Recent Opinion Columns by Mike Killbreath

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Okay, okay, okay.

We will  soon start making making more podcasts of my popular morning rants on The Morning Gazettte Radio Show.

My team at CCN has produced a new page you can find from the drop-down menu on every page. It's called "CCN Podcast Replays" and by March 1st, we intend to have podcasts of my best clips on recent shows.

We already post podcasts of each show  for 24 hours on the front page of this online newspaper but they will now be moved to the new "CCN Podcast Replays"  page.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This past fall marked his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2026

The latest saga in the case of Flint's embattled 1st Ward city councilman took another strange turn in a Genesee County Circuit Court room last week.

 Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Khary Hanible granted permission for Leon El-Alamin to move to a new ward.

He had allowed him to return to a Mt. Morris Township address on Dec. 22. He had not been allowed there since the "incident" happened.

You know, the one where Leon "allegedly" beat up a now ex-girlfriend in the house she told police they shared together.

It seems that house has had a few fires. Three of them to be exact, according to the Mt. Morris Township Fire Department in recent weeks.

Now, the judge says Leon can move to an address in Flint's 3rd Ward.

And Leon immediately went on social media to announce he's running for re-election to the council but in that new ward. In fact, he indeed promptly registered with City Clerk Davina Donahue to run in the 3rd Ward.

Or maybe he filed for office first, then asked the judge to move.

It's Flint. You would need to check such technical stuff such as that.

But let's clarrify some other facts. Leon is currently representing residents in Flint's 1st ward and he told Judge Hanible in late December that he lived at a Mott Street address, yet he was registered to a tether in the 6th Ward while awaiting a March 11 trial on misdemeanor domestic violence and a felony count for assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder by strangulation.

The criminal jam is because he allegedly beat up his now ex-girlfriend. She was hospitalized from the incident where a Mt. Morris Township police report says the former Lion Wilson lived with her.

On and off again for 10 years, she later said.

Always, never in Flint where he served on the Flint City Council, she said. She even went so far as to say so on a social media post to let the whole world know my Morning Gazette Radio Show police report to State Police was accurate way back in the summer of 2024 when we complained that Leon lived in the Mt. Morris Township home where the alleged beating took place.

That's also the address Leon used on multiple court filings for evictions and personal protection orders he filed against people.

It's a lucky address where he has been able to get away with serving on the Flint council after signing under penalty of perjury that he lived somewhere else to get his name on the ballot.

I guess he thought it was okay because he had a City of Flint garbage can in front of his house with the Mayor's name emblazoned on the side of it.

I'd classify that can as "stolen" property from the City of Flint. But hey, the guy has enough charges already stacked up against him.

Nobody is even bothering to investigate how Leon broke state law and the Flint City Charter will all these shenanigans with his fake addresses.

Forget too how he steered city tax dollars to his own non-profit organization, or would that be federal tax money since a very small minority of tax dollars are used to run Flint that actually come from Flint residents who mostly don't pay taxes or work? More than half of them actually, if you wan statistics on that fact!

6th Ward City Councilwoman Tonya Burns puts the count at well over a million dollars in grants that have gone to Leon since he became a city councilman when Eric Mays passed away in early 2024.

Well over a cool million to add a key fifth vote for Mayor Sheldon Neeley to spend almost $100 million in federal ARPA money that Coucilwoman Burns said mostly didn't go to help any residents. He moved money by a slim 5-4 vote.

One media report by ABC TV 12 made mention of Judge Hanible's recent decision to let Leon move. A note in the story said he had to give up his 1st Ward council seat to that.

Talk about uninformed. TV 12 folks actually think they do what the Flint City Charter says?

I called Councilwoman Tonya to check on it.

Did Leon resign? She says, "Nope."

Wrong TV 12.

This is Flint.

The Flint City Charter indeed says that city council members must continue their proper Ward residency throughout their term, and that failure to maintain this residency results in vacancy or termination of office.  

But it also says candidates for city council must be a "registered elector and resident of their ward for one year prior to the filing deadline" so there's that fact that's being ignored by Clerk Davina.

Or maybe she can't comprehend the charter. Or maybe she can't read?

After all, twice toward the end of last year, Michigan's Supreme Court came down with rulings against her decisions I questioned as clearly illegal. I said so when she allowed incorrect, illegal decisions to stand. One was challenged in court by he late Councilman Mays. Another was challenged in court by the state GOP.

Both times Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Chris Christensen said she acted correctly. An appeals court agreed both times.

Then the State Supreme Court voted unanimously that Clerk Davina and Judge Christensen didn't know what they were doing.

Prosecutor David Leyton has enough charges to put Leon away for life so I guess he doesn't feel the need to pile on any more charges?

You know, more deserving felony counts like perjury or swiping our tax dollars or lying about his address.

But Leyton tacked on a charge as it is for habitual offender fourth offense.

That can add up to a life sentence for the fella who went to prison as Leon Wilson shortly after high school on weapons and drug charges.

So can anybody explain to me why he's walking our streets right now, out free on bail if he's facing a possible life rap?

Judge Hanible, are you seriously trying to make us believe he's safe to be on our streets until a jury convicts him on something else?

Prosecutor Leyton has a prison cell reserved for him. I'm told they already have his old striped shirt number set aside for Leon.

i suggest Judge Hanible get fitted for a new prison jumpsuit if Leon hurts anybody else in the meantime as Leon Wilson or Leon El-Alamin.

Leon wanted his tether taken off late last month because his lawyer says it was making it difficult for his client to earn a living.

I guess that threw a curve ball at the judge. Instead of thinking about turning his bond into "no bond" as is warranted when facing the prospects of life if convicted — Judge Hanible said absolutely not to Leon being freed of the tether.

Remember, this guy was on the run when the warrant was announced for the alleged beating. Has anyone checked his city cell phone and GPS device to see who was helping hide him out back then last summer? What if it was another elected official?

That might make national news.

The same way it will if Leon hurts anybody else while he's out free to walk the streets until his tether curfew goes off.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This past fall marked his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

This Week's Featured Column

Recent Editor's Notebook Columns

----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This past fall marked his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

Tonya Burns, Flint's 6th Ward City Councilwoman, is a frequent subject of my e-mail, comments on Messenger, texts and phone calls to our Hot Line.

She gets a lot of negative attention for her spirited, and sometimes lengthy, rants on social media or from her seat on the city council.

Some suggest that maybe she could be more effective if she toned it down a bit.

Or shortened it a lot.

But for the first time during my current holiday vacation from broadcasting via our Metro Flint News/Talk Radio signal, I really wanted to hand out my bouquet of roses for spreading a little Metro Flint pride. They would be going out today to Councilwoman Burns for her compassionate and Christian approach to the sad saga earlier today of a Flint police officer being discovered sleeping in the back seat of a vehicle outside Discount Tire on Pierson Road.

A video went viral on social media of three Mt. Morris Township police officers waking up the young Flint officer as he climbed out of the back seat. Rumors are flying. I will await the police report.

The hundreds of comments on social media declared him sleeping off a drunken night of Christmas night celebration. The fact he was in full uniform when climbing out of the vehicle doesn't bode well for his future employment at the Flint Police Department.

He appeared to be dipping a bit too much into Santa's leftover eggnog. 

But like just mentioned, I'm awaiting the police report.

My first thought is that if he indeed began drinking  after off duty, he did the right thing by sleeping if off in the back seat of a vehicle instead of getting behind the wheel to drive. Uniform or not.

Critics would be quick to say he should not have been drinking while in uniform  —  off duty or not.

But what if he was depressed from seeing another night of violence on the streets of Flint?

What if he was sad over missing a Christmas celebration with family or friends because of his job protecting and serving city residents from the bad guys?

Yeah, if you laughed at the video and are not feeling a bit ashamed right now after pondering that thought, read what Councilwoman Burns posted on her Facebook page. I'd call it a  dose of compassion. I like the Christian slant to her message. We need more public servants who think like she does. Here was her comment:

"The viral clip of the Flint Police Officer in the back of a vehicle for what appeared to be in an altered state was a difficult watch for me. What we didn’t see was that he took an oath to the City of Flint at a young age to protect and serve. He chose a career that people only call when it’s a problem they can’t solve or there is an immediate threat of danger and violence. What he may of not been prepared for was that some of his colleagues weren’t as strong as him and suffered in silence choosing other coping skills that would end their pain. What everyone won’t say is that during 2024 “TEN CHILDREN WERE SHOT IN FLINT” some were fatal…..what you won’t hear in the news was the Flint had “22 people shot and some fatal August 1-3, 2025” what we don’t have is the number of homicides he’s been dispatched to and knew the victims…..what we do know is that every Flint Police Officer will be called to a likely overdose with an unresponsive person everyday they come to work as Flint struggles with the opioid and drug crisis. What you won’t hear is that Flint Police Officers are the most underpaid in the county….. and most overworked…..what you won’t hear is that Flint Officers are dispatched 20-29 calls per shift as compared to neighboring municipalities 3-6 per shift. Flint isn’t for the faint of heart…….and we lose officers because of pay and burnout at an alarming faster rate. We hear gunshots more than we hear children playing outside. I’m not condoning or condemning his actions but as God gives us grace we should give it to others. Now there are some officers who have had questionable behavior and I didn’t defend them or their actions. This young man is worthy of giving grace and support. I’m sure in his short time he’s been on the Police Department that he had no clue as to what he would be exposed to.  We have had Police and Firefighters commit suicide which is why I always inquire “How is morale to the Flint Police Chief and Fire Chief”. Flint has the reputation of wearing a person down. That’s why it’s important that we check on each other especially during the holidays.  Facts: Youth and Young Adults: Suicide rates among Black youth have risen faster than any other racial/ethnic group in the past two decades. From 2018-2023, significant increases occurred among Black persons aged 10-24 (29.4%), 25-44 (29.2%), and 45-64 years (17.4%). Let’s Pray for this young Police Officer and others on the Police Department and Fire Department as they’re working under strenuous conditions and circumstances." 

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

Checking my Editor's Notebook for my last-minute Christmas shopping list. I got it to the elves just in time before they finished loading up Rudolph's sleight at the North Pole before take-off to make sure Santa Claus delivered presents around the world in time for Christmas morning. Here was my list for this year's gifts:

CHAD YOUNG: A resume for long-time Mundy Township Manager Chad Young. My guess is he will need a new job in 2026 when this recall plan against Mundy Township Supervisor Jennifer Arrand Stainton fails miserably. I'm not saying he had anything to do with filing paperwork to put Stainton's head on the chopping block, so to speak. Seven sets of proposed language to go on the ballot were rejected. That doesn't sound like the work of this well spoken man with excellent writing skills.

STAINTON: She already got her Christmas present. The idiotic recall language filed (and rejected as not clear and concise) proved exactly what she's been saying about her political enemies. They just plain don't like the first Republican elected Supervisor in their township since 1919. But she has been listening to concerns of residents and fighting to oppose an advanced manufacturing plant going into the Mega Site. She won by a landslide at the ballot box and this failed recall attempt has energized residents who gave her strong support despite being in opposite parties. She has made not secret about going after fellow board members who oppose her with a recall of her own. Nice of her to wait until they had a nice Christmas season.

TED HENRY: Another job for the Clayton Township Supervisor who is also his community's Building Inspector and Coe Enforcement Official. He's also the Building Inspector in Lennon.

DAN CAMPBELL: A kicking tee if the Detroit Lions need a field goal in today's Christmas Day game in Minnesota.

TOM ANNESE: A Division 1 coaching job at a big time university. 

WADE MANUEL: Maybe hire Annese to lead Michigan's football program. He hasn't had a losing team since his first year of coaching at Montrose High School 39 years ago. After six straight undefeated season with the Rams, he moved to the west side of the state and won three state championships in a row. Then he won two junior college national championships in three years before taking the Ferris State Bulldogs job. Seven GLIAC titles later, his Bulldogs own four of the last five national championships in D-2.

DELRICO LLOYD: A campaign manager to run for Mayor of Flint. As I see it, he's the only hope for saving Genesee County's largest city. He has been breath of fresh air as Chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners. 

DAVE ROBERTSON: Session with an attorney who is an expert in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) law. Trying to charge a Holly woman more than $R100,000 to see public records that should be posted online? I'd suggest sending out the guys in white coats to shuffle him into a mental institution for testing on his political sanity. Or maybe he wants to end his long political career. I hereby apologize to all the folks who sent me nasty texts, e-mails and comments on Messenger about being mad at me for endorsing this guy for Grand Blanc Township Clerk. If election day was tomorrow, I'd bet he would lose by a landslide.

A "FORMER" GRAND BLANC FAN: I will keep your name anonymous but to the nice lady with the lengthy letter blaming my endorsement column for her decision to vote for Dave Robertson, an extra sincere apology to go with the apology gift cited above. She fumed: "You said our community could benefit from a former county commissioner, long-time state legislator and State Senator who cared enough to continue helping his community. What's he hiding? Over $100,00 for a FOIA? I don't even need an investigation. Throw his butt in prison and never let him out for whatever he's hiding. I've been reading your stuff and listening to your radio show for years Mike. You failed me."

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This past fall marked his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025

Mundy Township Supervisor Jennifer Arrand Stainton gets my award for "most hated" politician for 2025 in the Metro Flint regional area by her fellow board or council members in local government settings.

She even once said on my radio show "they don't like me and I don't like them" about her enemies taking part in Mundy Township's nasty politics.

Stainton is on record saying Township Manager Chad Young and Township Attorney Chad Belzer should be fired. Fellow board members have called Stainton names and once held a special meeting to try and make her go away because she spoke at a Flint City Council meeting.

Stainton won the November 2024 election by a landslide with a one-issue campaign that residents strongly supported — No Mega Site! Her stance against Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her fellow Democrats forking over $259 million of our state tax dollars for a proposed advanced manufacturing site in her township has met strong opposition from Republican Stainton.

She became the first Republican elected as Supervisor in Mundy Township since 1919.

