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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint City Councilman Eric Mays contests recount request
Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com
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on November 19, 2013 at 12:00 PM, updated November 19, 2013 at 12:10 PM
FLINT, MI – First Ward City Councilman Eric Mays hopes to block a recount attempt against him.
Mays beat Anita Brown by seven votes in the Nov. 5 election. Brown petitioned for a recount the next day.
In her request, Brown alleged "underhanded activities" at polling spots.
“I believe it’s only fair that a recount is conducted,” she wrote.
Mays said it sounds more like Brown is arguing a lawsuit.
“These are…circuit court type allegations not ‘recount’ stuff,” Mays wrote in the objection he filed on Monday, Nov. 18. “Since these are false and does not effectively effect the ‘count’ I object to the requested ‘recount.’”
Elections officials have not said when the next Genesee County Board of Canvassers will meet to hear Mays’ objection and decide if it’s warranted.
The board has five days to rule on Mays’ objection following the hearing. If the board rules against Mays, a recount will take place on the second business day following the board’s decision, in accordance with state law.
Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google |
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Tue Nov 19, 2013 6:49 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sun Nov 24, 2013 6:52 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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Mon Nov 25, 2013 11:54 am |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/11/recount_granted_for_flint_city.html
mlive.com
Flint's First Ward candidate Anita Brown gets recount for Flint City Council seat
Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com
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on November 25, 2013 at 12:11 PM, updated November 25, 2013 at 12:12 PM
Photo: Genesee Nov. 5 election.JPG - Voters prepare to cast their ballots at Hasselbring Community Center in Flint on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 5. The Genesee County Board of Canvassers granted Anita Brown a recount after she lost in her bid for Flint City Council. - Zack Wittman | MLive.com
FLINT, MI – Anita Brown will get the recount she wants after losing by seven votes in the November election for Flint’s First Ward.
Brown lost to Eric Mays in the race for Flint City Council. She was granted a recount following a hearing of the Genesee County Board of Canvassers on Monday, Nov. 25.
“I’m grateful,” Brown said following the decision. “I think that the citizens of the First Ward – especially the ones that voted for me and that were concerned – can be assured that this process is done fair and with transparency.”
The board approved the recount on a 3-1 vote, with Edward Goggins the dissenting vote.
The recount will take place on Dec. 3 at Flint City Hall and will include all six precincts and the absentee ballots.
Mays said Brown’s written complaint and statements to the board on Monday never mentioned she lost by seven votes.
Brown alleged “underhanded activities” at polling spots.
“You don’t reward lies and wrong-doing on petitions,” Mays said. “That’s just wrong. I’m appalled at that.”
Flint City Clerk Inez Brown asked why Anita Brown never called her office on Election Day to complain about alleged wrongdoings.
“If I sound angry, it’s because I am,” Inez Brown said. “The last person in the world I would support is Eric Mays. We do all that we can to protect people’s right to vote in the city of Flint.”
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Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
© 2013 MLive.com. All rights reserved. |
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Mon Nov 25, 2013 12:29 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Inez Brown refused to recently deal with an allegation of wrongdoing in the 5th ward because she stated the candidate was an "honorable person". The 5th Ward disagreed. She also was at an election site 4 years ago when it was allegedly pointed out to her that voters were being paid. I am told her response was there was "nothing she could do".
Irregularities at sites involving Mays goes back many years and Williamson had to send police to several north end precincts to control intimidation. Citizens are stating they have lost faith in the electoral process in Flint because of absentee ballot fraud. |
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Mon Nov 25, 2013 6:54 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Mon Nov 25, 2013 6:55 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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That link worked yesterday and was all over facebook. Only the video is showing today and these links worked for me. I entered the title as a search.
CNN took up our debate about the Flint Journal .... http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/11/24/rs-michigan-media-miss-the-mark.cnn.html
News about Michigan Media Miss The Mark
bing.com/news
Michigan media miss the mark
CNN · 1 day ago
Vincent Duffy & Richard Prince on the media's failure to report on the criminal history of a Mich. political candidate. If your browser has Adobe Flash Player…
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See also: More stories · Top stories
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Michigan media miss the mark – Reliable Sources - CNN.com …
reliablesources.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/24/michigan-media-miss-the-mark
Nov 24, 2013 · Michigan media miss the mark. Vincent Duffy & Richard Prince join guest host Eric Deggans on the media's failure to report on the criminal history of a ...
