Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling announces 49th District state house run
By Jan Worth-Nelson Stating that he has a “unique perspective” about state and local issues honed by what he learned from the Flint water crisis, former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling has announced he is running as a Democrat for state representative in the 49th District and expected to file paperwork with the Secretary of State for his campaign committee this week. The election is set for Nov. 6. Walling, a Rhodes Scholar who became...
Gerrymandering Part Three: going to court
By Paul Rozycki Just when you thought you’ve heard enough about gerrymandering, and the ballot proposals to end it—there is one more line of attack. Now the courts are getting involved. Two previous columns in past issues of East Village Magazine (Part One here, Part Two here) have outlined the problems and history of gerrymandering, drawing oddly shaped election districts to favor one party over another. A second column also...
Daughter of immigrants, Mona Hanna-Attisha details Flint’s disaster and hope: an analysis
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Frederick Douglass (Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s favorite quote) By Harold C. Ford Several dozen area residents gathered at the Flint Public Library Jan. 9 to hear Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha reflect on Flint’s proud and challenging history, including the evolution of and response to the city’s water crisis. She also provided details from her own personal history. The event,...
Tree issues, city charter implementation highlight CCNA meeting
By Patsy Isenberg A disputed tree-replacement contract and concerns about tree removals were topics of the January meeting of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association, along with updates about plans for Pierce Park, discussion of progress in implementing the city’s new charter, and concerns about suspected drug activity on Court Street. CCNA President Mike Keeler and Vice-president Sherry Hayden offered updates on the status of...
The fabric of Flint: Good Beans owner Ken Van Wagoner weaves coffee, community spirit
By Jeffery L Carey Jr Despite the travails of Flintstones, there is an underlying spirit–or as Ken Van Wagoner, owner of one of Flint’s enduring hangouts, the Good Beans Café, describes it, “a shared feeling of tenacity” where “we’re all a fabric that is holding each other together.” He himself is a prime example of that tenacity, launching and for 18 years so far stubbornly sustaining an important hub in the city’s historically...
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