That's a good place to enter the name of 

 Karen Jernigan.

She's a Mundy Township resident who doesn't like Stainton.

Jernigan went to the podium a few times in Mundy Township to share public comment and accused Yours Truly of not knowing what I'm talking about, insisting she read in a local history book that other Republicans have been elected Township Supervisor since 1912.  While she read it in a local history book, my facts spewed on my radio show about the subject came from a much better source —  Domonique Clemons, keeper of the county election records as Genesee County Clerk.

Now, Jernigan has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that puts her in the running for dumbest stunt of 2025 in local politics.

Stainton explained, "I said at the last meeting that I was gonna write a letter to the County Prosecutor, State Attorney General and U.S. Attorney about how our Township Attorney (Belzer) let a member of the planning commission vote on an issue for the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance to cut down trees at the Mega Site. She filed a FOIA because she wants to see that letter. Chad Young asked e for it and I told him I can't turn over what's still in my head."

Grand Blanc Township officials wanted more than $100,000 to deliver a Holly freelancer's recent FOIA request. I wonder what Mundy Township Manager Chad Young will charge for figuring out what Jennifer Stainton is thinking?

But nah, that's not the winner as dumbest stunt of the year. Maybe AI can examine Stainton's noggin and tell us what she's thinking.

In fact, I have a pretty good clue what the letter is gonna be about. I bet it's gonna suggest prison time for some local folks on the Mundy Township political landscape.

Besides, what can be more dumb than calling a guy names when he sits behind a big microphone every weekday morning after writing an Editor's Notebook column that attracts more than 20,000 readers via The Daily Gazette and various social media platforms?

Well, if Stainton and Jernigan can's share a friendly cup of coffee, at least they can share an honor of receiving the first of my 2025 Awards to be handed out over the next week of columns, as is my tradition over the last half century of writing about this county.

This Week's Featured Column

Recent Editor's Notebook Columns

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This past fall marked his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#1 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

Sunday, Feb. 16, 2024

Welcome to the big stage Sheriff Swanson.

One federal lawsuit filed electronically in federal court last night is bad enough to erase his Boy Scout image.

But I'm told yet another is coming out of Feiger Law where I've confirmed lawyers there have been meeting for the past couple weeks with alleged victims of rape and human trafficking out of the Whaley House children's center in Flint.

If there are truly 36 victims talking to lawyers about bad things that happened to them in the foster care system, we need an investigation by FBI agents outside Flint.

Maybe they should include taking a look at why Flint's FBI agents never put any crooked local  politicians in prison, compared to dozens sitting in prison in orange jumpsuits  — thanks to the efforts of Detroit's FBI office.

Let me clarify that accusations in a lawsuit don't make anything true.

However, it's hard to run for Governor with such a dark cloud hanging over your head.

My work on a documentary series in production for Detroit legend Bob Carmack tells me Mike Duggan's fingerprints are all over smear jobs in production on an opponent who wants to be Governor of Michigan in 2026.

The Detroit Mayor went to war with Detroit businessman Carmack in one of our state's most high profile public spats ever.

Some of his illegal, corrupt stunts pulled on Carmack border on unbelievable. Film gathered for the documentary series prove it.

Carmack wasn't shy about calling Duggan a crook in a public way.

Carmack's accusations were backed up by law enforcement raids at Detroit City Hall, FBI and AG investigations and indictments all around Detroit City Hall. The businessman even wired himself for the FBI to prove it was still a pay-to-play atmosphere despite former Mayor Kwame Kilpartrick being in prison for 28 years for stealing millions of dollars from his city.

Donald Trump pardoned Kilpatrick and sprung him on his way out of the White House in 2020, then using Kilpatrick speaking events at church events in Detroit to win the 2024 race.

So who wouldn't believe all the accusations against Sheriff Swanson in this age of corruption at the highest level of our government. Heck, outgoing President Joe Biden pardoned son Hunter for crimes and gave a blanket pardon to other family members in his 11th hour in office.

A column you can find on Feb. 4 within Recent Editor's Notebooks expressed my optimism for Sheriff Swanson possibly having the magic it takes to become Governor of Michigan. It was the best announcement speech I've heard in my 50 years as a journalist.

But then there's Mike Duggan in the race.

He's running as an independent despite being tied to top Democrats in high office in Lansing and Washington D.C. His son led the transition team after Gretchen Whitmer was elected as Governor. His son then twice championed the "Biden for President" campaigns in Michigan.

Jennifer Granhom, the former Michigan Attorney General who served eight years as Governor before going to work for Biden as the U.S. Energy Secretary, came out of Duggan's Wayne County Prosecutor's office.

So, too, did Dan Nessel.

Mike Cox worked there before serving eight years as the first Republican A.G. for our state in nearly 50 years.

Mayor Duggan has close ties (well, at least public sightings captured in many photos by private investigators hired by Carmack) to Gretchen's daddy — Richard Whitmer who retired several years ago after 30 years as top dog at Blue Cross & Blue Shield in addition to numerous business holdings. Strangely, Gretchen's father is on record as one of the top contributors to Republican candidates in Michigan history.

Hopefully you get the picture.

Carmack had millions of dollars so he could fight back against Mayor Duggan, or so he said. He was charged with felony crimes for essentially opening his mail. It's a long story and one for another day, perhaps as we near completion for the documentary series he was saving for what he predicted would someday be a run for Governor by Duggan.

Wait, Duggan is in the race.

So I take that as a blessing from Heaven on Carmack's "go ahead" with finishing the film project.

I can tell you, too, that he spent thousands on investigators digging into the life of Sheriff Swanson after filing a complaint at his office (on film) after blasting our local Prosecutor in a tearful tirade in front of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners after a visiting judge in Wayne County took one look at what was done to Carmack and dismissed all the charges against him after an expensive six-year fight to clear his name.

Carmack was angry that he found nothing but Boy Scout badges in his investigation into why Swanson's Detective there brought no criminal charges against Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton for slapping felony counts on Carmack as a "political favor to Duggan." Strong allegations without any convincing evidence as far as I was concerned when it came to my final decision on what went into his film.

Maybe Sheriff Swanson should dust off the old file dropped off by Carmack, and investigate potential ties to Duggan by his friend Prosecutor Leyton. I'm not saying there are any ties, just that Carmack's investigators didn't find any.

If he doesn't begin his damage control mission by firing his employee caught on tape refusing to listen to rape allegations, well, he doesn't deserve to be in the race for Governor.

I'm still rooting for him.

But I heard one clip in the campaign announcement that bothers me. Swanson says he's going to run a clean campaign and not stoop to using negative stuff.

I wonder if that includes any legal stuff?

He has a badge and has the power to arrest anybody involved with trying to run a smear campaign against him with all these allegations being thrown around  — all since he announced for Governor.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#2 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025

Leon  Leon, Leon.

It's time to surrender yourself to the court and start your next prison sentence.

Politics was a bad idea for this former prison inmate.

Flint's embattled 1st Ward City Councilman saw a judge today and didn't get what he wanted as far as lessening his bond restrictions. Leon El-Alamin wanted off a tether that his attorney said is hampering his client's ability to make a living.

But he can go home. A judge decided so.

And that has me baffled. An assistant prosecutor was sitting in the court room. Deputies from the Sheriff's Department were there with handcuffs, too.

Yet Leon walked out of the court room.

A free man until March 11 when he's set for trial. 

That's the date Judge Khary Hanible picked to let a jury decide if Leon beat up his ex-girlfriend, allegedly strangling her without intent to kill her but likely to maybe do so. That's how I understand the felony charge which could carry a 10-year prison sentence, if he's convicted. Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton slapped a second charge on him for misdemeanor domestic violence after the incident last summer on Sherman Avenue in Mt. Morris Township on July 10. The felony count is for "Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm Less Than Murder by Strangulation."

He says he's not guilty. That's what a judge and jury are for in criminal cases. He's innocent until proven guilty on those serious accusations.

But one charge he needs no trial to decide his guilt on is how he does not live in Flint. He lives in Mt. Morris Township. That's where the alleged beating took place. On Sherman Avenue. That's what the police report says.

His ex-girlfriend says that's where she lived with him during their on again, off again relationship over 10 years. Flint's 5th Ward City Councilman Tonya Burns tells us she told her that while hospitalized after the alleged beating handed out by Leon. She took to social media to say it after getting out of the hospital.

Her saying it doesn't convict him. She says he beat her up, and I just pointed out how he's innocent until proven guilty.

But the address thing?

Leon has used the Mt. Morris Township address on numerous court filings. Evictions, attempts to file personal protection orders on numerous individuals, neighbors confirm his car is parked there every night, community activist Kevin Tay even took to social media with a video of a garbage man picking up Leon's trash can with City of Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley's promo on it. He talked with the garbage man who confirmed Leon's car is always there .... in Mt Morris Township.

Then, of course, there's this alleged beating that took place there of Leon's now ex-girlfriend who told Mt. Morris Township police she had lived there with him for most of the last 10 years.

That's during the time that he won a special election earlier this year to serve on the Flint City Councilman as the city's 1st Ward representative.

Leon filed to get on the ballot under a penalty of perjury. That's up to 15 years in prison for telling a lie about where you live. He does not live where he says he did. State court records show a convicted sex offender lives there. Sources tell me it's one of his rental homes.

Flint City Clerk Davina Donahue is responsible to report it to authorities where Leon does not live. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said so last month. That's how I read the law which is written in the English language.

Just like Leon's writings on all those court filings.

He does not live in Flint.

I'm assuming that's why his attorney, Rolland Sizemore, asked Judge Hanible to let Leon return to the Mt Morris Township home he owns since his ex-girlfriend hasn't been there in weeks. So the judge said okay and let him return there? And an assistant prosecutor and law enforcement guys with handcuffs let Leon walk out of the court room when he's clearly guilty of a felony for perjury by at least previously living there according to Leon's own multiple court filings?

Councilwoman Burns immediately today took to social media with a post on Facebook which read: "Flint City Council members are required to live within our wards. The home he wants to return to is located in Mt., Morris Township that has been set on fire three times within a two-week period. " 

Hey, maybe if it burns down next time  — Leon can afford to buy a house in the Flint wart he represents.

But that does not clear him of signing an affidavit to get on the ballot under penalty of perjury.

By the way, marks mentioned on his ex-girlfriend's neck by Prosecutor Leyton and Councilwoman Burns who saw them at the hospital didn't get there by Leon's ex-girlfriend strangling herself. 

Under the law, he's innocent until proven guilty. But if I was on the jury, Leon would be going back to prison where I believe he belongs.

This guy landed there shortly after high school as Leon Duane Wilson. He changed his name after converting to Islam while in prison on a stretch of 8 to 20 years on weapons and drug charges.

Now, there are all these filed and alleged other criminal charges hanging over his head. The alleged beating. Where he lives. A cloud of controversy over all the thousands of dollars worth of grants his non-profit organization has collected since he became a city councilman to help felons adjust to life outside prison walls as they return to society. Councilwoman Burns says Leon has collected more than a million dollars of our hard-earned tax money and other grants. A community activist (Art Woodson) is now on a crusade to sent Leon to the slammer for one clear violation he alleges that he uncovered. Well, Mr. Woodson doesn't use the word "alleged" when calling for justice to be served.

Leon, Leon, Leon.

If I was allowed to lead the prosecution team in this case, I'd simply show some photos and videos of Leon's frowns, downturned mouth, scary glares, grimaces, dirty looks and furrowed brows with scowls from his city council seat as residents speak from the podium about why he's allowed to sit in a council seat 

I'm not sure Flint has enough voting power to end Prosecutor Leyton's resign as the county's top law enforcement official but I'm pretty sure from all the texts, e-mails and calls to my radio show that he won't survive this episode of Leon breaking laws and getting away with it because he's a politician.

Politician? Nah. That's an insult to politicians. They are smarter than Leon is to use his fake address on court filings.

And if he really did what Woodson alleges on scamming some money for himself? Just a dummy.

Councilwoman Burns and countless others on social media have labeled Leon as a "puppet" for Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley to get his way on a divided council that needs a 5th vote to get money moved.

Sometimes to non-profits controlled by council members.

Others besides Leon have been getting city money they voted to send to their own non-profits. The mayor's former city attorney William Kim said that was ok. I guess he was absent that day in law class when they covered how that works. It's explained in the state statute.

It's in English. I can read it.

Just like all Leon's court filings. 

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#3 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

Saturday, June 14, 2025

 My dad remains the most important person in my life. He’s been gone 40 years but I still think of him nearly every morning.

Every time I shave, in fact.

On this Father’s Day, so many of his life lessons come flowing back about life being short and always avoiding the word “can’t” because you truly “can” do anything you put your mind to if you work hard enough.

My most memorable moments with my dad came from sitting in the doorway of the bathroom that adjoined his bedroom. I loved  listening to his stories so much that I’d endure the awful stench of his daily morning poops before brushing his teeth and shaving to set out on another long work day.

He worked long days, six days per week in the car business. He preached how doing something you loved meant never dreading going to work.

He taught me how the best place to be in life after work was with family. His evenings and Sundays were dedicated to spending time with his family. So many memories are cherished from those special times.

But my best memories of all are from that bathroom doorway. That’s where I received my masters degree in sales. My doctorate in managing a successful business. My lessons to being happy.

My dad was the smartest man I’ve ever met.

He dreamed of being in the car business. When the Army discharged him back to civilian life, he took his bus ticket and punched a one-way ticket to Flint, Michigan.

That’s where they made cars and that’s about all he knew about this town.

He put a tiny town named Malden, Missouri in his rear view mirror forever. That’s where he graduated from high school after a life as a poor farmer’s family of seven kids who moved from town to town during their childhoods chopping cotton in the fields of Missouri to help
their family eat.

That’s why he worked so hard to make sure his three children were blessed with an amazing childhood. He often reminded me that we live in the United States of America, and there’s no law against being as rich as you want to be as long as you are willing to work hard for it.