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Michigan media miss the mark - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vq5MyUIKgA
By CNN ·
5 min ·
418 views ·
Added Nov 24, 2013
Vincent Duffy & Richard Prince on the media's failure to report on the criminal history of a Mich. political candidate.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:07 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| The criticism was solidly against the Flint Journal for shoddy work. They cited the problem as one evolving with the reduction of staff in small market newspapers and also discussed bias in reporting. |
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Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:11 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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allDigitocracy ~ Technology, Media & Policy
Why The Flint Mich. Journalism Fail Was Journalistic Neglect
Friday
Nov 2013
Posted by aoscruggs in Diversity, Journalism, News, Newspapers
Tags
Flint City Council, journalism fail, Katheryn Blake, Marjory Raymer, The Flint Journal, Tom Sumner, Wantwaz Davis
When traditional media falls short in its responsibility to inform the public, a ritual invariably follows: Acknowledgement, apology and promise to improve.
The same old routines resume, however, after the rite– until the next breakdown.
That’s why I’m rolling my eyes at The Flint (Mich.) Journal. The paper failed to provide the most cursory of local election news coverage of a convicted murderer who ran and won a spot on the city council.
Wantwaz Davis will represent the city’s predominately African American fifth ward after beating the incumbent by 71 votes. Davis served 19 years for second-degree murder and was released on parole in 2010.
Although Davis had been open about his past throughout the campaign, the paper didn’t report about him until the day after the election. The story informed readers that Davis was one of two newly elected council members with a criminal record. On Nov. 8, the paper’s editor, Marjory Raymer, apologized to readers.
“We reported (Davis’ prison record) the same day we discovered it. However, we did not inform voters – the way we all wish we could have – of that information before they went to the polls on Tuesday,” she said. “We can’t change what is. What we can do is acknowledge we should have done better and pledge to you that we will do better.”
Raymer hasn’t responded to my request for an interview, but we see things differently. The newspaper’s failure is more than incompetence.
It’s neglect.
The Flint Journal’s debacle is just another journalism failure that minority communities have endured for years. Over and over we’ve seen minority coverage limited to spot news, usually short hits about crime or some other dysfunction. Longer stories are bound by a couple of narrative frames: Disadvantaged people overcoming obstacles; disadvantaged people overcome by obstacles.
Admittedly I’m viewing this situation from Cleveland, about 240 miles southeast of Flint, but my perspective isn’t shaped by location. It’s shaped by my experience as an African American news producer and consumer. The Journal’s transgression is part of a pattern that stretches past Flint to my town, which is served by the Journal’s sister newspaper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and beyond.
That kind of disdain adds a ring of insincerity to apologies like Raymer’s. Here’s why: The paper may not have known about Davis’ past, but voters did.
He told them, over and over, in interview after interview, and at forum after forum.
Local radio host Tom Sumner says he interviewed Davis, as well as other candidates, during the primary and the general election campaigns. According to Sumner, Davis played up his past.
“It was his narrative. It was ‘I turned my life around, so I could turn the city around. I could be a mentor to young people to keep them from making the mistakes I made,’” Sumner recounts.
Local activist, Kathryn Blake says Davis spoke at numerous events that The Flint Journal covered.
“The Flint Journal knew (about Davis’ background) before the election,” she says. “We had candidate forums here. The Flint Journal was there.”
So why did the newspaper fail to do its job? Jack Lessenberry, a prominent Michigan commentator blames drastic newsroom cuts.
“To save money, Advance Publications, the parent company of The Flint Journal, laid off more than a third of the staff four years ago,” he writes. “They cut home delivery to only three days, later four days a week.”
Sumner concedes that the paper’s staff is thin and inexperienced. But he thinks the paper made a news judgment that came back to bite them.
“I think they didn’t expect (Davis) to win. I don’t think they took him seriously enough as a candidate,” Sumner says.
I don’t think the paper took the community seriously enough to cover it correctly. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time; sad to say, it won’t be the last.
