WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
12/10/09
BY Terry Bankert
A Flint Divorce Lawyer sharing his opinion on issues you may find important.
Link to this post.
http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-do-you-think-we-should-do.html

See responses at end of article!

Mayor Walling will host a Jobs Growth and Economic Development forum on Thursday, December 10, 2009 from 6:00 p.m until 8:00 p.m. in the 3rd floor city hall council chambers at 1101 South Saginaw Street. [6]
　
Recently the Mayor of Flint has called a hastily arraigned summit later called a forum in Flint City Hall at either 3 pm as channel 25 reported or 6 pm as reported elsewhere see above. It is at 6 P.M..

Why, so he can tell Obama he did it and to cater to the agenda of the Regional Chamber of Commerce [a private club].

But beyond that how can we make it meaning full. I suggest using the tools of social media by your answering the following question and get them quietly to the mayor or scream them lout publicly, my choice. Post to my face book of blog an I will help you.

QUESTIONS, DO YOU HAVE ANSWERE TO SHARE WITH THE PRESIDENT THROUGH OUR MAYOR?

1.WHAT CAN FLINT DO TO BRING NEW INVESTMENTS INTO FLINT?

2.WHAT CAN FLINT DO TO HELP EVERY RECOVERY DOLLAR GET TO WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO GO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE?

3.WHAT IS HOLDING BACK BUSINESS INVESTMENT IN FLINT?

4.HOW CAN WE INCREASE CONFIDENCE IN FLINT AND SPUR BUSINES INVESTMENT?

5,WHAT IS THE CITY OF FLINT DOING THAT INHIBITS RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS FROM INVESTING IN FLINT MI?

6. CAN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM K- COLLEGE AND THE UNIONS DO TO BETTER SUPPORT AND PREPARE OUR WORKERS?

Let the mayor know at
http://flintdawn.blogspot.com/
Or
http://www.ci.flint.mi.us/
Or tell it to the world.
http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
Or
http://twitter.com/terrybankert
Or
http://www.facebook.com/attorneybankert
　

notes-

Flint's mayor is following the White House's lead in seeking ideas for boosting the economy. [1]
Obama asked that communities report back with the ideas and recommendations that result from the local forums. [4]

"I want to hear about what unions and universities can do to better support and prepare our workers -- not just for the jobs of today, but for the jobs five years from now and 10 years from now and 50 years from now," Obama said, according to the text of his speech.
[4]

"I want to hear about what mayors and community leaders can do to bring new investment to our cities and towns and help recovery dollars get to where they need to go as quickly as possible," he said. "I want to hear from CEOs about what's holding back our business investment and how we can increase confidence and spur hiring. And if there are things that we're doing here in Washington that are inhibiting you, then we want to know about it."[4]
　
Mid-Michigan's largest city also has the highest unemployment.[2]
Now, the City of Flint is asking for new solutions to help combat the old problem of joblessness.[2]

Thursday afternoon city officials are asking its residents to come to city hall to be a part of helping to reverse the unemployment trend. Residents will have a chance to offer ideas and suggest solutions to the problem.[2]Mayor Dayne Walling is hosting a Jobs Growth and Economic Development forum on Thursday evening at City Hall. He says it's part of an effort to focus on transforming Flint into a 21st century sustainable city. [1]

President Barack Obama held a jobs forum last week, where he solicited ideas to accelerate job creation. [1]

MAYOR WALLING HAS SPENT A WEEK SETTING UP THIS SUMMIT/FORUM

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling said ..[12/4/09]…he welcomes the opportunity, and the city is looking into holding its own forum. The details are to be announced.[4] The details were release to us Wednesday 12/7/09
　
The jobs forum that Obama will host at the White House on Thursday is an acknowledgment that employment is not bouncing back as quickly as it used to after recessions. It's an opportunity for the president to show that he's engaged and on the job of finding jobs.[3]

The risk for Obama is that the forum may be perceived as a public-relations gambit, as Republicans assert. That could further fuel perceptions that Obama has trouble making up his mind to take action, an allegation leveled by critics for the months he took in formulating his new Afghan war plan.[3]

Thursday's gathering of top business leaders and economists comes amid rising populist outrage and a potential political backlash against majority-party Democrats, especially those whose message appears to be that there's little more the government can do on employment[3]

The Flint area's regional seasonally unadjusted jobless rate of 15.2 percent was among the highest in the state in October. It's trying to attract employers as it works to find ways to survive and thrive as a smaller city. [1]

The ideas will then be sent to the White House for consideration.[2]

"One of the unique features of our conversation is that we're not only asking citizens to talk about what the White House can do. We also want to know what city hall can do."[2]

The Jobs Growth and Economic Development Forum will take place on 3rd floor of the Flint City Hall Thursday at 3:00pm.[2] wrong its at 6pm.