He preached about figuring out how to make lemonade out of lemons whenever people throw lemons at you.

When he went to Otto P. Graff to realize his dream of selling cars, guys who worked there made fun of his southern accent. They asked his age and the manager announced, “Oh sorry. Come back on your birthday and we will give you a job then when you are legally old enough to sell cars here.”

My dad walked next into the Chevrolet plant and told them he needed a job to eat and afford a place to live until he was old enough to sell those cars they make there. He promised to be able to work hard enough to do any job there better than any man there.

A couple days before his birthday, he quit.

He returned to the car dealership a few days after his birthday, ready to be their best salesman.

Unfortunately, nobody remembered that “promise” to give him a job after his birthday.

He offered to work free two weeks to prove himself. Denied a chance despite his best sales pitch, he started to walk outside.

Not to give up, mind you, but to figure out how to catch each of those liars alone to dish out severe beatings  to every last one of those liars he had trusted enough to tell Chevrolet to take their job and shove it.

Then the old man owner yelled for him to stop as he ordered the manager to give him that two-week opportunity. "Hey, he’s offering to work free," he shouted at his top guy.

As the legend goes, my dad out-sold not only the top salesman but out performed the entire sales team combined over his two-week tryout.

At the end, he marched up to the old man owner and asked to be paid commissions he “deserved” for selling so many cars.

When Otto P Graff extended his hand and said, “Hey a deal is a deal and you offered to work free. But I will tell you what I will do. I will make you manager to show all these guys how to work hard and sell cars like you.”

My dad shook his hand and said, “I asked you to pay me what I deserved. I didn’t say you owed me. But I think I’d rather go work for your friend Mr. Summerfield.”

You see, my dad had sat quietly in a corner of the old Italian Gardens where Mr Graff and Mr Summerfield had often been sitting across from each other to swap lunch hour stories during that two-week tryout.

He became friends with Don Haley who had overheard the stories. They became friends when Mr Haley charged him for a ketchup bottle because he used so much on his steaks. My dad paid the bill and circled back to pick up the ketchup bottle on his table and take it home with him.  The next time my dad visited, Mr Haley introduced himself and said he was happy to see him because he thought maybe he wouldn’t come back. My dad revealed it was the best restaurant in town and he was hoping to get a job down the road soon to be a permanent regular customer.

Mr Haley planted a seed by saying, “Hey if he doesn’t give you a job at the pay you think you are worth, go down the street to his buddy he keeps telling how great you are at selling cars.”

It wasn’t until years later after our family dinners there that I heard the tale to finally  understand the private joke whenever we visited Italian Gardens and Mr Haley would deliver a couple extra ketchup bottles to our table with a smile.

As my dad departed Mr Graff’s dealership forever, his parting response to a question about Mr Summerfield offering him a job was this: “No but you already told him I’m the best salesman in America so I’m pretty sure he will hire me.”

Three national salesman of the year awards later, my dad promised to guide his son in running the dealership and wished Mr Summerfield well as he went to Washington DC to be Postmaster General for the President of the United States.

Summerfield Chevrolet went on to become one of the best car dealerships in the United States.

So to all the dads out there serious about wanting better for your families, take this Father’s Day gift from me. Dedicate your life to working hard to make life better for your family and remember there’s nothing you “can’t” accomplish in life if you work hard enough to achieve it. If you feel like life has been throwing lemons at you, figure out how to turn them into lemonade and get to work on it.

I think I will enjoy a glass of lemonade to honor my dad on Sunday.

As the Bible emphasizes in Romans 8:28 about God’s sovereignty and ability to work even difficult situations for good: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#4 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

 My caller ID said "Heaven: Pint of Order" and I knew right away it was a call I had been anxiously awaiting since February of last year. That's when Eric Mays changed his address. The most controversial, most colorful, most passionate and most entertaining politician I ever met punched his ticket for a rainbow ride to Heaven because his work on earth was done. 

I've had many in my life tell me if ever there's a way to communicate from above, expect a call from them.

So far, nobody had ever reached out. Not a single one.

Until Eric Mays of all people somehow solved the code.

I tried recording our conversation but the error code from Heaven read:  "Sound obstructed by special orbital trajectory block." 

Luckily, I had been transcribing the words of the late Councilman Eric Mays as the call was in progress. Here's a transcript:

ME: "Hey, Eric your Spartans are going down Friday night!"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Killbreath, no time for that. We've got business you need to get on and I'm only allowed a short time on this special privilege call. The penalty up here for talking too long might be a trip down in the elevator or something, so I'm not gambling on it like I did at Flint City Hall when they put me in jail for talking too long. Jail up here might be, well, down there. But like I said, we've got important business here."

ME: "I assume the business you are talking about is Flint's Mayor?"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Yeah, that little Sheldon punk. This is a new low for that little man. By the way, MSU wins on Friday!"

ME: "The Big 10 tournament champs, my Michigan Wolverines, play on Thursday night."

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Enjoy that one game in the NCAA."

ME: "So you are telling me to bet big on UM to lose?"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Nah. That's one of the rules they had in big letters. Saint Peter here at the Pearly Gates says no telling who wins the games or what the lottery is gonna be, none of that stuff is allowed if you get the special privilege to communicate with earthlings."

ME: "So how did you qualify? You crack the secret code or something?"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Killbreath, you know me. I've got people, important people as always."

ME: "You have people? Like who?"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Well, I'm sitting here between your friends Don Williamson, Woodrow Stanley and Bob Carmack. Need I say anything more? They're pulling off some impossible miracle for God up here, so they pulled some strings with the Big Guy and got me on the phone with you since God figured my request isn't all that much in the big scheme of things."

ME: "I presume you are mad about Mayor Neeley putting your name on the Hasselbring Center after he threw out Beverly and took away the senior center from her?"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "What a chump. But this stunt will kill him with the seniors. Tell my friend Delrico Lloyd he must run for Mayor, by the way. You don't want to take any chances on Flint's future. Only Delrico can save Flint. Endorse him. That's an order from the Don, Wood and Carmack."

ME: "Delrico tells me he's thinking about it but I think it's too big of a pay cut for him. He's doing well as Chief Deputy Assistant to Shawn Fain — head of the international UAW."

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Who else is in the field so far?"

ME: "Maurice Davis, your old city council colleague. He was the first to announce. Another one of your old colleagues, Wantwaz Davis, surfaces every so often with a Facebook post or phone call to me to warn that it's his destiny and part of his story to become Mayor and save Flint. Michael Doan is a young guy who is a possible fresh face. John Daly's wife, Wendy Braun, was calling people to try to line up support for her husband to run. Then there's the possibility of Dr. Karen Weaver trying to make a comeback. But officially, only Maurice Davis is in the race with Photo Op Sheldon." 

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "That brings me to the real point of this call. Killbreath, get on that radio show of yours and blast the little man like you've blasted nobody before. If my friendship meant anything to you or even it was just you using me for ratings, I beg you to do this. They loved me in the 1st Ward. That's why I was always the top vote getter city-wide. Sheldon was so jealous of me. He hated me. You know this. He's trying to put my name on the Hasselbring building to capitalize on my popularity with the seniors to get out of this mess he created for himself by taking over the place to get his dirty little hands on the $50,000 grant Beverly was getting from the county commissioners. Tell Delrico great job on embarrassing Sheldon, by the way, on how he stepped up and handled that whole situation in the true Eric Mays spirit of representing constituents."

ME: "But he did it with a touch of class. He didn't yell at anyone. I don't know if you caught it, but Mayor Neeley sent his Chief of Staff, Ed Taylor, to the county board meeting and he jumped up to skip the long line and go first on public speaking. He basically just announced the city wanted the 50K. Then Delrico delivered a 9-0 vote to do exactly that and Beverly moved to the old Kennedy center on Pierson Road, by Bryant."

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "I saw it all. But the point here is, don't let that little punk put my name on a building he threw my friends out of to be used as a political ploy to save his career."

ME: "I said that this morning on my radio show."

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Well, we're a day delay up here. Big time difference. I will make sure to listen later when it comes on here. Now you have me curious. What did you say? In a nut shell. A condensed version."

 I'm on a strict time thing here."

ME: "In a nut shell, I ripped him for taping a sign up on the outside of the building. Inside, he had a photo of you on the ground in front of his podium to take advance of his photo op. Up behind him was a big banner with a big picture of himself with a bunch of balloons."

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Nobody protested? Where was Art Woodson? Where were the other council members Sheldon doesn't control as his puppets? Tape, darned him. Unbelievable. By the way, I do have a scoop for you. Let 'em know he can't name buildings. That needs to go through the city council for approval. You tell Dennis Pheiffer, Tonya Burns, Jonathan Jarrett and Jerri-Winfrey Carter to vote no. Make him un-tape that sign and take it down. I don't want my name on a building for Sheldon Neeley's personal gain."

ME: "The taped up sign already fell down. But as to your earlier question, people are speaking out about it on Facebook for sure. Tonya Burns released a statement. Even Ed Tucker felt bad on what Sheldon was doing. He jumped up out of the audience, grabbed your sign off the flood and held it over his head with both hands. The look on Sheldon's face was priceless."

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Yeah, The Don says to tell Ed Tucker he knows why he never took that lie detector test. And, what Don, oh okay, yeah. He also says to tell you it's okay now to let everyone know what a good heart he had for people down on their luck, how he funneled money to you to get it to them when he heard sad stories on the radio or read sad stories in your newspapers."

ME: "You tell The Don that every time someone starts ripping how he was, I set them straight and tell how many times he donated money to help people but wanted to stay anonymous. But if it's okay with him, you tell The Don I will set the record straight on my radio show tomorrow morning."

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "He wants that bouquet of roses, too. Hey, Carmack says he never got that either. He wants one, too. What's that Wood? Yeah, Woodrow says he served as a city councilman, council President, Mayor of Flint, County Commissioner, chair of the county board and in the state legislature. Yet, not once did he ever get a bouquet of roses. He says he wasn't even sure you really liked him until he got up here and had a long chat with Saint Peter after he noticed your name tag on his desk. He scanned your chart, and told Woodrow that you did like him and in fact, having Woodrow as your guest at a Grand Blanc Chamber event years ago was among your long list of good deeds."

ME: "How was that?"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Apparently that was right after the warning for white people to not go past the river. He says you sat him at your breakfast table in a packed room of white people in suits and arranged for him be the guest speaker."

ME: "Geez, I thought that might be a mark against me because I blackmailed him into a speaking opportunity in front of some money people in exchange for ripping TV 12 and the Flint Journal!"

ERIC MAYS FROM HEAVEN: "Well he must have said the magic words because your friends in the business community came through with some important money to help his campaign for Mayor that year. You need to introduce Delrico Lloyd to them and make sure he is well funded with a campaign to dump this do nothing mayor who is absolutely ruining the City of Flint. Hey, Woodrow asked if you were coming soon after he saw your name tag on his desk, and he apparently went on and on with his new favorite story at the Pearly Gates about how you arrived and God demanded to meet you. He says Heaven never received so many prayers from crooked politicians — praying for you to die during that risky kidney transplant to save your life. God figured if all those crooked politicians wanted you dead, send you back down because you must be doing some good work down there. So you are on bonus time. Get this favor done for me. And give my advisory council guys up here a bouquet of roses."

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#5 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Western Digital isn't coming to Mundy Township's Mega Site.

That was made official about 30 minutes ago (shortly after 10 am today) with a report by Crain's Business Detroit that Governor Gretchen Whitmer and stakeholders from the Flint & Genesee Group have been informed that the company is not interested in building a semiconductor plant here.

The massive company, with ties to Communist China, has been rumored to be the one delivering an advanced manufacturing plant for a Mega Site bordered by Linden Road, Elms Road, Maple Road and Jennings Road.

I've been telling everyone Western Digital wasn't a real player for months, no matter what anybody tells you. My sources confirmed long ago it was not a remote possibility of happening.

Western Digital has manufacturing operations in China as well as research and development operations there along with offices around the USA for sales and operations. A major flash memory packaging and testing facility is located in Shanghai, China There have also been significant investments and partnerships with Chinese companies by Western Digital, including a recent deal where JCET Group will acquire an 80% stake in the Shanghai flash memory facility, according to a recent report by Reuters News Service.

Officials at Western Digital responded via e-mail to our request for comment on the Crain's Business Detroit online story by saying, "Thanks for reaching out to Western Digital, home of HDD Innovation and leadership.

If you’re looking for Sandisk, we have officially separated — amicably, we promise. No dramatic breakups, just two storage giants going their own way."

A request for comment from local officials just went out as this story was posted after our special bulletin news report on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) illegally forked over $256 million of our tax dollars last year to the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance to make something happen there. It's illegal how the money flowed to Flint's non-profit organization which is an arm of the Flint-based non-profit known as the Flint & Genesee Group. 

It's illegal because the 1963 state constitution prohibits legislators from spending a single penny of our tax dollars on businesses without a two-thirds super majority vote of both the State House and the State Senate.

They approved the passing out millions of our tax dollars loot by razor slim margins when Governor Whitmer's Democrat friends won control of the state legislature in 2022 for the first time in 40 years. Republicans won back the State House in November but the next State Senate election isn't until 2026.

The Midland-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy went to court to prove it earlier this month, and the Wall Street Journal penned a recent editorial saying what I've been hollering about on my radio show since the bag of money was brought home from Lansing last year. It's completely illegal.

Let's hope the Wall Street Journal gets the attention of President Donald Trump or somebody at the highest levels of the FBI or the U.S. Attorney's Office.

People need to go to prison. Period. It's public corruption at its absolute worst.

The MEDC offices were raided a few weeks ago by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office along with the home of one such recipient of clearly illegal loot. Let's hope she's headed to prison. Giving Gretchen Whitmer's re-election campaign a $9,900 donation got her a $20 million gift.

But it went to good use as far as she's concerned. It got her a $4,500 gold-plated coffee maker, an $11,000 first class airplane trip to Budapest and $400,000 in salaries for herself and a staff member over the first three months of putting that cash to work for us taxpayers.

