Flint’s chief strategy officer takes aim at city council’s ‘persistent dysfunction’

Flint, Mi – The Chief Technique Officer of Flint took an opportunity within the Flint Metropolis Council for her cussed political stalemate and stayed throughout a committee assembly this week.

A day later, Seamus Bannon took a second swing in a crucial letter he wrote to the council – an uncommon relocation of officers who labored within the administration of Mayor Sheldon Neeley.

Bannon gave the letter to Mlive-the Flint Journal and different media.

In it he accused councilors of putting “private hostility and inner disputes” earlier than “the pressing work of presidency”, metropolis staff to “endure this lengthy -term and unproductive (conferences) in silence”, whereas the progress of town is being taken by these inner conflicts. “

The letter to the council got here after Bannon had spent nearly an hour on Wednesday 21 Might, argued for the proposed Summer time Jobs program Van Neeley, an initiative that the mayor first proposed in March.

Throughout the assembly, the Chief Technique Officer heard council members appearing accusations of guidelines and questioning the motivations and truthfulness of their colleagues. He noticed two public members eliminated for disorderly conduct.

“That is all about getting youth jobs for the summer season,” mentioned Bannon through the assembly. “We need to do our work. We do not need to sit right here and take heed to this nonsense.”

The job program remained entangled within the council’s monetary committee after the customarily hostile dialogue on Wednesday.

“It has develop into essential to publicly tackle the persevering with dysfunction and systemic points that severely hinder the current municipal council procedures that severely hinder our capability to guide important metropolis actions and to undermine our collective progress,” Bannon wrote in his letter.

“The challenges with which town of Flint is confronted are vital and our municipal workers works tirelessly to sort out them …”, Bannon wrote. “Nevertheless, the constant operational obstacles from town council will not be solely obstacles; they escalate in insurmountable obstacles that forestall crucial work from making progress.”

“I urge you to guage your conduct in conferences and to pay attention distinctive on the substantive work for which you’ve been chosen, in order that the important metropolis actions can lastly proceed with out obstruction,” the letter reads partially.

Council President Ladel Lewis didn’t instantly reply to a request for feedback from the journal on Friday 23 Might.

Lewis continued to chair the council conferences in 2025 as a result of the members of the council haven’t agreed to new management regardless of lots of of voting rounds.

The Council has additionally did not appoint a brief -term alternative for the deceased former councilor Quinhy Murphy, on account of which the third district of town was left with out illustration within the city corridor.

Regardless of a requirement from the Stadscharter that the council fulfills such vacancies inside 30 days, members haven’t been in a position to agree the settlement within the brief time period for nearly eight months.

Neeley and supporters of the job program have mentioned that it could stay a most of 100 kids aged 15-19 and acquire six weeks of precious work expertise this summer season.

4 councilors who’ve typically supported the mayor-Lewis, Leon El-Alamin (Ward 1), Judy Priestley (Ward 4) and Candice Mushatt (Ward 7)-supported the $ 220,000 venture, which might be paid with federal stimulusdollars.

4 councilors who’re at odds with the priorities of the Burgemeester-Jerri Winfrey-Carter (Ward 5), Tonya Burns (Ward 6), Dennis Pfeiffer (Ward 8) and Jonathan Jarrett (Ward 9)-have questioned the shortage of element that they’ve offered.

In distinction to a summer season job program that employed 77 younger folks final 12 months, the proposal didn’t point out this 12 months which organizations will work as employers and which group shall be paid to behave as a fiduciary.

Pfeiffer mentioned on Wednesday that with out that info there aren’t any ensures that the organizations is not going to be political allies of the mayor.

Neeley has been crucial of dysfunction within the council usually and particularly concerning the failure to approve the job program, which he says it has a powerful assist from residents.

“In every single place I am going, in every single place I communicate … They’re 100% behind this,” he mentioned earlier this week. “Why we might have some members of the Council (WHO) wouldn’t assist this initiative when the neighborhood does that, it’s onerous to grasp.”

Bannon will not be the primary metropolis officer who pronounced his frustration after working with the council.

In 2022 Boycotte Robert Widigan, the previous Chief Monetary Officer of Flint, and mentioned that they had develop into a “waste of time and power” and had subjected him and others to bullying and intimidation.