Posted here by
Terry Bankert
http://www.flintdivorcelaw.com/
　
　
[1]
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-flinteconomy,0,118593.story
[2]
http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/story.aspx?id=388393
[3] 12/1/09
http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sns-ap-us-vanishing-jobs-analysis,0,6943843.story
[4]
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/12/post_65.html
[5]
http://www.ci.flint.mi.us/
[6]
http://flintdawn.blogspot.com/

SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSES
12/10/09
10:54 AM

FROM ADAM

1.WHAT CAN FLINT DO TO BRING NEW INVESTMENTS INTO FLINT? Make Flint more investment friendly and less fine/fee and ordinance/regulation happy

2.WHAT CAN FLINT DO TO HELP EVERY RECOVERY DOLLAR GET TO WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO GO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE? Remove the "leeches" that suck off the "public tit".

3.WHAT IS HOLDING BACK BUSINESS INVESTMENT IN FLINT? Flint

4.HOW CAN WE INCREASE CONFIDENCE IN FLINT AND SPUR BUSINES INVESTMENT? Quality leadership

5,WHAT IS THE CITY OF FLINT DOING THAT INHIBITS RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS FROM INVESTING IN FLINT MI? Being run poorly like always.

6. CAN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM K- COLLEGE AND THE UNIONS DO TO BETTER SUPPORT AND PREPARE OUR WORKERS? Unions and colleges don't create jobs.
FROM

5,WHAT IS THE CITY OF FLINT DOING THAT INHIBITS RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS FROM INVESTING IN FLINT MI? Being run poorly like always. "Like always" being the fact that the last 40 years or so flint and genesee county have been under one party rule that being the liberal Demoncrats. Give credit where credit is due.

mlive jtmb
You want to know what's holding back business investment? For starters, the high state and federal corporate tax rates (2nd highest in the industrialized world) does NOTHING to bring business investments and jobs to Michigan.

Stimulus funds will not create job growth because they are not tax CUTS which would bring investment, but rather are tax CREDITS which will not solve anything.

If you really want business to hire, then do not support Democratic initiatives like raising the minimum wage. All that did was make it unprofitable for businesses to hire more workers.

Tell that the 30% of teens looking for a job at McDonald's, or the unemployed black male who has suffered the most from failed liberal policies that the Democrats in Flint and Genesee County have long sponsored. Seriously, you want the unions to do a better job preparing workers?

I'll take that last question as a joke because it is plain as day that the union could care less about the welfare of its workers. As long as they entrench their power

REGARDLESS OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE WORKERS THEY SUPPOSEDLY
REPRESENT, they will always be part of the problem and not the solution. Obviously the school you attended does not teach economic theory, logic or common sense.
　---

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Economic Development

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
12/09/09
BY Terry Bankert
A Flint Divorce Lawyer sharing his opinion on what may be important to you!

" If you want to be seen, show up! If you want to be heard, stand up and speak. Don't wait to follow, just lead."

fyi, from my email.....
*****************
Be part of the future of Genesee /Flint, get involved in your communities planning prpocess. We cannot do it without you.The time has come for greater involvement from the public, including the business community. Flint Talk post http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=49950#49950 *****************
please attend the Broome Center meeting December 11.

You may or may not be aware that in the spring of 2009, Genesee County, organized by Staff from the Metropolitan Planning Commission, and City of Flint, but lead by a Steering Committee comprised primarily of representatives from private companies began an effort to create a document known as the Genesee County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

Staff from the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission and the City of Flint applied for and received federal funding to complete this document. The CEDS document will provide a road map to direct economic development and improvement to the economy.

