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FlintCityMole
F L I N T O I D
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Flint leaders at odds over appointment of Downtown Development Authority director
By Kristin Longley | Flint Journal
January 06, 2010, 10:09PM
Flint Journal file photoDowntown Flint
FLINT, Michigan -- The Downtown Development Authority board and other city officials are warring over two candidates under consideration as the authority's next leader.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling wants Caron Wilson, a Kettering University project manager, to replace Larry Ford, who has been serving as interim director since James Rutherford retired. Ford would continue to serve as deputy director, Walling said, though it is unclear whether that would be a permanent position.
But some city council members are questioning Walling's choice, since the DDA board "highly recommended" Ford for the job, they said. The appointment was debated tonight at a council committee meeting with both candidates in attendance.
Walling said the DDA needs new leadership, and he chose the better candidate to move it forward. Others contend that Ford is visible in the community and serves the authority well.
"The DDA of 2010 is not the DDA of 1990, 1995 or even 2000," Walling said. "It is saddled with high expectations.
"We cannot let the status quo continue."
The protocol for appointing a new DDA director begins with the DDA board's personnel committee, which reviews applications and interviews candidates. The personnel committee then nominates two candidates, who in this case were Wilson and Ford.
The mayor then brings one of those names before city council for approval.
City Clerk Inez Brown, who sits on the DDA board, said it was clear that the board wanted Ford to continue as director and Walling is circumventing the rules for Wilson.
"Larry's been the best director that I've worked with," she said. "I cannot speak highly enough of Larry."
But Walling said he isn't breaking the rules since he was given two names for consideration.
"I do not see any way in which I was bound to one name or the other," he said.
Wilson, a Flint native, has worked at Kettering since 1998 in various positions, including student services coordinator and most recently as project manager in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. She also has worked for the University of Michigan-Flint.
Walling said Wilson has the connections and experience to make event management and marketing, among other things, a priority for the DDA. Councilman Scott Kincaid said Wilson is "capable and competent."
But one community member who addressed the council said Ford works hard for the city. Councilwoman Jackie Poplar said Ford has been known to shovel snow downtown and salt sidewalks early in the morning.
"You might as well call that man Mr. Flint," resident Dan Hajek said.
The city council will consider Wilson's nomination at its regular meeting on Monday.
Council President Delrico Loyd questioned whether the DDA can afford to have a director and deputy director. Walling said both positions were included in this year's budget.
Some city council members also were disappointed that neither of the candidates live in the city of Flint. Wilson lives in Flushing, according to her resume. |
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Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:08 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Some on council have an agenda and some are inexperienced, but none are lame ducks.
It will be interesting to watch what transpires in the near future and how the alliances will form. |
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Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:57 pm |
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Dave Starr
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Might be a packed house at the council meeting Monday. Can I get the popcorn & soda concession? |
_________________ I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:45 pm |
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back again
F L I N T O I D
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if you include koegels coneys!!! |
_________________ even a small act of goodness may be a tiny raft of salvation across the treacherous gulf of sin, but one who drinks the wine of selfishness, and dances on the little boat of meaness, sinks in the ocean of ignorance.
P.Y. |
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Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:53 pm |
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twotap
F L I N T O I D
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Holy crap a room full of onion breath Hey BA we took our grandaughter back to the davison area last wed and on the way home stopped at gilleys and bought 8 coneys ate 4 took 4 home as backup. They Were Goooooooood. Just rubbing it in. |
_________________ "If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:51 pm |
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back again
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aw jeees 2tap. |
_________________ even a small act of goodness may be a tiny raft of salvation across the treacherous gulf of sin, but one who drinks the wine of selfishness, and dances on the little boat of meaness, sinks in the ocean of ignorance.
P.Y. |
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Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:51 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Another reason council will be upset. Under Tracy Atkinson these bills have been on hold and not paid. Some of them date back to last May. Flint NIPP must be hurting with both a number of bills unpaid but also larger dollar amounts in these bills.
From City webste Accounts payable.
Invoice # Date Vendor Name Amount PO # Reason Department
0907901 8/12/2009 BIG BROTHERS $3,107.91 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
3482356-01 10/30/2009 FLINT JOURNAL $399.02 09-001116 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
0617104 7/31/2008 FLINT NIPP $4,515.34 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
6 9/30/2008 FLINT NIPP $1,490.68 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
7 10/31/2008 FLINT NIPP $2,201.22 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
8 11/30/2008 FLINT NIPP $1,025.20 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
11 12/31/2008 FLINT NIPP $1,986.80 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
12 1/31/2009 FLINT NIPP $2,083.01 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
13 2/28/2009 FLINT NIPP $980.67 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
14 3/31/2009 FLINT NIPP $1,063.12 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
15 4/30/2009 FLINT NIPP $949.45 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
41 5/31/2009 FLINT NIPP $556.03 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
16 5/31/2009 FLINT NIPP $2,153.87 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
5 8/31/2009 FLINT NIPP $4,852.48 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
2 7/26/2007 GENESEE COUNTY CMH $2,993.09 09 FISCAL COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
3 8/23/2007 GENESEE COUNTY CMH $890.84 09 FISCAL COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
541821 12/3/2009 GWYER $260.08 NONE DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
12577 10/22/2009 HOME DEPOT $32.76 NONE DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
4 5/6/2009 METRO HOUSING $776.00 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
501186024001 12/14/2009 OFFICE DEPOT $399.99 09-001282 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
8102531802 1/1/2010 SCHINDLER $151.41 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
0325623-IN 12/15/2009 SOUTHERN COMPUTER $503.00 09-002686 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP
21927 1/1/2020 THUMB ALARM $45.00 DEPARTMENT HOLD COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOP |
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Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:41 pm |
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back again
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wow......some are quite paltry too. |
_________________ even a small act of goodness may be a tiny raft of salvation across the treacherous gulf of sin, but one who drinks the wine of selfishness, and dances on the little boat of meaness, sinks in the ocean of ignorance.
P.Y. |
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Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:58 pm |
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Derrick1965
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Tracey needs to get it together. |
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Sat Jan 09, 2010 5:02 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint NIPP may have to lay off some staff. HUD will be advised as to Flint's refusal to pay this organization. |
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Sat Jan 09, 2010 5:56 pm |
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