I
know, I know – I wrote this morning that it was time for a truce in the Flint
water wars. But what the former mayor said on national TV this morning is so hypocritical and disingenuous that he must be called out.
*****
Former
Flint mayor Dayne Walling, who had spent much of the past two years as a
cheerleader for Flint River tap water, went on CNN this morning and had the
audacity to claim he was routinely misled into believing that the city's drinking water was safe.
Here’s
what the ex-mayor told CNN’s Chris Cuomo:
“...Let’s
be clear, there was a bait and switch with all of us here in Flint. We had a state-appointed emergency manager by
Gov. Snyder come in and take control of the city in December 2011.
“And
after city council and I expressed support for a new water supply from Lake
Huron, the emergency manager went behind closed doors with the Department of
Environmental Quality and decided to use the Flint River as an interim source,
made the budget changes and put that in place.”
Bait
and switch? Behind closed doors?
Walling
surely knows that the prospect of transitioning city water from the Detroit
system to the Flint River was in the discussion stages 10 months prior to the
switch. After all, a story about the discussions appeared on the front page of The Flint Journal.
The
so-called bait and switch that Walling put at the feet of former emergency
manager Darnell Earley on CNN marks a rather dramatic turnaround from April 25, 2014,
the day that the tap water conversion occurred.
At
a ceremony, Walling, Earley and other city and state officials raised their glasses – filled with treated river water – in a toast to the new water system.
In this April 2014 MLive photo, city and state officials toast the new Flint water system with glasses of treated river water. |
“Water
is an absolute vital service that most everyone takes for granted,” Walling
said at the time. “It’s a historic moment for the city of Flint to return to
its roots and use our own river as our drinking water supply.”
Earley
added: “This is indeed the best choice for the city of Flint going forward.” Apparently
all on hand heartily agreed.
“There
have been a lot of questions from our customers because this is such a major
change,” the mayor added. “When the treated river water starts being pumped
into the system, we move from plan to reality. The water quality speaks for
itself.”
Here
are a few more examples (courtesy of MLive) of the 2014-15 version of Dayne Walling vs. the
Walling of 2016 -- ousted by voters in the fall, and now playing CYA politics to
take the heat off of his wrong-headed policies of the past:
* June
2014 – Three months after the temporary conversion to Flint River water, Earley turned
over control of the city Department of Public Works, which oversees drinking water operations, to the mayor. Walling said his priorities for the DPW were reduction
of water losses through better maintenance and addressing "the neglect of
our street trees."
* April
2015 – After city residents receive mandated notices in the mail warning that
the city waterworks was out of compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water
Act, Walling started a campaign in defense of the river water that lasted through
the November city election. "(My) family and I drink and use the Flint
water every day, at home, work, and schools," he assured the public.
* August
2015 – Walling accepted petitions with 26,000 online signatures calling for the end of
Flint River drinking water, but the mayor said he remained opposed to returning
to Detroit water. "I have not supported going back
to Detroit," Walling said after representatives of three groups handed
in the petitions. "I agree that water is a basic human right," he said
in a prepared statement. "Flint residents deserve water that is 100
percent safe, secure and affordable. The problems from 2014 are being addressed. We already pushed the button on the new carbon filters, and they are
working."
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Watch what main stream media won't show you. Former Mayor Walling admits he knew in 2011 that phosphates should have been added to Flint River Water. Arthur Woodson gave the Flint Water Study July 2011 report to Councilman Eric Mays & as mainstream media & Leroy Jackson had cameras rolling Walling admits it. See this report in my photos. Thank you Arthur, Eric & Leroy and so many others for standing up for JUSTICE
ReplyDeleteEric Mays
#itwillcomeout
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=IVp3ccfBUME
It needs to be fixed period. Heads need to roll asses need to be in prison. Programs need to be established to take care of these people. Representatives that voted for this change need to be held accountable. I support the people of flint. From Texas I'll be driving up to help because these people need all the help they can get.
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