Flint
Voters OK 1st review of city charter in 40 yrs.
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Flint voters have approved a measure calling for a review of the city’s charter for the first time in 40 years, a move that could lead to changes in the way the city is governed.
Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election showed that more than 56 percent of voters approved Flint’s Proposal 1, The Flint Journal reported. The measure triggers a review that will start with the February election of a nine-member charter review commission.
Voters also approved two other proposals that would make specific changes to the city charter and voted down three others. Mayor Dayne Walling, who had urged voters to approve all six questions, said voters “showed they are willing to have a conversation about the city’s governance.”
He said: “I see it as part of Flint’s transformation to a 21st century city.”
Several City Council members spoke out against the proposals, and the Flint branch of the NAACP and former mayors Woodrow Stanley and Don Willamson also suggested voters should reject them. First Ward Councilman Eric Mays, who opposed the proposals, said he will turn his attention to backing strong candidates for the charter review commission.
“I will be trying to find nine people who will really study and understand the charter and take their time” Mays said.
A state-appointed emergency manager currently is in place in Flint. The approval of Flint’s Proposal 1 opens the door for the potential for a switch from the city’s current strong mayor form of government. It also could lead to a change in the size of city council and the system for electing members.
Voters would have the final say in a referendum election over any changes proposed by the commission. The commission has up to three years to revise the charter, and the document — with or without revisions — can be put to a vote up to three times.
Among the other proposals before Flint voters on Tuesday, ones to reduce the number of mayoral staff appointments and add a charter amendment to require budgetary best practices were approved. Rejected ones included eliminating the Civil Service Commission.
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor-area voters reject merger of schools
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Ann Arbor-area voters have rejected a proposal to merge the city’s public schools with the Whitmore Lake school district.
The Ann Arbor News reports precincts with voters for Ann Arbor Public Schools had about 57 percent of voters saying no to the proposal. In the Whitmore Lake Public Schools district, more than 70 percent of voters supported the proposed merger.
The measure had to pass in both areas in order for annexation to go forward.
The proposal called for bringing the about 950-student Whitmore Lake district into the 17,000-student Ann Arbor district. Jim Vibbart, the Whitmore Lake school board vice president, says “all is not lost” and officials plan to regroup to look at the district’s future.
Whitmore Lake faces challenges including declining enrollment and revenue.
Grand Rapids
Voters approves term limits; mayor affected
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Voters in Grand Rapids have approved term limits for some city officials, affecting the city’s long-serving mayor and others.
The Grand Rapids Press reports that under a revised charter approved Tuesday no one can serve as mayor or city commissioner for more than eight years.
George Heartwell already has been mayor for 11 years. Under the measure, commissioners Elias Lumpkins and Walt Gutowski will be bounced from office after 2015 while Rosalynn Bliss and Dave Shaffer would be out of office at the end of 2017.
Heartwell was elected mayor three times and was in position to seek a fourth term next year. The change means, however, he’s out at the end of 2015.
Heartwell says he’ll be “happy and honored to have served this city for 12 years.”
Berkley
Six communities OK marijuana, 5 reject measures
BERKLEY, Mich. (AP) — Voters in six Michigan communities have passed marijuana decriminalization measures, while those in five others have rejected similar proposals.
Eleven Michigan communities had marijuana proposals on the ballot Tuesday.
Unofficial results show the measures passing in Berkley, Huntington Woods, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant Ridge, Port Huron and Saginaw.
Voters defeated marijuana measures in Clare, Frankfort, Harrison, Lapeer and Onaway.
Voters in Hazel Park and Oak Park passed measures in August. Voters in Ferndale, Jackson and Lansing approved decriminalization proposals last year.
The decriminalization measures put the communities in potential conflict with state law. Michigan bans marijuana use and possession unless it’s medical marijuana.
Flint
Hospital case over race-based care request settled
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan hospital has agreed to pay $65,000 to settle a lawsuit from a fourth black nurse following an accusation that it agreed to a man’s request that no black nurses care for his newborn
Attorney Tom Pabst on Tuesday confirmed to The Flint Journal that his client, Carlotta Armstrong, finalized the settlement with Hurley Medical Center in Flint. Pabst says the settlement points to an ongoing problem of racial discrimination at the hospital.
The hospital, however, denies any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Spokeswoman Ilene Cantor says the hospital had been prepared for trial and “is committed to taking care of all patients without regard to race and continues its commitment to non-discrimination.”
Another suit including three nurses was settled in 2013 for nearly $200,000.
Muskegon Heights
Chief irked after reported gunshot wound is callus
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — A police chief in western Michigan says he wants to know why a woman with only a callus on her foot ended up reporting it as a possible gunshot wound.
Muskegon Heights Police Chief Lynne Gill told The Muskegon Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1ogC1Mj ) the woman’s story didn’t add up — and the result was a waste of police resources. He said it also was a waste of time and resources for the hospital where she was examined.
The 21-year-old woman from Fremont told police she was at an intersection late Saturday when she heard gunfire and immediately felt a burning sensation on her foot. She told police she went right to the hospital, where the callus was found instead.
“Once she got to the hospital for the gunshot wound, the hospital staff said there was no gunshot wound,” Gill said. “There was no bullet hole in her boots or even broken skin or any concern she had been injured. It was a callus on the heel of the foot.”
Gill said he plans to send the police report to the prosecutor’s office for review. The woman could be charged with filing a false police report, which depending on the circumstances could be a felony or a misdemeanor charge. Her name wasn’t released.
