Flint Ex-mayor named distressed city's emergency manager

By Tim Martin Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Flint on Tuesday became the fourth Michigan city to receive a state-appointed emergency manager. Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Michael Brown, an ex-acting mayor of Flint, to be the city's emergency manager. Brown will have broad authority to make changes in the financially troubled city, including the power to oversee city government and toss out union contracts in some situations. A revised state law approved this year expands the powers of state-appointed emergency managers. A state review team decided earlier this month that a financial emergency exists in Flint, a city of about 102,000 that has long had economic problems. Michigan already has emergency managers in place in the cities of Benton Harbor, Ecorse and Pontiac. An emergency manager also runs the Detroit public school system. Brown was acting Flint mayor for six months in 2009. He's president of the Prima Civitas Foundation, a non-profit, community and economic development agency, and director of the Flint Area Reinvestment Office. Snyder said in statement that Brown, born and raised in Flint, has a "strong track record of serving the Flint-area community." The Flint state-appointed review team's report found that city officials had transferred funds from the water department to shore up city finances, even though the water department had an estimated $9 million deficit this year. It also found that the general fund borrowed money last year from funds set aside for sewage disposal, local streets, public improvements and self-insurance, and needed to borrow $8 million recently through bonds to deal with cash flow shortfalls. Some groups, including Democrats, have said policies passed by Snyder and the Republican-led Legislature have made financial problems worse in many Michigan cities. The state's 2011-12 budget reduces revenue sharing given to local governments. Flint Mayor Dayne Walling issued a statement saying he looks forward to working with Brown to address the community's priorities and secure the city's financial stability. Brown said he looked forward to working with Flint's elected officials. "This is my hometown, so this is a personal task," Brown said in a statement. "With the available tools, I am optimistic we can work cooperatively to restore fiscal stability to Flint." Published: Thu, Dec 1, 2011