Guest blogger Afi Scruggs is a freelance digital journalist and commentator
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thoughts on “Why The Flint Mich. Journalism Fail Was Journalistic Neglect”
Tony Turner said:
November 25, 2013 at 5:23 pm
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This isn’t the first time a felon has been elected to office in Michigan, so I am bewildered as to why everyone is up in arms about Flints elected felons and NOONE grunted about the others that were elected statewide. PLUS the law gives Mr. Davis and other felons the right to be there..VOTERS, YES VOTER PASSED THE LAW IN 2010 THAT GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO BE THERE IN ELECTED OFFICE! Michigan voters approved a measure that bars individuals with certain felony records from holding elected office and dismissed a proposal to revise the state Constitution on yesterday’s ballot. The passage of Proposal 10-2 on 11-2-2010 resulted in a revision of the state Constitution that will bar individuals from running for an elected position or entering a public position if they have committed a certain crime in the last 20 years. According to the proposal, individuals are ineligible if they have been “convicted of a felony involving dishonesty, deceit, fraud, or a breach of the public trust … and the conviction was related to the person’s official capacity.” SO WHY NOW ALL THE COMPLAINING AND NOT THEN?
Reply
TMPunplugged Admin said:
November 25, 2013 at 5:30 pm
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Mr. Turner,
This blog entry is a criticism of the newspaper, not Mr. Davis, for failing to adequately report on the candidates in the city’s recent elections. While I understand the point you’re making, it does not address the issue(s) raised in this post. Thanks for commenting all the same. ~TMP
Reply
aoscruggs said:
November 25, 2013 at 5:43 pm
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Mr Turner, thanks for commenting. I’m not complaining about Mr. Davis. I’m complaining about the newspaper’s absolute failure to do its job. His background is newsworthy and that’s what makes this such a big story.
However, you’ve picked up on an assumption running through many commentaries: that voters wouldn’t have elected Davis had they known about his past.
I don’t share that view. I hope I made clear that voters knew about Davis’ past. He not only told them, a local talk show host explored the issue with Davis twice.
Since writing this column, I’ve talked to Mr. Davis. His story is so compelling, I’m even more astounded by the newspaper’s failure to cover him and the others correctly. Davis has become the example of poor reporting and journalism’s inadequacies when reporting on minorities. |
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Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:30 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint City Councilman Eric Mays jailed, accused of drunken driving and marijuana possession
Amanda Emery | aemery@mlive.com By Amanda Emery | aemery@mlive.com
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on November 30, 2013 at 12:26 PM, updated November 30, 2013 at 1:07 PM
FLINT, MI -- Flint City Councilman Eric Mays was arrested for alleged drunken driving and possession of marijuana on I-475 early Saturday morning.
Mays was elected to Flint City Council for the First Ward in November.
Flint Police Chief James Tolbert said Mays was arrested for operating while under the influence of alcohol, OUIL, possession of marijuana. According to a news release from Tolbert, Mays was also cited for no proof of insurance and failure to submit to fingerprinting.
Flint police were dispatched to southbound I-475 north of Carpenter Road in reference to a car with four flat tires around 2:51 a.m on Nov. 30.
Upon their arrival officers were met by Genesee Township officers who were already at the scene.
Police said the vehicle involved had been traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-475 on four flat tires. Mays was trying to change a flat when police found him, Tolbert said.
Mays is currently lodged in the Flint City Lockup pending arraignment. An arraignment time has not been set.
This isn't Mays' first run in with the law. The First Ward councilman pleaded guilty to felonious assault in 1987 and served a year of probation. Mays said the man had been threatening his life before Mays threatened him with a gun.
Amanda Emery is a police reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact her at aemery@mlive.com or 810-285-0792. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. |
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Sat Nov 30, 2013 1:32 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| If Mays survives the recount, he can be recalled in 5 months. (six months after his election) |
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Sat Nov 30, 2013 1:56 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
untanglingwebs schreef:
If Mays survives the recount, he can be recalled in 5 months. (six months after his election)
On what grounds? |
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Sat Nov 30, 2013 2:19 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| The reason only needs to be clear and understandable. Look at previous recalls. The allegations don't even need to be true. |
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Sat Nov 30, 2013 2:33 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Michigan's Recall Election Law - Citizens Research Council of ...
www.crcmich.org/PUBLICAT/2010s/2012/rpt379.pdf · PDF file
Michigan’s Recall Election Law June 2012 Report 379 CELEBRATING 96 YEARS OF INDEPENDENT, NONPARTISAN PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH IN MICHIGAN … |
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Sat Nov 30, 2013 2:37 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Latest bit of gossip says Mays has been hitting the race track at Sports Creek where people keep buying him drinks.
Rumor is he was at a club and had a single car accident on the way home. I can't wait to hear if he really told the Genesee Township cops they should send hi home in a limousine. They couldn't wait to pass him over to the Flint cops. Will Peter Bade handle this case personally? |
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Sat Nov 30, 2013 4:30 pm |
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