There's also this matter of Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt calling for a federal investigation over Whitmer and her star donation friend flying overseas to meet with folks who have links to terrorism. 

So if Western Digital is not happening, why did we let them tear down all those beautiful homes they bought up in Mundy Township with all the farms they purchased for more money than they're worth. Oh yeah, price is no object. It's our tax dollars they've using.

Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance Executive Director Tyler Rossmassler has said an advanced manufacturing site at the Mega Site will bring thousands of jobs to southern Genesee County, yet he has been telling the Mundy Township Board of Trustees twice per month all year that his non-profit organization has no buyer. Chip making plants and battery plants only average just over 100 jobs across the USA but hey, thousands of jobs are coming!

Tyler just doesn't know yet what they will be doing or who they will be working for except that he can now rule out the one company that has been widely "leaked" as the one! I knew better but I can't say how I knew. But if I say it on the radio or say so here, my 50-year track record tells you it's so.

The proposed project for an advanced manufacturing plant is set to go on 1,388 acres of property that Rossmassler's group now controls more than 1,180 acres on in the Mundy Township Mega Site, according to his latest report to the Mundy Township board.

Swartz Creek Board of Education Trustee Chuck Melki said Monday that he expects more than 1,000 people to pack the district's auditorium on Thursday for a meeting to discuss selling Morrish Elementary for $40 million. Old Tyler made a public pitch to school board members a few weeks ago with developer Dave Lurvey of Linden that a cool $40 million can get the district enough to build a bigger and better elementary school building. Lurvey said he will guarantee his company can do it for $40 million.

Melki says he has learned that he won't be able to speak at the meeting, only the district's interim Superintendent Jim Kitchen and school board President  Carrie Germain.

Melki and many district residents were shocked to learn a few weeks ago about on-going talks that had been going on for months about selling the elementary building that is located within the Mega Site between Rossmassler and district administrators. Did they sign non-disclosure agreements like Flint & Genesee Group President & CEO TIm Herman arranged with certain top officials in Mundy Township?

You know, the ones declared clearly illegal by MEDC officials who came to Mundy Township for a meeting one morning to say they had nothing to do with whatever Herman and his Executive Director and their lawyers arranged with these NDO's. The ones I said on the radio were not allowed.

A 37-page report by the State Supreme Court said so, too, in a similar case won by the Michigan Press Association (MPA) in Bizzio vs. Clarkston. Village officials had to pay the legal fees for the MPA after trying to hide information about a developer who wanted details hidden from the public.

Melki has been an outspoken critic of the Swartz Creek district's spending and asked, "How can I be on the school board and not be told anything about all this."

Probably the same way a board sub-committee meeting was scheduled for 2 pm yesterday and Melki was in charge, yet didn't know Rossmassler and his pals were showing up to talk about the plan without any crowd there.

A board meeting is also scheduled for tonight to select a new school board member to replace  Holly Jarvis who recently stepped down. Opponents of the Mega Site development support Vickie Sturgiss or Don Ludwig. I'm told an individual who supports Rossmassler's proposal will get the nod in a 5-2 vote.

In case the Rossmassler group needs an extra vote to get Swartz Creek's district to sell the school building to them between now and Thursday if the angry anti Mega Site opponents get to Kim Winter to change her mind, the board will vote to name Jessica Lanave as the newest board member.

I'm told Lanave will take her seat to possibly cast the tie-breaker vote if Trustee Winter changes her mind and votes with Melki and Autumn Henry to oppose the idea of selling Morrish Elementary.

So if there's a good TV show on tonight or Thursday, stay home.

The fix is in.

The guys with $259 of our tax dollars are gonna get their way.

Just not with Western Digital.

In closing, I'd like to tell you about the policies and procedures that will be used tonight to select Swartz Creek's newest school board member. Unfortunately, I don't think they have such a policy.

I'm guessing they will just ask old Tyler old for guidance.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#6 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley's re-election chances are in the toilet these days.

They were flushed away by close ties to a predator who is in the county jail and headed back to prison soon when sentenced again as a pervert.

That's after Neeely allowed him an opportunity to be around children while working on his campaign.

Or maybe it was all those photos on social media with the Mayor and pal Johnnie Cole dressed up in fancy suits at events around town.

Or maybe it was when he steered a high bid that cost taxpayers millions of dollars on a garbage contract.

Or maybe it's the fact he still has not fixed all the pipes in Flint after millions were pumped into this city to do it.

Or perhaps 

No, it was definitely when he thought it was a better idea to pay $72,000 per year to a vendor to manage two city-owned golf courses when a distinguished local businessman bid a cool $1.15 million to manage them. John Carpenter had plans to forever preserve them for future generations when bringing together 19 individuals who are among the most prominent community leaders. He brought them to the table with him on the project while bringing great ideas to the table to help youth. He even vowed to spend $100,000 to bring buildings at both courses up to code after insisting they should be condemned. 

He should know. Carpenter served under the administration of former Flint Mayor Don Williamson and one of his tasks was to oversee how the golf courses were operated. He also helped the Don save Sugar Bush from bankruptcy and turned it into a thriving bar and banquet operation along with converting dandelions on the greens to the most plush course in Genesee County after hiring away the man who was greenskeeper at the time over at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc.

Nah, the clincher was a tape recording Carpenter gave The Morning Gazette Radio Show to expose how the good Mayor explained that Carpenter had disappeared and was no longer making political donations to Neeley. He told him he had been taken off his "Christmas card list/"  

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#7 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

Friday, March 7, 2025

Mundy Township's next circus show will be interesting on Monday night (March 10, 2025).

I'd suggest Jack Belzer pretend it's Flushing Township and skip the next meeting of the Mundy Township Board of Trustees.

As RIcky Ricardo used to tell Lucy on the famous "I Love Lucy" sitcom of yesterday, "You got some splainin'  to do."

An agenda item calls attention to a real doozy of a billing discrepancy.

 Township Attorney Belzer did some explaining last week to Trustee Leah Davis to defend why he didn't make Township Manager Chad Young follow rules she says are required before any investigation of employee complaints can be done.

He also has a little matter of alleged mind reading to explain to taxpayers, too.

We will get to that new item later.

Before getting back to my own explaining here, let's make the "Flushing Township" reference make sense for you. In case you missed it, our reporter wrote a recent story where Flushing Township hired Amanda Odette as its new counsel after she promised to never use Belzer if they gave her the job.

Burton's long-time city attorney, who also represents other local townships, essentially threw Belzer under the bus when questioned about why his resume was included in her packet when Belzer isn't part of her law firm. One Trustee, Bill Bain, made it clear he didn't want Beler in Flushing Township because of his alleged "unsatisfactory" behavior.

Back to the Davis complaint to Belzer about allegedly not following township policies.

Young publicly accused Davis and new Township Supervisor Jennifer Arrand Stainton during a board meeting of "bullying" him and causing him "mental problems" by essentially sending a goon with a gun to his home to scare his wife and kids.

That's how I interpreted his rant.

Hey big fella, video tape does not lie.

And yes, there's video as Trustee Davis says she told lawyer Nancy Chinonis who was hired in a 5-2 vote by the board to investigate Young's complaints.

It's a good assumption that Young wasn't referring to running up on Davis' car in the parking lot to yell and scream at her and Stainton.

Stainton was part of a conversation when sitting in the passenger seat of Davis' car when Young approached them to do what I'd deem as a "crazy man" act of yelling and screaming at them.

Surprise, surprise, Sir Chad.

Stainton had the presence of mind to record your threatening and intimidating harassment of these two ladies — women of a smaller stature who Young probably outweighs by 100 pounds.

If he's scared of them, maybe he needs to call up his father-in-law for muscle.

Don Ludwig, one of the administrators behind a Facebook page with 2,500 strong of residents who oppose a proposed advanced manufacturing plant on a Mega Site in Mundy Township, was also a target of Young during his public tirade about walking around afraid because of alleged threats on social media in addition to the harassment he alleged by his "bosses" on the board.

Ludwig then subsequently became a target of Young's father-in-law with alleged threats of violence on social media. He says he went to the FBI for help after getting no where with State Police and the Metro Police Authority.

He now tells The Daily Gazette that he has been told by a Metro PD official that his criminal complaint against Young's father-in-law is on the Genesee County Prosecutor's desk for a decision on on whether to issue a warrant.

Ludwig wants Young's father-in-law arrested on felony charges.

Further, he's looking into a possible lawsuit. He says he was met at the door when going to a January board meeting when told by Metro PD Chief Matt Bade that he wasn't welcome there because he was "hostile" and he was also "trespassed" from going on Township Manager Young's property to harass him. Ludwig says it didn't happen as Young described in his public tirade at a board meeting.

Ludwig says he has a witness. A pretty good one, too, since he took along an off duty police officer.

An off duty cop? A video?

Wow.

I bet Chad Young wishes he could wrap all that into a non disclosure of some kind so Ludwig, Stainton and Davis can't use it in court when they sue the pants off him. The only problem I see is that Young will try to use tax dollars to pay his legal fees since he will declare he acted as part of his government job.

Speaking of that subject, why are Stainton and Davis using their own funds for lawyers? 

Doesn't state law say government employees get government-funded lawyers to defend acts done on their jobs?

If Stainton and Davis are (were) harassing an employee as Young alleges, were they not on their jobs as elected officials?

I guess it's a good thing Stainton has hired a Harvard-educated lawyer from Grand Blanc to set them straight. Paul Scott knows a thing or two about the laws in Lansing since he got himself elected as the youngest lawmaker ever to go to Lansing while finishing up his law degree at the University of Michigan Law School after doing his under grad work at Harvard. 

Trustee Davis insists it was illegal to let Young ramble on for 18 minutes at a public meeting about all his personal problems and what she claims are "lies and false accusations" directed at her and Supervisor Stainton.

Township Attorney Belzer should have stopped it because state law does not permit political speeches to be spewed during a board meeting at a taxpayer-funded building.

Scott has already stepped in once on Stainton's behalf when they called a special meeting with hopes of mkaing her go away after speaking out at a Flint City Council meeting. Belzer reacted to legal clarifications from Scott being inserted into Mundy Township politics that it was okay for Stainton to say what she wants to say.

You know, because of that pesky U.S. Constitution and all that Scott must have explained to him. 

That awful part of free speech, I guess.

Belzer and Young scolded Stainton for making it seem like she was speaking "on behalf" of Mundy Township. A check of the tape could have told them she did it that way. But you know, checking the tape would be too hard with a special meeting and potential recall to plan out.

And there's that document Trustee Davis read about how to handle complaints that she says is "Mundy Township policy" that Belzer ignored.

He had a different take on it and said the policy Davis cited didn't apply at the last meeting.

If Nancy Chinonis is doing an investigation, maybe she should weigh in on the subject.

As I read the Canons of Ethics required under state law for all attorneys in our state — if Davis is correct that Belzer spewed erroneous info, Ms. Chinonis has a duty to report it the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission.

Maybe she should report herself, too, for accepting a job in the first place that essentially calls on her to investigate an incident involving Tim Knecht of her Cline, Cline & Griffin law firm. Or maybe Chinonis didn't understand all the background info. 

I know her dad, the intelligent former car dealer out on Miller Road in Flint Township.

My guess is he will advise her to plead that defense line if he paid to get that law degree of hers that could be at risk if Trustee Davis is right about the law on Mundy Township policies.

Afterall, when Young suggested Chinonis be hired to investigate his complaints —all Belzer said (during the entire meeting) was something along the lines that Chenonis was  a fine lawyer and she worked for a fine firm.

Forget the fact that Trustee Davis made Young mad by trying to have a subpoena served on him to testify about illegal non disclosure agreement (NDA) documents she wanted to see. Davis filed a Freedom of Information Act request to see the NDA agreements and then went to court when Young wanted to redact important items and charge Davis more than $500 to get her hands on them without details she wanted.

Davis says the NDA's contain information about a project Tim Knecht is connected to with client Tim Herman — President & CEO of the non profit organization known s the  Flint & Genesee Group. By the way, that's why Ludwig and his cop witness were at Young's house  — to serve a subpoena for Davis who wanted to see Young on the witness stand.

Knecht represents Herman and in fact, he was listed as the Registered Agent when Herman set up a private LLC that now owns more than 1,100 acres at the 1,300-acre Mega Site where he wants to build an advanced manufacturing plant.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer handed out nearly $269 million in state taxpayer funds to help him out — even though Executive Director  Tyler Rossmaessler of Herman's non-profit arm known as the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance admitted to state officials he didn't have a buyer yet and didn't  have a business plan.

I guess it doesn't matter since Gretchen says she is planning to talk to President Donald Trump about helping get this so far phantom plant with no business plan built to support her push for electric vehicles.

You know, she might want to use that kind of success story when she runs for President in 2028 after her Governor gig is up at the end of 2026.

Didn't he call her "that woman from Michigan" and make nasty tweets about her leadership during COVID? Yeah Big Gretch, you and your advisors might want to cancel that trip to see the Donald.

Consider how he treated  Volodymyr Zelenskyy if you think Trump doesn't have a  memory like an elephant. 

If all the aforementioned saga seems odd for Mundy Township, let me close with this bit of psychic kinda stuff.

Stainton says she called the FBI about it, and it's my hope someone there is smart enough to figure out this mystery.

Otherwise, I'm gonna put in a bid to be Belzer's PR rep on this kind of talent.

It seems he does indeed have psychic powers.

Stainton said she noticed in a bill from his office that he charged her township taxpayers for researching the law on whether or not she could hire a Deputy Supervisor. "Since the taxpayers elected me to watch over their tax dollars, I'd like to know who asked him to research it because I checked the law before I selected a Deputy Supervisor which he knows is my right under the law," Stainton said. "He told me he doesn't remember who asked him to research it. He just knows they wanted it researched."

They? Who exactly is "they" here?

