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Government of Flint, Michigan

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The City of Flint has operated under at least four charters (1855,[1] 1888,[2] 1929, 1974[3]). The City is currently run under its 2017 [4] charter that gives the city a Strong Mayor form of government. It is also instituted the appointed independent office of Ombudsman, while the city clerk is solely appointed by the City Council. The City Council is composed of members elected from the city's nine wards.[3]

The city was under the supervision of a state-appointed Receivership Transition Advisory Board from 2015 to January 2019.[5] The Receivership Transition Advisory Board had to review and rule on all financial matters approved by the city council and mayor.

In June 2018, an Administrative Hearings Bureau, or Blight Hearings Bureau, was started through a grant to handle blight hearings generated from blight citations given by the city's Blight Elimination Division. Attorney T.W. Feaster was appointed the first administrative hearing officer of the bureau.[6] There were a backlog since 2013 of about 7,000 complaints.[7]

Other principal officers

[edit]
See Also Mayor of the City of Flint, Michigan
Year Recorders Treasurers Marshals
1855 Levi Walker Elihu F. Frary Cornelius Roosevelt
1856 Chas. B. Higgins John C. Griswold Joshua Vose
1857 M.L. Higgins George F. Hood Nathaniel Dodge
1858 Charles Hascall Cyrus H. Golf
1859
1860 Lewis G. Bickford John A. Kline George Andrews
1861 L.R. Buckingham J.A. Owens
1862 Julius Brouseau
1863 H. R. Lovell Anson S. Withee J.D. Morehouse
1864 Alvin T. Crossman L.G. Buckingham
1865 J.D. Morehouse
1866 William W. Barnes
1867 George R. Gold John S. Freeman
1868
1869 Anson S. Withee William A. Miller
1870
1871 Chas. E. McAlester Samuel B. Wicks
1872 Francis H. Rankin, Sr.
1873 Solomon V. Hakes
1874 Francis H. Rankin, Sr.
1875
1876
Year City Clerk• Treasurers Marshals
1877 Francis H. Rankin, Sr. Charles C. Beahan Samuel B. Wicks
1878 Michael Doran
1879 J.B.F. Curtis Jared Van Vleet

[8]

•In 1876, the office of City Recorder was abolished and replaced with a city council appointed city clerk.[8]

1929 Charter

[edit]

In 1929, the city adopted a new city charter with a council-manager form of government. In 1935, the city residents approved a charter amendment establishing the Civil Service Commission. The three-member Civil Service Commission had complete control over all personal matters leaving the city manager powerless to hire and fire. The Commission powers were reduced in the 1974 charter.[9]

Year City Manager Deputy City
Manager 		Clerk
1963—1965 James W. Rutherford
12/1971-4/1974 Brian Rapp[10]

Emergency manager

[edit]
Term Manager Governor
Jul 2002 - Jun 2004 Ed Kurtz John Engler
Dec 2011 - Aug 2012 Michael Brown Rick Snyder
Aug 2012 - July 2013 Ed Kurtz Rick Snyder
July 2013 - October 2013 Michael Brown Rick Snyder
October 2013 - January 2015 Darnell Earley Rick Snyder[11]
January 2015–April 30, 2015 Jerry Ambrose Rick Snyder[12][13]

Ward officers

[edit]
Street Commissioners Assessors
Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1855 William Moon William Eddy John C. Griswold Ashael Fuller William Hamilton David Foot [14]
1856 Thomas McElhany George Andrews James McAlester
1857 William Baker John A. Kline John W. Palmer
1858 John S. Ryno Benjamin Pearson Chas. H. Cudney
1859 Elijah Drake
1860 Benjamin F. Golf William Miller
1861 L. Bradford S. C. Smith William Bloomer
1862 A.M. Hurd L. Buckingham Josiah Pratt
1863 L. H. Roberts James D. Haight
1864 David Watson Theo. Simons L. Buckingham
1865
1866 William W. Joyner Leonard Weason Jacob B. Covert
1867 Orson B. Gibson Edmond Curtis
1868 William O. Bassett William Boomer
1869 Jno. C. Clement Josiah Pratt Josiah Pratt (?)
1870 Robert W. Dullam L. H. Robert Silas Austin
1871 Robert Patrick, Sr. Almon Reynolds George Stanard
1872 S. B. Wicks Henry Stanley
1873 Edmond Curtis L. Buckingham Henry Thayer
1874 Josiah Pratt
1875 John Becker
1876 John Andrews Augustus Root
1877 John C. Dayton D. C. Andrews
1878 Thomas Sullivan M. H. White
1879 Alfred Ingalls William Pidd

