manager take over the city of Flint.

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling said the state's decision that a financial emergency exists in the city "shows how serious our financial challenges are in the City of Flint."

Witherbee's Market Grand Opening...And Possible Closing

UPDATE: Witherbee's Market and Deli announced on their Facebook page today that they'll be closing soon. Here's the announcement:

It is with deep regret and tears in our eyes that we announce the closing of Witherbee's Market and Deli on November 5, 2011. Our sincere thanks to everyone who supported our efforts to bring fresh food to Flint's inner city. We have made lots of friends over the last year that we will dearly miss. Stop by during the next week as we put many things on sale to clear the store.

So it appears that Flint's experiment with a downtown grocery store is over. I know there was a very complicated financing package in place to get Witherbee's up and running, but it's hard for me to understand why it's preferable for the creditors to close the store down instead of simply lowering the rent. Isn't some rent better than no rent?

Here's the post that ran August 8, 2011:

UPDATE: This post originally ran on June 14, 2010. Now, a little over a year later, Witherbee's Market appears to be on its last legs. Kris Turner of The Flint Journal reports:

The downtown grocery store, which opened in June 2010, isn’t making enough money to cover its bills, said David White, one of the market’s co-owners. It's located at 601 Martin Luther King Ave.

“We probably should have closed two months ago, but we’ve been hanging on hoping something will change,” he said.

The 10,000 square-foot store needs to generate more than $1 million in sales a year to meet its needs, White said. It has done about half that and is struggling to get by, he added.

The store had 15 employees when it opened and is now down to seven. Its utility bills are $8,000 a month in the winter — an astronomical cost that’s almost impossible to keep up with, White said.

And then there’s the rent. At $10,000 a month, Witherbee’s can’t afford to stay in its space. The store got a $4,000 reprieve on its rent from February to September but it hasn’t been enough.

Here's the original post from June 14, 2010:

I took a break from transcribing interviews to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Witherbee's Market & Deli at 601 Martin Luther King Avenue this morning. In addition to a big crowd of locals, including Mayor Dayne Walling, a Japanese film crew was on hand to document the event, confirming that you never know what to expect in Flint.

Flint Photos: Walling for Mayor...For Sale or Lease

King Kong Versus Dayne Walling

As if Mayor Dayne Walling doesn't have enough to worry about, now he's battling King Kong...in the latest Sarah Reed photograph based on classic movie posters.

A Solution to Flint's Budget Woes

Mt. Clemens, looking suspiciously like Flint, in a photo by John Cruz.

With Mayor Dayne Walling locked in an ongoing battle with police and fire unions over concessions that will help balance the city budget, Mt. Clemens offers a novel approach to fiscal solvency:

A Michigan city is pleading with churches, schools and a hospital for donations to help cover its staggering budget deficit, reports Nick Bunkley of The New York Times.

The mayor of Mount Clemens, Barb Dempsey, sent a letter this week to 35 tax-exempt organizations asking them to voluntarily contribute to the city’s general fund, which pays for services like fire protection, streetlights and roads. Ms. Dempsey said the city has already drastically cut its expenses, having disbanded the police department six years ago, but still faces a $960,000 deficit that is projected to reach $1.5 million next year.

“Those are all services that they utilize at no cost to them,” Ms. Dempsey said. “We figured it can’t hurt to send out letters. If you don’t ask, you never know.”

Urban Planning Poetry

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling just completed a Q & A with Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, Jr.

The best line of the evening came when Wharton resorted to rhyming to point out that idealistic redevelopment plans don't amount to much without the money to pull them off: "Romance without finance is just nuisance."

Flint, Dayne Walling and The New York Times

Michael Cooper of The New York Times has a piece on mayoral recalls that mentions the unsuccessful effort to oust Dayne Walling in Flint:

This year the new mayor, Dayne Walling — an energetic former Rhodes scholar — found himself fighting yet another recall campaign after he laid off police officers and firefighters to try to make ends meet in a city with an unemployment rate of more than 25 percent.

“Having to make public-safety layoffs is something that I’d hoped to never have to do,” said Mr. Walling, 36, who noted that he had resorted to layoffs only after the police and fire unions failed to agree to the concessions he had sought, and after he cut his own salary, auctioned off the mayor’s car and started paying his own cellphone bills.

When the latest recall was derailed in court this month, the mayor posted the news on his blog: “Flint’s recall fever has broken.”

As we've discussed, Flint is not being ignored by the Times. Here are links to some of the recent coverage of the city:

The fallout from population loss in Michigan, Florida, and California.

G.M. sells off its old buildings, including those in Flint.

Thieves prey on the abandoned factories of Flint.

The Carriage Town neighborhood anchors downtown revitalization, with slide show.

Dan Kildee and shrinking cities.