And the bigger question is how did anybody know about it when Belzer did all that legal research he billed taxpayers for on the very Thursday that Stainton met in her office with a Deputy Supervisor not revealed to anyone until four days later?

She placed it on the agenda only as "Introduction of Dave Huffman."

Stainton said, "I told nobody about it, so are they listening in on my phone calls or bugging my office. I'm confused how Jack Belzer could know about it. He needs to explain it to us, along with telling us who authorized him to research a Deputy Supervisor law when it sure wasn't me. I also don't remember the board voting to get an answer on that question."

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#10 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

#12 MOST READ COLUMN OF 2025

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

 My phone has been ringing off the hook all day. Dana Nessel caused it.

 She ordered a raid on the Lansing offices of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) in Lansing.  Sources tell me all the employees were told to leave the building.  I'm told computers and filing cabinets were carted out of the office. Sources also tell me it was our AG making sure she's paying attention to public corruption with an FBI investigation supposedly looking at her office, too.

More than a dozen lawsuits targeted at Donald Trump probably has him drawing a map to her office for his U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi. 

Another raid took place today in Farmington Hills.at the plush home of a Gretchen Whitmer campaign donor who just happened to have a business that the MEDC handed over millions of our tax dollars to a few years ago. The Detroit Free Press reported that an e-mail was received by AG Nessel's office with this statement by spokesman Danny Wimmer:  "Today, the Michigan Department of Attorney General executed search warrants on the downtown Lansing headquarters of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and a private residence in Farmington Hills, in furtherance of an ongoing investigation. At this time, we are not able to provide any further information." 

MEDC spokesman  Otie McKinley told the Free Press that the raid was "unwarranted and unnecessary."

Hey Otie, you think maybe it has something to do with that recent Wall Street Journal editorial similar to what I've been saying on my radio show for months?

Or maybe that Farmington Hills house belongs to Fay Beydoun? You MEDC folks gave her $20 million for her company called "Global Link International" that has a corporate address listed at the same Farmington Hills residence raided by Dana Nessel's office. Fay is the President of the non-profit corporation and her public voter registration lists that address as her home residence, too.

Maybe Dana Nessel is looking into how you MEDC folks appointed by the Governor let Fay spent $400,000 in salaries for herself and a staff member in three months. Or maybe it's the $11,000 she spent on first class air travel to Budapest. Or maybe it's the more than $700,000 in expenses detailed in her first report to the state legislators over the first few months after getting the grant. The big item was a gold-plated coffee maker she bought for $4,500. Or wait, maybe it's the fact she is former member of the MEDC's executive board.

Nah, I bet it's how this lover of fine  percolated coffee is a Democrat crony of the Governor. She contributed $9,900 between 2019 and 2021 to help Big Gretch get re-elected, according to state campaign records.

 Leaders at the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in Dearborn were voicing the loudest objections to lawmakers in Lansing for giving her all that taxpayer dough while she was working at the time for them as their Executive Director. The Chamber folks felt double crossed because they thought they were paying her to get the grant for their organization. Instead, she formed Global Link International and steered the money to her newly-formed non-profit which had no business plan and no clear expectations set for what it would deliver in return for all the taxpayers thrown her way. To shut up the American Arab Chamber folks, Democrat lawmakers decided it would be best to cut the group a check for $3 million  from the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) budget. And likewise, no strings on how to use those $3 million in tax dollars. I'm sure it could buy them a nice coffee maker, too. 

Can you shout, "Hush money?"

Michigan's state legislature and its MEDC have been on an over-caffeinated spending spree with $4.4 billion going to business subsidies just since 2023 began in Democrat-approved earmarks for pet projects that often came before legislators in the final hours of legislative sessions with little time for public review.  

Over a billion dollars has gone to proposed pet projects to support Big Gretch's push to ride the wave of electric cars into the White House in 2028. The Mega Site in Mundy Township is one such destination for a cool $259 million that went to build an advanced manufacturing plant on a 1,388-acre site bordered by Maple Road, Jennings Road, Elms Road and Linden Road. The people who live there are hard-core Democrats who were so mad about it that they elected a Republican Supervisor (Jennifer Arrand Stainton) last November for the first time since the township was formed in 1832.

A comprehensive study this spring by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy showed that hundreds of millions of dollars were handed out to 54 projects that have so far not created a single job under the Whitmer administration. The others have created some jobs at a price tag of nearly $79,000 per job. And they're mostly jobs that won't pay people that much until about their third year of employment at wages near minimum wage.

 We would have been better off just negotiating a $10,000 check for each of them to just do nothing. What a savings we could have produced over Big Gretch's way "not to produce" jobs! 

Besides more than a billion going to support Big Gretch's electric vehicle push, General Motors also pocketed more than a billion dollars to produce 9,200 jobs at their downtown Detroit location at the RenCen Center corporate offices and at a battery plant they owned near Lansing. GM sold the battery plant with President & CEO Mary Barra saying electric vehicles are not selling as well as some EV proponents anticipated. They're also campaigning for state tax dollars to tear down two of the towers on the riverfront and are moving their corporate digs to a  smaller location at one of billionaire Dan Gilbert's buildings elsewhere in Downtown Detroit. Oh yes, GM axed more than 10,000 jobs in Michigan last year. And GM Mary took a break from her luxury lifestyle financed by a $29.5 million per year salary to tell Big Gretch and legislators that her company isn't giving back the incentives funded by taxpayers.

 The aforementioned Wall Street Journal editorial noted exactly what I've been railing on during my radio shows for months with this Mundy Township Mega Site drama. I've been an outspoken critic against the billions of dollars passed out by Big Gretch to all the MEDC recipients getting my state tax dollars over the past few years. My problem is with this little matter of the 1963 state constitution that mandates how our tax dollars can't be handed over to private businesses unless there's a two-thirds, super majority vote of both the State House of Representatives and the State Senate. 

That's been the law for more than 60 years.

But hey, excuse Big Gretch. She missed it because residents in our state imposed it on politicians before she was born. 

Both houses in our state legislature were controlled for two years by her fellow Democrats who blessed any ideas she had, even if it meant giving away our tax dollars to people with zero business sense and no realistic plan to create jobs.

We reported on my radio show last week that the Wall Street Journal penned an editorial about what they're illegally doing in Michigan. I'm sure that caught Donald Trump's attention since he doesn't particularly like "that woman from Michigan" as he referred to her back during COVID days when Gretchen Whitmer got lots of national TV time for ripping on the Orange man leader of the free world.

I don't like Trump much either Big Gretch. But I've made it a career of being a "watchdog" over our tax dollars and you my friend deserve a prison cell for forking over $259 million to the Flint & Genesee Group and all these others who didn't produce us many jobs. The Flint-based non-profit organization led by Tim Herman admits having "no buyer" after an admission in the state legislature that they had no business plan but would get one as soon as they got the money. That was last year. Today, they still don't have a business plan they've shared with us and some guy with a name we can't pronounce very well stands up a few times every month at meetings of the Mundy Township Board of Trustees to report they still have no buyer.

But they're knocking down trees and tearing down houses. Nice houses, too. All in a state where Big Gretch recently celebrated a new housing project in Grand Rapids where they plan to build a fraction of the number of houses leveled in Mundy Township this year. The celebration was because Big Gretch told us how we have a "housing shortage" in Michigan.

 She's the same politician who voted to give a Flint criminal named Richard Short $9.1 million of our tax dollars when she was in the state legislature before Daddy helped get her elected as Governor (with good ole Global Link Fay's help). It was one of my all-time favorite stories. My old friend Pat Clawson, an original investigative reporter at CNN when it first launched, busted this clown with me. Mr. Short was riding the bus from a trailer park to meet with brilliant Flint Mayor Dayne Walling at Flint City Hall to plan how to "create" jobs for the community with his state funding pledge. We revealed in my community newspapers that he was a convicted embezzler still on parole at the time. He also had fraud convictions on his rap sheet. The ink on my newspapers was barely dry by the time a swat team of cops surrounded his trailer and took Mr. Short into custody. They put him away in prison for eight years. 

The brilliant politicians like Walling, Big Gretch and then Governor Jennifer Granholm got no penalty for being the victims of Richard Short's con job.

Maybe with the Wall Street Journal drawing attention to what's going on in our state by supporting a lawsuit filed by the Mackinac Center to stop it, we can get back to the idea of business people using their own money to create jobs — and wealth for themselves.

Where's the refund line? I want some of my tax dollars back.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Enter Tom Leonard in the 2026 sweepstakes for Governor.

Let me declare this entry into the fray as dead on arrival.

We were the first to report his bid Tuesday on my radio show just after Leonard took to social media to announce he was throwing his hat into the ring to try to become the Republican nominee.

His Facebook post included a nicely done video to introduce himself as a strong family man with conservative values. I give the video an A-plus.

I like him and I like his "family" man values. He also comes from a prominent family of business-minded parents who are pillars of the Montrose community. I've only met him a few times and he impressed me as a genuinely nice guy with a great personality. That's why I wasn't surprised when he rose to become Speaker of the House in 2016 after being first elected to serve residents of Clinton and Gratiot County in 2012 after leaving the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office as an assistant prosecutor there and moving away to DeWitt Township near Lansing.

But my A-plus grade on the introduction video? Just not for politics. In that arena, his video gets a failing grade.

I wish nice guys could get elected that way. But it doesn't work like that. First, he needs millions of dollars to buy better creative content and an investigator to dig up dirt on his opponents. Politics is a nasty game.

My listeners overwhelmingly rejected his initial gubernatorial campaign  message after it was aired on my radio show.

"Tell him to go visit his buddy Lee Chatfield in prison," said one harsh critic who rambled on about Leonard's alleged crooked pals in Lansing on the Republican side of the aisle.

Chatfield is another Republican who served as Speaker of the House after Leonard did for one term. He was bound over to stand trial recently with his wife on charges of  embezzlement, conspiracy and larceny for stealing funds Republican supporters donated to Chatfield's 501(c)(4) non-profit slush fund.  

Another listener texted, "Is something wrong with the water in Flint? First, Chris Swanson is delusional enough to think he can be Governor and now this guy thinks we will elect him because he is a good family man?"

Yet another said, "Sounds like a nice guy. But you know what they say about nice guys finishing last. Didn't he lose to Dana Nessel for Attorney General and then lose in his own primary next time?"

Leonard did lose by more than 100,000 votes to Dana Nessel in 2018 Michigan Attorney General race when term limited out at the time in the State House. Chatfield was one of his biggest campaign donors and it's impossible for opponents to ignore that apparent friendship with a guy crooked enough to be facing possible long prison sentences for public corruption with his own wife.

Leonard's own party wouldn't run let him run again against Nessel in 2022, going instead with a Lapeer lawyer named Matt DePerno. He was selected to run over Leonard and Ryan Berman at the state convention and then got backing from then former President Donald Trump and was clobbered by Nessel with a beating nearly four times worse than Leonard's loss to Nessel in 2018.

DePerno is the same guy Trump backed to run for a seat on the State Supreme Court in 2024. He filed to run while a bench warrant was out for his arrest when failing to show up for court because a judge wanted to see his personal finances after a civil judgment against him in a spat with a former legislator who had to step down in Lansing. DePerno eventually withdrew from the race amidst intense media attention that included complaints about his law work to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission.

DePerno was also hit with felony charges in a voting machine scandal where he was accused of essentially swiping the machine to prove his conspiracy theory that Trump really won in 2020. One listener said, "My own party picked a guy facing felony charges over Tom Leonard to run for Attorney General in 2022. Why are you wasting air time on telling us he now wants to be Governor. You should give yourself today's bushel of rotten apples for giving him any attention. You have the breaking news story first Mike because nobody else wants it. Tom Leonard couldn't even get elected against a complete zero like Dana Nessel and now he wants to be Governor. Give me a break."

Another self-described Republican quipped, "Hey, Governor? Um, I don't think so. Maybe Sheriff Swanson will give him a job driving his bus. That's about as close he's ever gonna get to Lansing again after his biggest donor when running for Attorney General was Lee Chatfield who is now headed to prison for stealing money earmarked for other Republicans around the state. I'm a Republican and I believe the party should take action to make sure nobody who was friends with Lee Chatfield can ever run for anything ever again."

Living down ties to Chatfield will be a tough hurdle to leap over. So, too, will be the fact th  

If everyone there kicked in $100,000 each, Tom Leonard would still be underfunded for a political fight at the state's highest level.

Mike Cox, Michigan's fist Republican Attorney General in some 50 years or so when he won more than 20 years ago in 2002, put up a million bucks of his own money for an exploratory campaign before making his bid "official" to replace Gretchen Whitmer. Yet Leonard's old boss at the AG office didn't get any notice in the first poll by Target Insyght for MIRS News.

Cox couldn't even hit one percent of likely voters who would pick him to be the next Governor. Neither could Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt or two other  fellow Republican hopefuls  — construction manager William Null of Barry County who couldn't even win a seat on his own township's board of trustees and Anthony Hudson of Grand Blanc Township. The local truck driver ran for U.S. Congress last August and lost 43,2025 to 5,821 to Grand Blanc Township's Paul Junge who went on to lose by a landslide to Democrat State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivett of Saginaw. Null and his twin brother were found not guilty with one other man in the 2020 plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer and kill her in a case that captuured national attention with some alleged participants currently in prison for up to 20 years.

 US Congressman John James of Oakland County was the only Republican name to move the needle in that first poll and he hadn't even announced yet that he was interested in running.

This isn't Cox's first bid for the state's top job. He finished third in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2010 behind Congressman Pete Hoekstra and businessman Rick Snyder who eventually won and served two terms before Whitmer was elected.

  Swanson is running on the Democrat side of things. The Sheriff from Fenton has been criss crossing the state since before the summer of 2023  when all but announcing he was taking  a shot at becoming Governor during an appearance on the PBS program Off The Record. He was at 3% in the first poll and Leonard insiders say Tuesday's announcement would have come sooner but Leonard's parents are strong supporters of Swanson, and he was simply "waiting for Swanson's campaign to fizzle out."

