Meet Cassandra Washington, Flint Schools’ HR director, who settled contracts with all three employee unions in first year on job
By Harold Ford Editor’s Note: East Village Magazine’s Education Beat writer, Harold C. Ford, submitted a list of 20 questions to Cassandra Washington, Flint Community Schools’ executive director of human relations. Washington responded to about half of the questions in her online reply. Her responses are provided below in a Q & A format. Cassandra Washington, a resident of Detroit, was hired as the Flint Community Schools’ (FCS)...
Land Bank reprioritizing demolitions as federal funds dry up, FNU members told
By Coner Segren Federal “Hardest Hit Fund” dollars appropriated to Flint expired this year, leaving the Genesee County Land Bank without a large source of funds. These funds were key to demolitions in Flint, the Land Bank’s Christina Kelly told participants in a November Zoom meeting of Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU). Kelly, the Land Bank’s director of planning and neighborhood revitalization, reported that...
City Council Beat: Leadership change brings on Fields, Davis: no city business voted on during five-hour meeting
By Tom Travis After a contentious five-hour meeting and acting only on two pieces of city business, the Flint City Council voted to recess until Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The meeting did result in an upending of council leadership, with Kate Fields (4th Ward) elected president of the council by a 5-4 vote, replacing Monica Galloway (7th Ward). Voting for Fields were councilpersons Maurice Davis (2nd Ward), Santino Guerra (3rd Ward),...
$1 million-plus restoration project announced for Flint River-Swartz Creek confluence
By Harold C. Ford “Sometimes it’s the use of land, not for commercial purposes, that has the greatest value.” –U.S. Rep.Dan Kildee, (MI-5th District), in a statement to East Village Magazine, Oct. 14, 2020 A restoration project on the peninsula where the Flint River meets Swartz Creek — the “Flint River-Swartz Creek Confluence” — was announced Oct. 14 by representatives of organizations sponsoring the project at an event hosted...
Three newcomers elected make an all-female Flint school board; host of challenges await
By Harold C. Ford The Flint Community Schools (FCS) Board of Education will have a new look in 2021. Joyce Ellis-McNeal, (9.13 percent/9,409 votes), Anita M. Moore (8.78 percent/9,053 votes), and Laura Gillespie MacIntyre (6.09 percent/6,277 votes) were elected to six-year terms that begin Jan.1, 2021 and end in 2026. (Note: Percentages and votes are from the “Unofficial Results” posted at the website of the Genesee County Clerk’s...