POWER IN FLINT MI

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
10/20/09
By Terry Bankert

Terry Bankert is a Flint Divorce lawyer sharing his opinion with you.

FLINT CITY CHARTER LEARN TO USE IT OR CHANGE IT!

It’s not working, should it be fixed?

Can a form of government be too complex, too subtle?

Why do Mayors dominate when the form of government in Flint Michgian made them equal to the legislative branch?

If you have rules and doctrine intentionally not followed with no meaningful sanctions should they be changed? Why will the next set of rules be followed?

Currently there is leadership and follwership discussion concerning the Flint City Charter and should it be tweaked, amended, or scrapped. Some say the strong mayor has not worked.
http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/

I say the council has not demanded enforcement of the charter.

The reality is the city during this form of government went though a recievership, many contentious years of an administration that represented what happens when you do run a unit of government like a business, a small dysfunctional business.

We are just tired and want a city we can be proud of.

Ironically what ever is the mix of victors in the council election we have an excellent city council on the horizon and an incumbent mayor that does represent the potential of the “ best and the brightest.”

There is no quick easy fix. The city manager experiment was tried here, and it to was thought to not work,

LET’S START WITH THE REAL ISSUE.

Its us. The citizens of Flint have not demanded excellence, we have not learned the issues of our city, the rules of ordinances, charter and state and federal law. The implications of a declining economy on the quality of city life. We have not been a responsible electorate, informed , articulate and demanding excellence.

WE HAVE A GOOD CHARTER ON PAPER, WHY IS IT NOT WORKING?

The underpinning of our current charter is professional management and ethical constraint on those that hold power. Both concepts have been ignored, misunderstood, or manipulated for political gain.

We have only had one professional municipal manager hold the position of city administrator. Mr. Early in the Stanley Administration is the only example. The council should never have allowed the untrained hold this position, though some were and are competent managers.

The council failed. The citizens failed by not demanding the council only allow city administrators to be school trained with extensive municipal management background.

Promulgated rules and procedures, ordinances in the public interest, standards of conduct board and the ombudsman position are the four corners of citizen protection from unethical conduct. Every one has failed here. Was the charter too complicated?
　
CHANGE WILL NOT COME EASILY.DETROIT IS IN CHAOS WITH CHARTER REVISION

Here is what I think will happen after the November election. The council will put the ombudsman office and the human relations commission on the ballot for a charter amendment to eliminate them.

There will be talk of charter revision commission but the council will never put it on the ballot. The original version of the current charter called for council to have 2 year terms they changed it to 4 years terms.

They do not have to worry about their jobs for 3 more years. By eliminating the ombudsman and the requirement for promulgated rules and procedures, , ordinances in the public interest, and the clerk or the city attorney never calling a meeting of the standards of conduct board the citizens are left in the dark, kicked to the side of the road while the same nonsense we have suffer for the last 10 plus years continues.

WHO IS THE PROBLEM THAT CAUSES GOOD GOVERNMENT IN FLINT MI.

ITS YOU ,

ITS ME,

ITS ANY FLINT CITIZEN THAT DOES NOT DEMAND EXCELLENCE AND THAT THE CHARTER BE FOLLOWED THAT IS THE REAL PROBLE,M.

CHANGES MAY BE NEEDED BUT UNLESS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGES IN THE PROCESS THERE WILL BE NO IMPROVEMENTS.

GET INVOLVED!

ITS ABOUT POWER.

Power in politics or local government is the ability to influence a resource allocation decision.

Who do you want to have power over you?

What do you want the rules to be?


Posted here by
Terry Bankert
10/20/09
http://www.flintfamilylaw.com/

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