I have news for them though. Swanson is a passionate beast of self promotion who believes he can win despite what the polls tell us. His endless energy will fuel a run right up until the primary, and the Sheriff hasn't yet considered the idea of losing. My guess is that he's in it until the end. Yet I'm afraid 3% his ceiling. 

The way I see it, Swanson is about $20 million short of the $20 million he needs to become a serious candidate.

Ditto for Tom Leonard.

They're both nice guys. But these two nice guys are gonna finish almost last. They guy who allegedly tried to kidnap the Governor might even beat Leonard. Swanson's tireless travel, personal appearances and passion to win are despite his initial 3% polling number trailing James as well as three prominent fellow Democrats (Secretary of State Jocylyn Benson, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist and Attorney General Dana Nessel) and independent candidate Mike Duggan.

Front-runner Benson was at 42% in the first major poll, Duggan at 21%, Gilchrist at 12% and Nessel at 12%. Nessel hasn't declared she will run.

That's pretty shabby to trail someone who hasn't even declared she's a candidate!

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Never has one of my community newspapers endorsed a "no" vote when there's no organized opposition to a millage vote for a school district.

Seldom when there's been organized opposition have we endorsed against a school millage. Supporting education has simply always been paramount in our thinking because we believe it's a fundamental key to community development, promoting individual growth and strengthening the social fabric of the very community we live in as education empowers individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive, fosters critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and encourages civic engagement, leading to more active and informed communities. 

Education also helps create a more equitable society by providing opportunities for upward mobility and reducing inequalities in society.

So why are we opposing every millage on the ballot Tuesday across the Metro Flint regional area's local communities? 

It's not just the school millage proposals. It's the other ballot questions, too.

We oppose the very idea that elected leaders are now seemingly resorting to May elections to put such proposals up when fewer voters turn out to the polls, compared to elections in August and November. It's easier to get millage supporters to the polls to pass what you want approved if there's less opposition showing up.

Our thinking on the subject started back in February with comments critical of the Burton City Council voting to put a police millage on the ballot before voters there by City Councilman Steve Heffner.

Heffner is a man we endorsed every time he's run for office in his city until his last re-election. We found him on the wrong side of a mayoral election where former Burton police officers were opposing Mayor Duane Haskins in his re-election bid with one of the most despicable campaigns our community has ever witnessed. They were mad about Mayor Haskins trying to clean up the "good old boys" reputation of Burton's cops.

But give Councilman Heffner points for common sense on this May election thing.

It's now out of control. So out of control that it's time for the state legislature to step in and stop it. Elections are costly and we don't need more than two every year. One in August. One in November. That's enough.
 

Before voting against Burton's proposal last February to put a one-mill renewal on the May ballot, Councilman Heffner said he didn't like it because he considered these May elections as “sneaky” by elected officials. He said at the time from his council seat at a public meeting, “I think it’s a way to try to sneak through something without educating or giving the residents the opportunity to get educated on the issue. Nobody votes in May.”

And you wonder why we've heard so little about any of these elections? Well, let's face it. Don't talk about it and the "no" voters maybe won't find out you're trying to raise their taxes.

Burton needs its police millage money but we believe voters should send a strong message with a "no" vote to make their city's elected leaders start over. They should start with selling them on why and present facts to support the need, not a "sneaky" tax increase to borrow Councilman Heffner's line. We feel the same way about fire emergency vehicles Montrose Township wants voters to approve in Tuesday's special ballot proposal there.

As to the school proposals, we also urge "no" votes for the exact same reason in the Birch Run, Burton Bentley, Davison, Flint Kearsley, Montrose and Grand Blanc school districts.

The only other item on a local ballot in the Metro Flint regional area is in the City of Flint where voters will elect a new 3rd Ward member to the Flint City Council.

They've been without a representative since late September of last year when Quincy Murphy passed away just weeks ahead of a recall election to try to remove him from office.

His absence left the city council in a 4-4 deadlock between those who support Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley's agenda and those who fiercely oppose it. Dozens of 4-4 votes over picking a replacement for Murphy has left 3rd Ward representatives without a voice on the council for months despite the Flint City Charter mandating that an appointment be made within 30 days to serve in the interim until the next election date. 

The top two vote getters on Tuesday move on to a general election in August. We opined in this space last Sunday and on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio that we reluctantly endorse A.C. Dumas and Rich Jones over Lashawn Johnson and Beverly Biggs-Leavy. 

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Checking out tidbits from my notebook as I prepare for our 11 o'clock news:

MAKE THAT SPORTS AT 11: Our weeknight newscast at 11 o'clock is dedicated to 30 minutes of sports from the local, state and national scene on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio. Or you can tune into one of the local TV newscasts for two minutes of mispronounced names, incorrect team mascots, wrong winners during a presentation of stories you have already heard on our radio station, or my local morning program — The Morning Gazette Radio Show.

OUR LINEUP OF CCN RADIO NEWSCASTS: Get the latest in news and sports at the bottom of every hour from 8:30 am until 6:30 pm with 5-minute updates, except for 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm when presenting 10-minute reports dedicated to local news, state news, then world and national news. We go in-depth with the CCN News Wake-up Hour at 6:30 am, the CCN Morning News Hour at 9:30 am and the CCN Evening News Hour at 7 pm — followed by a 30-minute newscast known as the CCN News Final to cap off every weekday.

THE SPORTS NEWSCASTS: Our in-depth look at the sports world highlights ends every weeknight at 11 pm as stated above. We pick up the late scores with another 30-minute report at 5:30 am. There's also a 15-minute report at 4:30 pm every day as well as well as short sports within our 5-minute newscasts at the bottom of every hour from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm, and at 6:30 pm. 

PODCAST PUSH: Yes, yes, yes. We hear you. We're getting better at getting podcasts up at The Daily Gazette for Metro Flint News/Talk Radio listeners who miss a newscast.

MY SHOWS? Well, we've occasionally produced podcasts but not on a regular basis. Why? BECAUSE LISTENERS CAN SPEED THROUGH THE COMMECIALS! That's how we pay our staff. If any tech genius types out there know how to block people from scrolling past commercials let me know at (810) 771-8421. Once we figure out that part, we can post every broadcast replay for The Morning Gazette Radio Show, Michigan Sports Zone Show, Daily Gazette Sports Night Show and Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show.

WASTING NO TIME: Democrat Mallory McMorrow announced today that she's running for the seat Gary Peters doesn't want any more in the U.S. Senate. She wasted no time getting towork on raising money. Countless accounts of a text she sent to people across Michigan that read: "Today, I’m launching my campaign for the U.S. Senate. Point blank, we need new leaders in Washington who will call out the bull****. If you’re like me and you’re done with the BS coming from Washington, will you become a founding donor of my campaign today by contributing $50, $27, or even $7?"

NOT DISQUALIFYING? Can we really elect anyone who uses foul language in a text to raise money? Wow, how times have changed in our society. Pastors of yesteryear in my younger days would be so quick to rise up and demand she be thrown off the ballot for such a potty mouth. Oh wait, we didn't have texts in my younger days. Not to mention, she's not on the ballot yet.

CLASS ACT: Floyd Clack was, as the headline says on today's front page says: A "legend in community service." Our prayers go out to his family.

STOOPING PRETTY LOW: Using a death to help your politics is stooping as low as you can, in my opinion. Michael Clack noted on a Facebook post earlier tonight that Mayor Sheldon Neeley did it by cropping Michael out of a photo used by the city on a social media notice about Floyd Clack's passing. Bad, bad, bad. Mayor, you are a real loser.

NOT THE FIRST TIME: The little guy in the Mayor's office at Flint City Hall did the same thing with naming a building after Eric Mays. (See this week's Featured Column on Today's Front Page)

WRONG LOCATION: Send your calls for Prime Eight-Ten to be padlocked to the Prosecutor's office. I'm not in charge of that type of thing. And yes, I agree it was a bad move to call for a boycott by blacks of all businesses in Flushing over what happened down Pierson Road 5 miles away at Signature Chop House. (See Today's Front Page) We tried to clarify with Gus Tyler of Signature what relationship he has with Ray Tyler of Prime Eight-Ten but he didn't respond as you can read in our story.

REST IN PEACE BATMAN: Val Kilmer's portrayal of Bruce Wayne and Batman in the '90's makes him th e "real"  Batman to me. I just heard he passed away at age 65 from pneumonia. His roles in movies like The Doors, Top Gun and Batman showed his tremendous range and talent as an actor in a variety of genres from dramas, to comedies, to westerns. But it was Batman that made Val Kilmer a household name.

GO TIGERS: Hey, playing my favorite song "Go Get 'em  TIgers" on my morning show was the good luck charm to the exciting drive to the playoffs by last year's young Detroit TIgers against what seemed like almost unsurmountable odds. So for the non-sports fans who didn't like it that I did it Tuesday after the first victory of the year, well, that's part of the reason why I replayed it again yesterday. The Tigers didn't play today but count on hearing it on Friday morning as we prepare for the home opener at Comerica Park. If they start losing again, I will put it back in the closet.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HOLIDAY TALK? It was a few years ago that talk picked up steam in Lansing about enacting a new law to declare opening day for the Tigers in Detroit as a new statewide holiday. Why hasn't that happened yet? I bet all you Go Get e'm Tigers song party poopers would like my favorite song if it meant you got a paid day off work to celebrate opening day, eh? 

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms. 

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall marks his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Sunday, March 2, 2025

 My grandchild Stella did her first cheerleading competition solo on Saturday at the Lansing Event Center in the "Universal Cheerleading Experience" and won first place! Up next is in Florida against the best competition in all of the USA and Canada!!!

Her mom was a cheerleader at Grand Blanc, coached there and at Flint Powers Catholic and Flint Kearsley -- so it's safe to say I've seen dozens of big competitions. I admit I've never understood how they score these things.

But Saturday for the first time before they revealed the final scores, I knew my precious Stella won it all in a landslide with her amazing performance.

God answered my prayers a little over a year ago when I faced a serious operation with a life-saving kidney transplant. I remember being devastated when initially told the transplant didn't work as I lied there at UM in Ann Arbor in recovery for 15 days. I also admit I had tears in my eyes watching Stella yesterday as I remembered my friend Bob Carmack calling to pray with me every morning and every night. He urged me to fight to watch my grandchildren achieve great things in life, and prayed for God to deliver a miracle to enjoy their lives and get back to being on the radio to take down corrupt politicians.

Bob's pushy ways helped me focus on fighting when I was ready to give up when the initial bad news on the transplant came after 14 months in a torture chair at dialysis.

So let me send up a big thanks to Bob who is now in Heaven. It was a packed house but we wound up having a seat empty next to me as I sat in the front row with my wife and Stella's other grandparents. I felt the presence of Bob's soul sitting in that chair next to me.

I swear I could hear his voice saying, "Hey, don't thank me. Thank God buddy."

As it says somewhere in the Bible's book of Psalms: "He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! Thank You, Lord, for sending Your Word to heal us."

Read This Week's Featured Column

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2024

It's becoming easy to see which politicians you can trust to be on your side.

Only Commissioner Delrico Lloyd, chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, responded to our request for a comment after our breaking news special report Saturday night on Metro Flint News Talk Radio about a federal lawsuit alleging a cover-up by the Genesee County Sheriff's Department on rape allegations by a former ward of the court in the state foster care system at Whaley Children's Center in Flint. 

Lloyd said, "I am not aware of the details of a lawsuit against the sheriff other than some stuff I've seen on social media. No notification has come to my office. If and when it does unfortunately, I cannot as chair speak on pending litigation against the county or its officials. On most any other subject you know that we always speak candidly. When it comes to litigation I do not have the same liberty to discuss."

He didn't really say anything but it's a clear message to the public that he won't hide and ignore our questions  —  even when they're tough ones.

None of the other eight commissioners responded to our request for a comment on the federal lawsuit filed by Eric Thomas of Flint with the explosive allegations of sexual abuse at Whaley.

Thomas gave CCN a recording of Genesee County Under-Sheriff Michael Tocarchick refusing to take a police report after he says he was referred to the Sheriff's GHOST team by officials at the City of Flint Police Department and the State Police Post on Corunna Road in Flint Township.

You can hear the recording here presented within a podcast of Saturday's 10 pm special report.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also did not respond to multiple requests for a comment. She has been in the headlines with lawsuits being filed with other AG's against the Trump administration for various federal budget cuts. Thomas announced that he has a meeting tentatively set up with Trump to hear his story at his Mar-Lago estate in Florida.

In additional explosive allegations, our team at The Dail y Gazette and Metro Flint New/Talk Radio have spent the last three days uncovering numerous other serious accusations tied to missing girls on the east side of Flint. In fact, today's Morning Gazette Radio Show revealed one incident on Sunday night where a man and his wife acted to possibly save the life of a woman claiming she was being kidnapped. 

We also revealed other allegations that millions of dollars in missing money have been identified between the state and our county in the foster care system.

New County Treasurer Sam Muma did not respond to our request for a comment about alleged missing money tied to the state foster care system and our county. Long-time Treasurer Deb Cherry, who retired at the end of the year, also did not respond to our request for a comment. After our show aired, she sent a "thumbs up" sign via Messenger.

I'm not sure what that means except that she doesn't want to answer questions about missing money, or she's glad we're looking into it for taxpayers? 

The allegations were leveled by a Fenton man who claims to have worked on the forensic audit several years ago at Enron which led to one of the worst criminal financial crimes in American history. 

I'm not sure if he really worked on exposing the Enron scandal. I spent an hour Saturday morning being confused by his rambling accusations and forensic accounting talk.

Boring. That's why I became a journalist instead of a forensic accountant, although my own expertise in this area has helped many of my advertisers and consulting clients over the years. I'm intelligent enough to follow his deciphering of the numbers and his allegations of how missing money was disguised in the system.

That's why I went to the current Treasurer and the old Treasurer.

