flint city council

44% of the ballots cast in Tuesday’s Flint City Council election were for write-in candidates — more votes than for either of the two candidates named on the ballot.

Ten days ago, a scuffle between Flint police and residents protesting the city budget proposal brought an abrupt end to a city council meeting.

The Vehicle City has been dealing with unrest tied to its proposed city budget. Last week, a scuffle broke out between around 20 law enforcement officers and dozens of protesters, angry about the budget and city police shutting down a street protest the day before.

The allegations are related to the Flint Police Department’s response to a protest march on Sunday and a melee during Monday’s city council meeting.

Protesters and Flint police scuffled at the end of the council meeting, amid growing anger among activists over the department's shutting down a protest the day before.

The October 14 Flint city council meeting ended when a person in the audience allegedly brandished a weapon during an argument.

The council fell one vote short of passing the $60.9 million spending plan for the next fiscal year last week. Some council members say the budget numbers don’t add up and they want additional information from the mayor’s office.

Eric Mays himself was no stranger to the inside of a courtroom, either as a plaintiff or a defendant during his decade on the Flint city council.

Mays died of natural causes Saturday. He was a plaintiff in several state and federal lawsuits against the city of Flint.

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, often a target of Mays’ criticism, called his death ”a tremendous loss.”