I assume most everyone reading this from MI knows just how horrible things have gotten in Flint for the past 18+ months, because of the malfeasance committed by the Emergency Manager in deciding to draw the city's water from the massively polluted Flint River. (If you don't, I refer you to a diary I posted in July of this year, summarizing developments up to that point. They did get worse after that. Here the Flint Journal/MLive has posted a slide show with captions providing a timeline of actions, though some of their representation of the politics involved may be questionable.)
Now, Flint residents are back on the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's system, at least for the next nine months/until their own intake from Lake Huron is completed. And pressure is now being brought to bear on Dan Wyant, the director of the MI DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) to resign--although as I understand it, he is still in that position.
However, many problems and issues remain to be addressed. To start, now the state of MI is attempting to push blame onto the administration of the City of Flint--conveniently forgetting that the city had been under the thumb of an Emergency Manager for some time before and after the relevant decisions were made. The Editorial Board of the Flint Journal has expressed their dissatisfaction with that approach here: "State, Emergency Managers Can't Escape Blame for Flint Water Switch."
At the end of the day, it was Earley and the other three emergency managers selected by Gov. Rick Snyder who had ultimate say in how the city got its drinking water. A June 2013 resolution signed by Emergency Manager Ed Kurtz is the only documentation we've seen that points to who made the decision to switch to the Flint River....Sara Wurfel, a spokeswoman for Snyder, said in a statement last week that the decision to use the Flint River "was pushed or supported by the city and community."
It's nonsense to shift the blame onto powerless local people. The city council voted in March to end use of the Flint River, but it was purely symbolic. The state-appointed emergency manager was still at the helm of the city and the council had no authority.
To put the responsibility for the change on the back of a community forcibly taken over by the state is yet another insult from Lansing.
At a time when Flint parents are left to wonder how much lead damage has been done to their children, it's outrageous for anyone to shirk responsibility in the decisions that were made.
It's time for the blame game to end.
The state and its emergency managers are ultimately responsible for the decision and they must own it.
No serious discussion yet about how to help people cope with the potential for major, long-term health issues, including lead poisoning of young children.There's something else that is alarming about the water situation in SE Michigan: the undermining of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department with the rationale of "cost-cutting."
I'm excerpting here a recent post by Shea Howellat the D-REM (Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management) site. Howell is deeply involved in and knowledgeable about the fight to defend Detroit's public resources; I encourage you to follow the link to read the rest.
Clean, safe water from Detroit is no longer guaranteed. Those responsible for ensuring water quality have proven themselves incompetent and uncaring.Gary Brown is now guiding the restructuring of the water facilities. This should concern all of us. Mr. Brown has absolutely no experience in running a water department. ...
Emergency manager Kevyn Orr plucked Mr. Brown from the City Council to oversee the downsizing of city government. ...
Most of his work as chief compliance officer was outside of public view until one hot July day in 2014. As temperatures soared into the 90s downtown Detroit experienced a major power outage. The downtown grid stopped. People were trapped in elevators. Buildings were evacuated. The courthouse, on high alert after the escape of a prisoner earlier in the week, was among the buildings affected. It turned out that the disruption was intentional. Gary Brown wanted to “send a strong message” about conservation. So he turned off the electric grid. [emphasis added]
To send a message??The ranks of the water safety experts, the engineers and chemists and other technicians, are being reduced by 40%. This is exactly the kind of penny-wise and pound-foolish decision that led to Flint's water catastrophe: placing austerity above the public welfare.
For an archive of all Flint Journal coverage of the issue, see this link. More posts on the topic can also be found at the Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management blog, and at the Michigan Democracy Watch blog sponsored by the ACLU of MI and run by Curt Guyette.
One more announcement to make tonight: The Train-to-Win program sponsored by the Ann Arbor Dems, the Washtenaw County Dems, and others, will take place on Nov. 7-8th in Ann Arbor.
Join Professional Campaign Training Faculty Saturday & Sunday, November 7-8, 2015 8 AM to 5 PM both days The Train To Win Political Candidate & Campaign Manager Training WeekendAt the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center, 4135 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Cost is $50 to help cover breakfast, lunch, & snack expenses for participants both days. Class size limited to 50 participants to ensure individualized attention for attendees & quality mentor support. Scholarships Available - Progressives Preferred - Sponsors Welcome
Register at secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/campmillie or apply for a scholarship at www.annarbordems.org/train-to-win or on Facebook search: Train To Win Political Boot Camp
Hope to see you there! It is NOT limited to Washtenaw County residents. Please help us build this weekly Michigan thread so that it includes any information relevant to turning MI Blue again that you would like me to highlight. MI contributors are always welcome! You can reach me through kosmail at peregrine kate. Or say hi through email here: peregrinekate@gmail.com And please follow me on Twitter @peregrinekate