That's why I reached out to all the county commissioners. They're charged with voting in all this spending of our tax dollars. Millions of dollars.

The Fenton accuser, that's my nickname for him for now while he hides in safety with a little-known Facebook page, assures us he isn't done showing how the Michigan foster care system has become a cash cow for alleged crooked politicians and their friend lining their pockets while abusing children in the process.

The "accuser" met with our CCN team and showed what he claimed to be evidence of about $100 million in missing money tied to children entering the foster care system as a number on spreadsheets, yet disappearing from actual care while payments continue to flow to non-profit organizations as the county collects separate federal dollars for children he says are missing.

The man says a wrongful arrest for child support led to his research into what he called financial irregularities in the local accounting system at Genesee County Friend of the Court. He said that led him to investigate and examine the books on our state's foster care system.

CCN has also learned from multiple sources that 36 other victims of sexual assaults at Whaley in Flint have been meeting over the past two weeks with prominent lawyers at Feiger Law in Southfield. Since Saturday's story, other victims like Thomas have reached out to us. Thomas posted a video on his social media Facebook page yesterday of a former Whaley staff member alleging he witnessed abuse of children while working there. He also made claims of a staff member getting pregnant from a foster care boy and another staff member sending the same young man naked photos of herself. Both acts would be felony crimes with under-age minors. No comment from Whaley President and CEO Mindy WIlliams or any of her board members reached by e-mail. 

Worst of all, one of the board members we contacted via e-mail was Matt Franklin of WJRT ABC TV 12. If a media guy knew about these felony assaults on children at Whaley, why wasn't it all over TV 12 news?

Hiding behind a board member status doesn't fly with me. If he knew, quit your board member position and blast it to the world via your media reach. And how on earth could good board members not know?

Funny how guys like Matt Franklin can be in the media business, yet not respond to questions from other media members when they're part of the news story.

Read Related Story on Today's Front Page:

Lawsuit filed against Genesee County Sheriff's Department with allegations of covering up rapes at Whaley

Read Sunday's Editor's Notebook Column:

Allegations on Sheriff Swanson don't make them true but one thing for sure; he needs to fire employee on tape ignoring rape report 

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2024

"Water Bob" will go down as one of the more memorable characters in the annals of my 50 years of being a journalist.

Bob Stewart passed away on Tuesday.

A successful businessman who lived in Fenton, he was better known as a scientist and a community activist during his last couple decades on this earth.

Some political enemies pooh-poohed his science.

Some just thought of him as a nut.

Others intently listened to whatever "facts" he was spewing about whatever topic was on his mind. Those who listened found out he was a pretty brilliant scientist who could have likely got more done on important issues he was passionate about  —  if only he didn't let his partisan politics get in the way of making friends. 

He bled "Republican" and wanted so passionately to change the world around to understand his way of thinking  on numerous topics.

It was an understatement to say he was a little rough around the edges in the art of getting his point across to change the mind of someone who questioned his wisdom. Anybody who ever saw Bob go off on someone who didn't agree with his views can testify to how he desperately lacked any qualities of gentility and suaveness necessary to be a politician.

Maybe that's why he ran for office umpteen times and never came close a single time.

He flopped at a mayoral bid in Flint many years ago after taking issue with how Jim Rutherford was ignoring maintenance on the city's water plant.

"Bob Stewart ran against me twice," said Jeff Wright — Genesee County Drain Commissioner since 2000 and an assistant under previous long-time leader Tony Ragnone. "He ran a lot more times against Tony Ragnone and Ken Hardin. I didn't really know him personally and my condolences go out to his family. But what did I think of him? He's left with a legacy of leading us to use the Flint River by convincing state officials, the mayor (Dayne Walling) and the council to switch the city's (drinking) water source, and we all know what that caused."

Water Bob saw his role differently.

"They needed a scapegoat," he once said on my radio show. "Some want to pick me because I was vocal on using the Flint River. I could go in the middle of a cesspool water source with s*** in it, and clean the water up to drink it. They switched to the Flint River in the city when they didn't have qualified management at the plant, they didn't have the proper equipment or the knowledge necessary to do what needed to be done. They were not ready to pump water out of that plant, yet they did to save money. This kind of thing would never have been allowed to happen in Bloomfield Hills or Grand Blanc. They did it in a poor city. They killed people to save some money."

 He indeed wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

Inventing a little gadget you see in grocery stores that rotates around, spraying water on fruits and vegetables gave him a comfortable life, he told me many times.

He even talked about it on my radio show once when again "telling on" Flint and state officials for improperly switching to the Flint River, saying, "I don't need anybody's money, so they can't control me and shut me up. They could have used the Flint River but they needed millions of dollars in investment in the city water plant to make it happen. They didn't even bother to spend a few thousand bucks for corrosion control."

Some experts say that's exactly why lead leaked into water lines across the city in the worst man-made disaster in American history — poisoning an entire city of 100,000 people at the time.

Bobbie Walton Clayton, a Democrat activist from Davison, once ran for the state legislature and met the wrath of Bob Stewart during a luncheon speaking appearance in front of an audience of Flint Area Chamber of Commerce members.

He sat quietly listening to her rather liberal views that so differed from his own. He scribbled notes on a napkin, then suddenly rose to his feet and began shouting insults at her as she began talking about her strong pro choice stance on abortion.

"Baby killer! Baby killer! You need to get out of this restaurant right now," he shouted. "How can you stand here in front of all these business owners and spew this garbage you want us to pay for with our tax dollars, then admit you are nothing more than a stupid baby killer."

Long-time Grand Township Supervisor Mikki Hoffman was seated right next to me once at a Flint Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast event when Bob inserted himself into our conversation to let her know he didn't think she belonged in the room.

"You are trying to brainwash one of the good Republican communities left in this county with all your nonsense and Democrat stupidity," he shouted. "You tax people out of your township and have a  lot of nerve to show your face here with business people."

Bob asked her to leave.

Several others invited Bob to go away.

I remember my friend Frank Kasle once saying, "If we sent this guy over to the middle east to negotiate a peace treaty, they would send his body back to us in a box with a bullet in his head."

Very uncharacteristic of Frank who recently passed away. I can't remember another instance of someone getting under his skin so badly as I told him a few days after Bob Stewart's arguing  triggered Frank into a screaming match.

"Arguing? That wasn't arguing. That was an attack," he countered in his own defense.

Frank was a strong Democrat. He served many years on the Flint Township Board of Trustees where his old law partner, David Leyton, got his start in local politics as Township Clerk en route to eventually spending nearly two decades now as Genesee County Prosecutor.

Frank regularly attended Saturday morning breakfasts and Wednesday night dinners with community leaders for a couple decades. He always used facts, tact, class and dignity to express his side of an argument.

He eventually uncharacteristically blew up on Bob Stewart as note above after he had crashed a breakfast without getting an invitation, launching into a tirade about how dumb he thought Frank was for liking a position President Obama had pushed.

He jokingly turned to fellow Flint Township Trustee Geroge Menoutes and asked if it was possible to pass an ordinance to "keep this absolute nut job out of Flint Township."

Bob could have that kind of effect on people.   

I think it was his idea of fun.

Let me close by sharing a poem posted in his obituary. 

Bob's poem from his porch watching the activity of a tree, written 9/8/23: "Every day we see every atom having electrons we cannot define  — certainty where or when they are at specific space.  How can we understand a world where uncertainty drives time. Nor can we determine, nor predict, future, other than theory  —  the sum of all past memories, some forgotten, other than it was my time. "

 Relevant thoughts to ponder today. God Bless.

Read This Week's Featured Column

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025

Independent journalist Dave Bondy was the first local media source to report it last night. We made it known on today's Morning Gazette Radio Show on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio.

I tried first to confirm the report by WLNS TV 6's TIm Skubick. He's a veteran reporter and his story said he had confirmed that Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson would make it official tomorrow that he's running as a Democrat for Governor of Michigan in 2026.

Sheriff Swanson, one of the best in local political circles to quickly return texts, didn't reply to my text last night about the validity of the report by the Lansing TV station. That's why I decided to go with it.

Normally it would be classified as a rumor out of Lansing in my book. Trusting reporters isn't always a good idea because they get it wrong almost as often as they get stories right in today's age of how budget cuts have decimated news rooms. 

But Tim Skubick has been around a long time. Probably longer than the 50 years I've been a journalist.

And Sheriff Swanson said it without saying it. 

If he didn't reply to my text, yes it was true. So I said so on my radio show.

After my radio show aired, Sheriff Swanson sent an invitation to his "private event" tonight at 5:30 pm. I won't say where it is because maybe he doesn't want any political enemies to crash it.

Many prominent local Republicans who once adored Sheriff Swanson have now abandoned him in mass after he entered the national political scene. He did a commercial for President Joe Biden on national TV during the famous debate that led to Biden's departure from his campaign to be re-elected. Then Sheriff Swanson took the stage on national TV at the Democrat convention to support VP Kamala Harris in her failed bid to beat Donald Trump.

So Republican leaders around here are telling their fellow Republicans he's a bad guy who has gone against their man Donald Trump.

Then there all the people arrested by his Sheriff's Department. Plus all the employees who don't like their boss. Or who don't work there anymore.

Yeah, Sheriff Swanson has enemies.

As Winston Churchill once said: "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."

In the last few hours since my radio show and after last night's post on social media by Dave Bondy, I've now read hundreds of comments about Sheriff Swanson. The good and bad? About even.

Those who like him rave about his passion for life. They like how his IGNITE program has helped educate and prepare prisoners to enter the work force to cut down on recidivism, causing the program that start at his county jail to catch on in other communities across our state and across America. They like his GHOST task force that has worked with the  likes of national celebrity child predator catcher Chris Hansen to take down dozen of predators around our parts over the last five years since he became Sheriff. He was appointed late in the final term of former long-time Sheriff Robert Pickell, then elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. Many supporters of Swanson worried if he could campaign, yet he became one of the most popular people to ever win county-wide office.

Those who don't like him say he's never met a TV camera he doesn't like. They say he's "pretend" with his "passion act" over every subject under the sun. They say his "political act" is fueled by fake passion when he "really doesn't care about anything except promoting Chris Swanson."

One notable comment I spotted on social media was from community activist Art Woodson of Flint. I'd summarize Woodson's DNA as stone cold "never meeting a politician he likes" anywhere. He doesn't trust any of them and says so on his popular Facebook Live videos. He posted praise earlier today, however, for Sheriff Swanson, saying, "If you need help, all you have to do is ask him."

I judge it this way. School officials say he's the same Chris Swanson when dealing with little kids. People tell me they meet him at the grocery store or somewhere in the community, and he's always high on life. He's a guy who is the real deal when it comes to being a motivational speaker. He wears his Christian faith on his sleeve and isn't shy about expressing it. He's passionate about everything he does, including being a five-time Iron Man champion.

He shows up to give pep talks to sports teams heading out for big games on the statewide stage. He reminds them how they represent our community and how so many little kids are looking up to them as role models. Even former national championship football Coach Jim Harbaugh invited Sheriff Swanson to address his troops. His message was so good that I added part of it to the open to my weeknight sports show. 

Sheriff Swanson challenged a whole team of soon-to-be national champs to a push-up contest that particular day —  same as he once did in Flint at historic Atwood Stadium when he joined a press conference a few years ago by long-time Judge Duncan Beagle to reveal eight prep football teams playing in the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic on the turf later that fall.

All the stars of these local high school teams took him up on the challenge. They failed to beat him just like the UM stars would later do.

As the prep players were dropping like flies, he was yelling and shouting at them as he suddenly switched to one-handed push-ups with an occasional spin around in the air to let them know nobody was beating him.

When these candidates for Governor line up, I'm predicting right now he's going to be figuring out how to beat them the same way. He has more personality and passion in his little finger than any of the names so far being mentioned as competitors.

Before they waste any time and money getting serious about running, I'd suggest they sit down for a few minutes to meet Chris Swanson. Unless they are idiots, one conversation should convince them they have absolutely no chance.

I think Swanson has God on his side, too. That's where he says all his passion come from, according to many who tell me they know his Christian, boy scout attitude is the real deal.

If he's consistently showing the same passion everywhere, you can't call it fake.

I like the one comment I read today defending Sheriff Swanson's passionate approach to everything. The one describing him as simply "high on life." As you can see above and you heard on my radio show today, I've adopted it as my own. If it's used enough times, hey, it's mine.

Chris Swanson first came on my radar in 2009 when I heard him speak at a campaign event for Brenda Clack when she was running for mayor in Flint. He was indeed high on life that day, and every day I've ever talked to him since that first time I shook his hand to tell him what a fantastic speaker he was, surprising me by knowing my name because he had "seen me around the Sheriff's office."

I remember later telling then Sheriff Pickell, "This captain guy of yours is destined for bigger things if he ever decides to get into politics. He's a powerful speaker with a powerful message of hope and faith."

Sheriff Pickell said, "If he ever set his mind to it, Chris Swanson has what it takes to become President of the United States."

I thought at the time, this guy is the kinda guy I'd like to see in the White House some day.

Maybe that's next after a stop at the State House. 

Swanson has been running for Governor for a while now although he has stopped short of ever making it official. He went from a deputy at age 18, to Captain to Under-Sheriff, to Sheriff at age 47. He's now 51.

Catapulting to the national stage during the most recent Presidential race was done while also appearing in commercials to help fellow Democrat Kristin McDonald-Rivett win a seat in Congress to replace retiring Flint Township Rep. Dan Kildee. He did commercials, too, to support Gretchen Whitmer in her re-election bid for Governor of our state as well as promoting Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in her successful re-election bid in 2022.

All that came after he rose to national prominence with his GHOST team and his IGNITE program, as well as how he first burst onto the national scene in 2020 during the protests and riots by Black Lives Matter after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. He was a black man killed by a white police officer.

When the protests spread to Genesee County, Sheriff Swanson and other officers lined up near the Flint Township Police Department. They were prepared for the kind of trouble like in nearby Detroit where riots broke out in the streets.