The CEDS document is intended to be a living, dynamic document, and to be revised every 5 –years. Completion of this document, will at the very least, open doors for Genesee County and its communities to access federal funds through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In the summer of 2009, this project suffered a setback, where the lead consultant was dismissed.

The new consultant from Economic Resource Associates (ERA/AECOM) was awarded the contract and the chemistry has been great since their involvement began in October. The funding for the project must be utilized by the end of January, 2010.

Because of this short time schedule, a lot of work has been completed in a short period of time to collect the necessary data, analyze that data and develop a picture of the existing conditions in Genesee County.

Thus, the time has come for greater involvement from the public, including the business community.

Therefore, Genesee County, the City of Flint and the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce have come together to organize public meetings a focus groups to discuss the recommendations that will go into the CEDS document.

The following is a schedule of those meetings and locations:

December 10th – Grand Blanc Township Hall 5371 S. Saginaw Street, Flint MI 48507 from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.

December 11th – Clio Senior Center 2136 W. Vienna Road, Clio, MI 48420 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.

December 11th – Broome Center 4119 North Saginaw Street, Flint, MI 48505 from 3:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Please encourage your colleagues, the public and especially business owners to participate in one or more of these meetings.

I know the schedule is tight and the notice quick, but the community must get this document right to chart the course for economic development in Genesee County.

Karena Hamlet Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce 519 S. Saginaw, Suite 200 Flint, MI 48502 Phone: 810-600-1411 Fax: 810-600-1461 E-mail: khamlet@thegrcc.org

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail -- "There is no hierarchy of oppressions." - Audre Lorde Nayyirah Shariff (810) 610-3681 nayyirah.shariff@gmail.com

Posted here by Terry Bankert
http://www.flintfamilylaw.com/
Thank You Nayyirah

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15 years of turmoil, a receivership and now a stumbling best and the brightest, is there a problem with our Flint City Charter?

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
12/04/09
By Terry Bankert

A Flint Divorce Lawyer sharing his opinion.

THIS WAS EMAIL TO ME BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS. My comments are cited [BANKERT:]

Review of the Flint City Charter

Several events within city government in 2008, led to a review of the City Charter by the League of Women Voters of the Flint Area (LWVFA).

There were no preconceived or predetermined results or course of action. The review was limited to the concerns which had been expressed. It was not to be a detailed examination of the Charter.

The LWV can take action when a study has taken place and a position developed. The position regarding the City Charter was developed in the early ‘70s, updated in 1995. The position is as follows:

FLINT CITY CHARTER: Support of Charter with the following standards:
A. Support a strong mayor elected on a non-partisan basis.
B. Support non-partisan election of council persons.
C. Support a direct line of responsibility and accountability to be clearly
established for all departments, agencies, boards, and commissions for the
function of city government.
D. Support a responsible and accountable financial structure under the juris-
diction of the executive.
E. Support City Council power to override a mayoral veto by 2/3 vote.
F. Support a personnel system under the jurisdiction and responsible to the
executive with policies consistent with sound personnel procedures, which
allows for a grievance commission responsible for employee appeals and
accountable to City Council.

The concerns included:
- adoption of the budget,
- Mayor’s intransigence,
- lack of civility and respect of Mayor and Council,
- litigation brought by vendors, employees, citizens,
- role of the City Attorney,
- legal representation for City Council and city employees,
- interim appointment of Police Chief,
- operation of Civil Service Commission,
- role of City Clerk.

The League decided to look to the Charter for answers.

The committee which was to review the Charter decided to meet with several persons involved in the drafting of the Charter as well as those charged with implementing the Charter. All respondents were asked two questions:

Has the revised Charter been effective?

Do you think there should be any changes in the Charter?

BANKERT: I think we have a great charter except council terms should be returned to 2 years. The people involved have screwed it up because we the people have not demanded excellence in who we elect. I do not know what the fix is, making changes to a piece of paper called a charter will mean nothing unless we have people willing to fight for whats right. So ...what are your thoughts, anyone?

From the Charter Revision Committee were Dr. Peter Gluck, researcher; Thomas Donnellan, attorney; Carl Bekofske, chairman; Joe Conroy and John West, Jr., members. Mr. Bekofske was on the first council following adoption of the revised Charter. He also served as City Attorney. Joe Conroy had perspective as a member of the Charter Revision Committee and member of a Mayor’s Administrative Team.