[8]

Council

[edit]

1855 Charter

[edit]
Alderman Wards
Council Years 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st 1855 J.W. Armstrong George W. Dewey Benjamin Pearson David Mather William M. Fenton Alvin T. Crosman
2nd 1856 H. W. Wood ? (George W. Dewey) Charles Rice ? (David Mather) Henry Higgins ? (Alvin T. Crosman)
3rd 1857 ? (H. W. Wood) C.S. Payne ? (Charles Rice)
Lewis Walker† 		Samuel N. Warren ? (Henry Higgins) George W. Fish
4th 1858 Jno. C. Allen Samuel B. Wicks G.W. Skidmore
5th 1859 J. Skidmore
6th 1861 ? (Jno. C. Allen) Oscar Adams ? (Samuel B. Wicks) William Hamilton ? (J. Skidmore) William Patterson
7th 1861 Alexander McFarland ? (Oscar Adams) Edward C. Turner ? (William Hamilton) William Clark ? (William Patterson)
8th 1862 ? (Alexander McFarland) David Spencer Fox ? (Edward C. Turner) William Hamilton ? (William Clark) Paul H. Stewart
9th 1863 O.F. Forsyth Edward C. Turner I. N. Eldridge David Foote
10th 1864 William Stevenson Hiram Parsell
11th 1865 George H. Durand
12th 1865 L.H. Roberts
13th 1866 John Hawley I. N. Eldridge Sumner Howard
14th 1867 Abner Randall William Hamilton Charles Smith
15th 1868 Orson B. Gibson
16th 1869 F.W. Judd Orson B. Gibson F.H. Pierce
17th 1870 M.S. Elmore Wilson S. Tousey W. O'Donoughue
18th 1871 Damon Stewart John Willett W.Buckingham J.R. Chambers Chas. D. Smith
19th 1872 Samuel C. Randall William Dullam J.B.F. Curtis Edward B. Clapp Josiah W. Begole James Williams
20th 1873 Benj. Cotharin H.C. Spencer P. Cleveland, Jr.
21st 1874 William R. Morse
22nd 1875 Thomas Page Williams Fobes Chris Becker
23rd 1876 Chas. A. Mason Henry Brown Chas. D. Smith
24th 1877 Andrew J. Ward William A. Atwood William A. Burr J. Zimmerman
25th 1878 S.N. Androus Henry C. Walker Jos. M. Corkey
26th 1879 George L. Caldwell ? (Thomas Page) ? (S.N. Androus) ? (William A. Atwood) ? (Jos. M. Corkey) A.R. Michaels

† To fill vacancy[8]

1888 Charter

[edit]

1929 Charter

[edit]