As Medicaid payments shrink, patients are abandoned in Flint.

Amid the ruin, seeing a garden of hope in Flint.

And, of course, there's coverage of the serial killer, via The Flint Journal and AP.

How Do You Spell Recall?

Flint Board of Education member David Davenport was thwarted by poor spelling and vague language on his first two attempts to recall Mayor Dayne Walling. But earlier this month the Genesee County Election Commission finally approved his recall petition.

Kristen Longley of The Flint Journal reports:

Davenport, who also is the target of a recall attempt, now has 180 days to get more than 8,000 signatures, he said.

"If I have to knock on every door myself, I'm going to get it done," he said.

Donate to the Flint Reporting Project

Time to Call the Bonds Squad?

Are bonds the temporary answer to Flint's budget woes?

America's Toughest Job?

Brenda Clack and Dayne Walling looking carefree on the campaign trail last June. (Photos by Gordon Young)

When I was writing about the Flint mayor's race last summer for Slate, I was impressed that two rational, well-adjusted candidates — Dayne Walling and Brenda Clack — were fighting so hard for a job that seemed so thankless.

“The winner of this city's Aug. 4 special mayoral election will be expected to solve problems caused by complex global economic forces that he or she is powerless to control, while also mastering the mundane yet vexing task of running a weary city in need of jobs and revenue,” I wrote. “Hey, I got a pothole on my block, and the garbage truck missed my house yesterday. And while you're at it, could you please do something about deindustrialization?”

Less than a year into office, Dayne Walling is discovering that the honeymoon is very short for Flint mayors. He was immediately criticized for two high-profile appointments to his administration. A Flint school board member launched a quixotic recall effort against him. Then he was forced to lay off police and firefighters to help erase a massive budget deficit he inherited after efforts to renegotiate union contracts stalled. The layoffs happened to coincide with a series of fires in abandoned houses and buildings. Arson is suspected, and Walling said the fires had a “perverted political purpose.” Awkwardly, Walling has had to request special police protection at his home after he received anonymous threats. Oh, he also had to reduce garbage pickup, causing residents to fret about rats.

Of course, let’s not forget about Flint’s seemingly never ending unemployment problems and shrinking tax base.

Just to make life interesting, Walling plans to run for re-election in 2011, and he may face a familiar opponent. Former Mayor Don Williamson, who resigned in the face of a recall election, is hinting at a possible return to politics.

Kristen Longley of The Flint Journal reports:

But Williamson said he’s recently received “a couple thousand phone calls — or more” from supporters who say they’d like to see him go for it.

He said he’s recovered from the health issues that prompted his resignation from the mayor’s office, and he feels “in perfect shape.”

“Somebody has to save the city of Flint,” Williamson said. “The people are calling me.”

More than 2,000 calls? Really? That’s about 10 percent of the people who voted in the last mayor's race. Let’s see, Walling was elected in early August, so if the calls of support for Williamson started immediately, that means about 9 calls a day, every day, until now. No wonder the former mayor is in such good shape; he’s spending a lot of time running to the phone.

And Walling is spending all his time trying to run the city. No one said it would be easy.

Flint Fires: More Houses Torched

Another day, another batch of new fires in Flint.

Laura Angus of The Flint Journal reports:

Fire damaged or destroyed eight homes in a rash of fires this morning, continuing a rash of blazes in the city after 23 firefighters were laid off last week.

Firefighters were dispatched to five fire calls in three hours, starting at 1:16 a.m. at 211 W. Wellington, Battalion Chief Andy Graves said. Four of the five calls involved fires that began in abandoned buildings.

Flint Fires: Readers Respond

Reader J.L. comments on the recent Flint fires:

These fires have really saddened me. Granted, the homes that burned the other night were (mostly) in pretty bad shape and weren't architecturally significant, and most were on the demolition list, but I didn't want to see them go down that way. Two burned yesterday in the neighborhood south of Chevy in the Hole, which completely made me angry. One was an apartment house in horrible shape, and the other an amazing, 2,000+ sq. ft. brick house on Glenwood that just needed a little work to be great again.

I'm not that worried about my neighborhood (Mott Park), since all of these fires have been at vacant houses in underpopulated areas. What I am worried about is having all of our firefighters busy and then having a real emergency they have to take care of.

I'm a big fan of Dayne Walling, voted for him, and still think he can do great things for us. Unfortunately, he cut too much from public safety and not enough from his own cabinet.

Flint Fires: Mayor Links Fires to Politics

More on the series of fires in Flint.

Laura Angus of The Flint Journal reports:

Mayor Dayne Walling said today that the city is doing everything it can to curb the outbreak of fires, and promised to "not allow criminals and fear to take over this city."

He said investigators believe the fires have been set in routine pattern out to achieve a "perverted political purpose."