Other participants were City Attorneys William H. Crawford II, Michael Joliat and Olof Karlstrom; Rick Crannie and Doris Petross Buckner of the Civil Service Commission; James Ananich, president, Ehren Gonzales and Scott Kincaid, City Council; Josh Freeman, former City Council member; Tony Morolla, former Civil Service Commission Chair and the first Personnel Director; Inez Brown, City Clerk; and Angela Watkins, Acting City Attorney.

Unfortunately, the committee was unable to connect with Darryl Buchanan. He had been City Administrator, member and President of City Council and Ombudsman. Trechelle Young, City Attorney, was scheduled to meet with the committee. Unfortunately, that meeting did not take place.

The majority of the consultants believed the Charter needs only to be tweaked (amended). Some believed there should be total revision. Dr. Gluck believed the Charter should be overhauled . . . . . . . .
The current Charter could be rewritten, reduced to less than seventeen pages.
Function of the Charter is to be flexible and enabling.
Present Charter is overly restrictive and disabling.
A citizen should be able to pick up the Charter, read and understand it.

The prior city attorneys were in agreement that the Charter is clear that all legal personnel are to be retained by the City Attorney. They were emphatic that the City Attorney represents the City, not the Mayor not City Council. Departments and executives needing legal representation often chose an attorney with the required expertise from two or more suggested by the City Attorney.

The budget was usually adopted, sometimes with contentions resolved later.

Some issues not addressed in the current Charter are:
1) Guidelines for employment of an interim department head or official;
2) Remedy for failure to appoint members of a Board or Commission,
thereby rendering the body ineffective;
3) Procedure to resolve intransigence when alternative action is available.

The Charter is available through the American Legal Publishing Online Library, although the amendments may not be there. http://www.amlegal.com/

The committee undertook a limited review of the Charter based on questions about certain activities of the Mayor and City Council mentioned in news items. The conclusions cited below are summary statements based on statements from the consultants.

Conclusions
1. Reduce the number of mayoral appointees. There can be 21.
The Mayor is charged with appointing –
a) City Administrator
b) Executives responsible for budget, personnel, legal counsel and
administrative services – not to exceed 10
c) Executive Departments to administer responsibilities for Public Safety,
Public Works, Utilities, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, Finance,
Community Development, and Environmental Protection – not to exceed
10
d) Should Council approve appointments?
2. Reduce the number of wards
Loss of population, businesses and loss of tax base
3. Establish guidelines for interim appointments
90 day term advocated
4. Eliminate office of Ombudsman
a) The effectiveness of this office was severely compromised due to a 7-
year span of inactivity
b) Replace with Police Commission or Citizens Advisory Board
c) What about non-police complaints?
d) Combine with Standards of Conduct Board
5. Establish a process to assure fiduciary responsibility
6. Combine departments, e.g., Budget and Finance, Public Safety (police and
fire), etc.
7. Establish, maintain (update) Master Plan
8. Revisit strong mayor vs. city manager
Assure professional personnel
9. Revisit election (selection) of Council members and Mayor
Election cycle:
Mayor - presidential year;
Council - gubernatorial year; staggered terms
Wards: at large elections or combination
10. Revise section regarding City Clerk
Role and responsibilities
11. Revisit (clarify) responsibilities of City Attorney
Guidelines for representation
12. Retain Civil Service Commission
Appeal process for non-union employees
13. Review City Charter periodically
Ten year intervals
(Model review after legislative review of state Constitution)
14. Direct correlation between character and performance of officials
15. Implementation of Charter is responsibility of the citizenry

The citizens have the responsibility, ultimately, for city governance. The committee would recommend to them that –
City Council review, periodically, the Charter and make any changes which
seem advisable; and that
A Master Plan for the City be maintained.

Respectfully submitted,

Rhina Griffel Helen Hoyt Ann Kraft
Jack Minore Paul Rozycki Edith Prunty Spencer, Chair

November 2, 2009

posted here by
Terry Bankert
http://www.flintfamilylaw/

BLOG
http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/2009/12/15-years-of-turmoil-recievership-and.html

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