1974 Charter

[edit]
Councilor Wards
Council Years 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1974 to 1983 John W. Northrup (ward unknown)
1983 to 1985 John W. Northrup (ward unknown) Jack Minore
1985-1991 John W. Northrup (ward unknown) Jack Minore Scott Kincaid
1991-January 1997 John W. Northrup (ward unknown) Peggy R. Cook Jack Minore Scott Kincaid
January 1997 to 1998 Peggy R. Cook Jack Minore Scott Kincaid
1998 to 2004 Peggy R. Cook Scott Kincaid
2004 to 2005 Joshua Freeman Scott Kincaid
2005–2007 Darryl Buchanan Jackie Poplar Kerry Nelson Sandy Hill Carolyn Sims Sheldon Neeley Jim Ananich Ehren Gonzales Scott Kincaid
2007–2009 Delrico Loyd Jackie Poplar[15] Kerry Nelson[16] Sandy Hill[15] Carolyn Sims[17] Sheldon Neeley Jim Ananich Ehren Gonzales Scott Kincaid[15]
2009–2013 Delrico Loyd Jacqueline Poplar Bryant Nolden Joshua Freeman Bernard Lawler Sheldon Neeley Dale Weighill Michael Sarginson Scott Kincaid [15]
2013-2017[18][19] Eric Mays Bryant Nolden (2013-1/2015; VP 2013-2014)
Kerry Nelson, President (2015-2016)
  • Joshua Freeman (13-1/2016),
  • president (2014-2015)
  • Kate Fields (2016-2017)[20]
 Wantwaz Davis, Vice President (2014-2015) Herbert Winfrey Monica Galloway Vicki VanBuren, Vice President (2015-2016) Scott Kincaid, president (2013-2014)
President and vice president are selected in November.

Receivership Transition Advisory Board

[edit]

The Receivership Transition Advisory Board was appointed by Governor Snyder after the city exited direct control of the emergency manager in its second Financial emergency in Michigan.

member position start[13] end
Fred Headen chair April 30, 2015
Brian Larkin [21] October 28, 2015
David McGhee
Robert McMahan [22] January 20, 2016
Beverly Walker-Griffea
Mike Finney[22][23] January 19, 2016 May 26, 2017
Michael Townsend[23][24] January 21, 2016
Paul Newman[23] May 26, 2017
William Tarver[23]

Charter Review Commission

[edit]
member 1974 position [25]
Carl L Bekofske chairman
leroy Nichols vice chairman
Bob Jackson
John H. West
Joseph Conroy
Charles A. Greene
James P. Hanley
Philip D. Marvin
Banius C. Hedrick
member 2015 position term[25]
John D. Cherry Vice chair May 18, 2015 - May 18, 2018
Brian Larkin May 18, 2015 - October 28, 2015[21]
Cleora Magee chair May 18, 2015 - May 18, 2018
Victoria McKenze
Charles Metcalfe
Heidi Phaneuf
James Richardson
Marsha Wesley
Barry Williams
Quincy Murphy December 17, 2015 -[26] May 18, 2018

Supervisors

[edit]

Supervisors represented the City on the Genesee County, Michigan Board of Supervisors.

Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1855 Charles N. Beecher
1856
1857 George S. Hopkins
1858 Francis Baker William Lyons George S. Hopkins
1859
1860 W. O'Donoughue Samuel N. Warren L.G. Buckingham
1861 D.S. Freeman George S. Hopkins
1862 John C. Clement
1863
1864 P.H. Stewart
1865 Josiah W. Begole
1866
1867 Paul H. Stewart
1868 William Paterson
1869 Andrew B. Chapin Paul H. Stewart
1870
1871 George E. Newall George W. Thayer
1872 Cornelius Roosevelt George L. Walker
1873
1874 John Algoe
1875 S. Mathewson Ephraim S. Williams
1876 James Van Vleet
1877 D.S. Freeman
1878 L.C. Witney Albert Crosby
1879

[8]

Ombudsman

[edit]

The City Ombudsman is a charter independent office of the city appointed by the City Council in a 2/3 votes to a seven-year term. A police ombudsman, Richard Dicks, predated the current charter position and was appointed in 1969.

Term Office holder notes
12/26/75-1978 Joe Dupcza
05/15/78-07/21/87 James Ananich
07/22/87-07/21/94 Terry Bankert
08/17/94-04/08/96 Darryl Buchanan He was removed from office by the City Council but was returned to office after a lawsuit and finished his term.
01/1999-05/8/2006 Jessie Binion
05/8/2006-12/2/2011 Brenda L. Purifoy Removed from office by the Emergency Manager Michael Brown.[27]

[28]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The History of Genesee, MI, Chapter 13, Early Years of Flint City". www.usgennet.org. Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  2. ^ "HON. WILLIAM A. ATWOOD". 1892 Portrait & Biographical Album of Genesee, Lapeer & Tuscola Counties, Chapman Bros. 1892. pp. 801–803. Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  3. ^ a b City of Flint, Michigan Charter 1974 Archived 2010-03-02 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Flint City Charte Effective Archived 2022-11-18 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Goodin-Smith, Oona (11 January 2019). "State board OKs giving financial powers back to Flint officials". MLive.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Cleaning up Flint: Blight hearings begin, reward offered for used tires". ABC12.com. WJRT. June 6, 2018. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  7. ^ Ramey, Elisse (June 6, 2018). "Blight court judge tackles backlog of violations in Flint under new program". ABC12.com. WJRT. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d e Ellis, Franklin (1879). History of Genesee county, Michigan. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers. Philadelphia, PA.: Everts & Abbott. pp. 177–178. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  9. ^ "Proposal 5: Voters can eliminate Flint Civil Service Commission with charter vote". The Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. October 17, 2014. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  10. ^ Flint Journal Unforgettable: When a former Flint city manager left this world, he also left mixed memories Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine. BoothNewspapers: Flint Journal. March 5, 1995. retrieved March 08, 2011.
  11. ^ Adams, Dominic. (September 11, 201) Darnell Earley promises bold steps as Flint emergency manager Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine. MLive Media Group: The Flint Journal. Accessed on October 18, 2013.
  12. ^ "Jerry Ambrose named Flint's fourth emergency manager as Darnell Earley heads to Detroit". The Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Fonger, Ron (April 29, 2015). "'A heavy burden' lifted from Flint as Gov. Rick Snyder declares end of financial emergency". Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  14. ^ Chapter XIII: First City Officers. Archived 2012-09-30 at the Wayback Machine The History of Genesee County, MI.
  15. ^ a b c d Longley, Kristin (November 3, 2009). "Fresh faces make up new majority of Flint City Council". Flint Journal. Flint, Michigan: BoothNewspapers. Archived from the original on 2009-11-07. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  16. ^ Longley, Kristin (November 4, 2009). "Flint City Council overhauled as voters usher in five new members". Flint Journal. Flint, Michigan: Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  17. ^ Banas, Teri (November 3, 2009). "Lawler in Flint's 5th Ward said residents were "ready for a change"". Flint Journal. Flint, Michigan: BoothNewspapers. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  18. ^ Acosta, Roberto (November 10, 2014). "Flint City Council elects new president, vice president". Flint Journal. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  19. ^ Johnson, Jiquanda (November 10, 2015). "Flint City Council elects new president after new mayor sworn in". Flint Journal. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  20. ^ Emery, Amanda (January 21, 2016). "Flint City Council appoints new member to empty 4th ward seat". Flint Journal. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  21. ^ a b Fonger, Ron (October 28, 2015). "Chamber of Commerce exec named Flint planning and development director". Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Emery, Amanda (January 20, 2016). "Gov. Rick Snyder makes appointment to the state's oversight board in Flint". Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  23. ^ a b c d Fonger, Ron (May 26, 2017). "Snyder picks Newman, Tarver to fill resignations on Flint oversight board". Flint Journal. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  24. ^ Ridley, Gary (January 21, 2016). "Former finance director who sued city appointed to Flint oversight board". Flint Journal. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Fonger, Ron (May 6, 2015). "Big job ahead for nine elected to Flint Charter Review Commission". Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  26. ^ Fonger, Ron (December 21, 2015). "Flint activist Quincy Murphy appointed to Flint Charter Review Commission". Flint Journal. Mlive Media Group. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  27. ^ Longley, Kristin (December 2, 2011). "Shakeup at Flint City Hall as new emergency manager issues layoffs, pay cuts". The Flint Journal. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  28. ^ "2006-2007 Ombudsman Report" (PDF). ci.flint.mi.us. City of Flint. Retrieved 2009-05-18. [dead link]
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