Swanson asked protesters what they wanted. One reply was simple. "March with us!"

He then removed his riot gear and asked fellow officers to do the same. "Let's walk," he demanded. It was a scene that was seen on TV screens across the county as they marched alongside demonstrators down Miller Road. Swanson said at the time a different response was planned, but later told national media: “As I was walking up, I thought, there’s got to be a better way.”

By the summer of 2023, Swanson had bought a passenger bus and wrapped it with a big photo of himself and his slogan: "Walk with us!"

He said he was using it to promote IGNITE as he crisscrossed the state to talk at schools and big events.

That obviously led to expectations that he wanted to be Governor in 2026.

At 5:30 pm somewhere today in Genesee County, expect it to become true when he makes an official announcement.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2024

Leah Davis spent more than a year at war with Mundy Township Attorney Jack Belzer.

That was as a citizen opposing the proposed Mega Site in her township.

Now, she's armed with a title as Township Trustee when announcing another war she's ready to wage again Mr. Belzer.

Davis claims Belzer ignored an obvious conflict when allowing board members to vote 5-2 to hire lawyer Nancy Chinonis to do an investigation into an incident over non-disclosure documents she wanted to see relating to the controversial Mega Site in her township. She alleges they are between the Flint & Genesee Group and Mundy Township officials. Chinonis works for the firm that has a partner by the name of Tim Knecht. He's the lawyer for Flint & Genesee Group President & CEO Tim Herman.

Herman owns a private LLC that now owns more than 1,100 acres in the 1,300-acre Mega Site that borders Linden Road, Elms Road, Jennings Road and Maple Road. Guess who the registered agent was when Herman filed paperwork to set up his private LLC? It was none other than TIm Knecht.

  That's bad enough for Davis. What's worse, she now claims Belzer allowed board members to  violate state law and Mundy Township's own policy on how employee complaints are deemed worthy to be investigated in the first place.

He sat mute during the entire discussion about an investigation after a lengthy tirade by Township Manger Chad Young who called for one at the Jan. 20 board meeting. He complained of being under attack by his own board members, saying he has had "mental" problems over all the stress and says his wife was now scared for his family's saftey because the administrator of a Facebook page (Don Ludwig) showed up at his house when he wasn't home.

Ludwig says he was trying to serve a  subpoena on Young for Trustee Davis.

Young alleged during his public tirade that his wife and four kids were in fear because Ludwig appeared to have a gun behind his back when knocking on their door.

Ludwig has a pretty good witness to back up his story that he didn't threaten Young's wife or try to scare her. He says an off-duty police officer was with him. (See Related Story on Today's Front Page)

"He wasn't at his office so I went to his home to serve the subpoena there," said Ludwig who has gone to the State Police, Metro Police Authority and the FBI over what he describes as subsequent social media threats from Young's father-in-law.

Ludwig read the social media threat, foul language and all, at the Jan. 27 board meeting during public comment. Young issued no comment when it was his turn to make a report toward the end of the meeting.

Meanwhile, what Trustee Davis insists is an illegal investigation is going into how she has "made him seek mental help over bullying him" in what she says was an obvious stunt to set up a lawsuit.

But the fact she says his version of her and newly-elected Supervisor Jennifer Arrand Stainton being in the parking lot at Mundy Township Hall to "bully" him at his job can be set straight by a video recording of the incident captured by Stainton.

"I was in the passenger seat and I tried to talk nicely to him but he wasn't having it," she said. "He came charging straight for our vehicle and just went off on us. At the right time, I will release the tape and people can see for themselves who the bully is at Mundy Township."

I've reviewed the video recording.

My recommendation would be immediate dismissal from his job.

If my wife had a man come at her car and talk to her that way, I'd need bail money.

Let's just say they're conducting an investigation into the wrong events.

Using tax dollars to do it, too.

After seeing the video, Stainton and Davis were invited to a weekly meeting of community leaders to tell their story.

I'd invite Chad Young to a future meeting but I'm not sure he would be safe. Despite an average age close to mid 80's, our group of community leaders includes businessmen who were former Golden Gloves boxers and star athletes before making their mark in business. I might need bail money for punching a guy in the nose for coming at my wife, but some  of these guys are still in great shape physically and might need prominent defense lawyer Frank Manley's help after getting finished roughing up a man who dared to talk that way to any woman.

Attorney Belzer put Davis through an exercise of frustration when it was his duty under the law to set Young straight on NDA's. He can't say he didn't realize it, because I put it on the record on my radio show and to him at a board meeting from the public comment podium last summer when the ordeal just had begun.

Belzer ignored me. He had a case to win.

I wonder how much money he put in his pocket from Mundy Township taxpayers to beat a citizen without a lawyer? A citizen who had every right to see what she wanted to see.

The law works this way. If Belzer or Young scribble on a napkin in the township office, residents have a right to see it. Taxpayers paid for the napkin, the ink pen and the office they're sitting in. 

Yeah, Davis lost in court.

I told her she would lose because you don't go to court without a lawyer. I read her complaint and deemed it frivolous as a judge later ruled. She didn't cite case law or properly convey the merits of why she was allowed what she wanted to see. 

So last time she went to war with Belzer, she took him to court without a lawyer and was embarrassed.

Now, she's smarter.

. This time, she vows to turn to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission to possibly get his law license suspended along with trying to get the Michigan Attorney General's attention with possible criminal charges.

It adds to an already bad 2025 for Belzer.

I took him apart last month in this space and on my radio show. He was even given my "bushel of rotten apples" on the radio show — an honor reserved for public officials who disgust me. I've been doing it for decades, now on my radio show but for many years dating back to my days as an award-winning columnist for the old FAME Newspapers chain of 14 community newspapers that once reached 86,000 homes every week.

Belzer also had a bad night in Flushing Township at the last meeting of its trustees, too.

Amanda Odette, Burton's city attorney, was trying to get the job to represent Flushing Township. She listed Belzer as an associate who sometimes fills in to assist when special meetings or other conflicts may arise. In addition to her role in Burton where she has served many years, she has now dedicated her practice to municipal law. She's also the chief legal counsel for the City of  Mt. Morris, City of Montrose, Genesee Township and Montrose Township. She has also served as an assistant in Fenton Township and Monitor Township.

Nice credentials.

Except for that part about putting Belzer's name in her presentation and including his resume, according to Flushing Township Trustee Bill Bain.

Trustee Bain immediately questioned why his resume was included, asking Odette about it.

 “I’ve attended meetings in Mundy Township, and the way he conducted himself toward the residents was unsatisfactory. He was belligerent, That’s my issue.” 

Bain was there to see about the Mega Site that was initially billed as bringing thousands of jobs with an advanced manufacturing plant that state officials have approved giving more than $269 million of our state tax dollars to support.

Mind you, nobody has told us who the buyer is or what the business plan is to make this happen.

Not then. Still not as of today.

That's why Davis filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to find out about what was in certain Non-Disclosure Agreements she learned had been signed by her township's top officials.

By law, they should have been turned over.

In fact, a 37-page opinion in 2020 by the Michigan Supreme Court made it clear in Bizzio vs. Clarkston that such NDA's with developers are not permitted. The ruling shouted loud and clear to every city and township official across our state that such moves violate the Michigan Open Meetings Act of 1977.

Yet, here was Jack Belzer making Leah Davis go to court to try to get her hands on certain NDA's she wanted to see.

She tells me that Township Manager Chad Young eventually seemed willing to comply except that he wanted to redact out names she obviously wanted to see, and he didn't want her to see.

While citizens and community activists have told me they've never paid more than $15 to see documents after FOIA requests, Davis showed me a bill for almost $600 from Young.

"He's the highest paid township employee and the law says they must use the lowest paid employee to fulfill a FOIA request," she said before going to court. She didn't use an attorney and lost.

Some of her enemies tried to turn that into a victory when the real story here is that as explained above, she was right and they were wrong. She just needed to spend thousands on an attorney to prove it.

Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Brian Pickell probably should have smacked Davis with court fees and ordered her to pay for damages to her township for bringing a "frivolous" case into his court room.

But he showed mercy, even letting her talk in court. He dismissed the case, but he didn't slap big fines on her when I'm pretty sure any other local judge would have likely assessed her with $10,000 to $15,000 in damages.

Maybe we should invite Judge Pickell to sit with our group of community leaders.

Nah, I'd rather hope one of my friends draw him as their judge if they decide to teach a lesson to a bully and need to call Frank Manley as suggested above. If Judge Pickell sat at a weekly breakfast or weekly dinner with them, he would be required to recuse himself. 

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Friday, Jan. 17, 2025

It's time to classify meetings of the Mundy Township Board of Trustees as the newest clown show in the Metro Flint regional area.

Last Monday night in Mundy Township was the worst-run board or council meeting I've witnessed in my 50 years as a journalist.

Our old Flint friend, the late Eric Mays, was famous for his "point of order" and "point of information" interruptions when his colleagues broke the law on the Flint City Council. 

I kept waiting for Eric Mays to come down from Heaven to strangle the new township supervisor (Jennifer Arrand Stainton)  and her township attorney — Jack Belzer.

Stainton is new, so we can excuse her for not upholding the township charter and laws of the State of Michigan as she swore to do when taking her oath of office. She tells me she went to a seminar that was put on by the Michigan Township Association and she plans to pick up some special training soon from a local expert parliamentarian to better chair over chaos that keeps erupting in her board room.

But her township attorney? He has a law license and they pay him to sit at the table with board members in Mundy Township.

Yet the only time Belzer opened his mouth Monday night was to suggest something to the effect of how Nancy Chinonis was well qualified and came from a good firm. I think I'm gonna call him "Head Clown" out there from now on. That's gonna be my new radio show nickname for him until I make sure the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission yanks his law license.

In my opinion, that should be his penalty.

An expert parliamentarian looked over a three-page list of rules within Mundy Township's charter, and deemed it an absolute train wreck. They don't even use Roberts Rules of Order, but made up their own goofy rules that don't begin to prevent chaos if arguments and disagreements occur.

Back to attorney Chinonis. 

She was hired earlier in the meeting last week as a labor lawyer to do an investigation into how Township Manager Chad Young claimed a vicious, nasty campaign was being led against him by Supervisor Stainton and her fellow newly-elected board member — Trustee Leah Davis. He was allowed to ramble on for nearly 20 minutes with a laundry list of slanderous statements.

We will get to that part shortly.

But first, back to Belzer. Leah Davis, before she was elected, wanted to see certain non disclosure agreements (NDA's) allegedly signed by township officials. Chad Young didn't give them to her when she filed a FOIA request to see them. He instead gave her a bill of nearly $600.

As local community activist Jerry Roberts noted, he has been filing FOIA requests in other local municipalities to see documents for years. "The most I've ever been charged is $15," he revealed.

Young wanted to be paid for redactions on the documents. What good is that?

Davis went to court over it and lost because she didn't use a lawyer. She's lucky that the judge (Judge Brian Pickell) didn't fine her a bunch of money because it was a frivolous filing. State law calls that wasting the court's time.

But she wanted Young there after Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) officials were clear that no NDA's should have been used to hide public documents. A 2020 ruling by the State Supreme Court in Bizzio vs. Clarkston included a 37-page opinion upholding the 1976 Michigan Open Meetings Act. The case centered around village officials in Clarkston hiding documents with a developer from the public. The NDA's Leah Davis wants to see? Same thing. 

I told Belzer about it on my radio show and from the public comment podium last summer at a Mundy Township board meeting, yet he sat mute although putting on a rather comical bobbing of his head as I shouted laws to him that should have been looked up.

The Michigan Press Association stepped in to take over the Bizzio case, and took it to the highest court in the mitten state to prove a point. The 37-page opinion by the top court was a strong message to township attorneys and city attorneys not to play games with what the law requires them to hand over. Basically, if there's a piece of paper on a public official's desk with scribbling on it — you can see it. The public official works for the taxpayers and they own the piece of paper.

Community activist Roberts, a frequent speaker at local board meetings, lives near the proposed Mega Site and told me: "I loved it when you went after Belzer. It was kinda like a boxer taking shots over and over the way he was bobbing his head back every time you cited a law to him!"

One law in particular was how public speakers get three minutes to comment on items noted in "red"  on the agenda, then five more minutes to address the board about any other issue later in the meeting. One such item I used to rise to speak was a report by the Metro Police Authority Chief Matt Bade.

But when I started talking to Belzer about it, then Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler basically told me to sit down and shut up because I was "out of order."

The law is on my side. I wasn't out of order. If Chief Bade had something to talk about on that particular night, it was a protest led by Stainton that his officers shut down during the previous week outside a political fundraiser for Ketzler. Bade's officers violated state law which bans patrols on private roads where most of his department's cop cars were buzzing around to keep away protesters from Ketzler's cozy gathering at a restaurant inside the Gateway Center complex. 

Belzer ignored my warnings.

Kinda the same way he ignored perhaps more than 50 violations of Roberts Rules of Order last Monday night. Wait. My source the expert local parliamentarian reviewed a tape of the meeting and cited numerous violations of state law, reminding me that they can't violate Roberts Rules of Order because they don't bother to use it.

I'm firing off lawyer letters to everybody who violated state law. That would be Belzer, Young and every board member.

So we can't go into specifics about any of that just yet. Let's first see how they respond.

But let me explain this in simple terms about one law that needs to reach the State Attorney General's desk for review right away.

Chinonis works for Tim Knecht's law firm in Flint.

She may be a fine lawyer as Belzer says. I worked with her on a case by a former local supervisor when she worked for another law firm and wasn't real impressed. Let's borrow a line from Donald Trump and just note how I, too, don't like losers.

But good or not, she now works for Knecht's firm.

Before being elected, Leah Davis wanted to see those DNA's. She still wants to see them and Young went on a nearly 20-mintue tirade last Monday about how Davis and Supervisor Stainton have led a crusade against him that has caused him to mental problems and fear for what they might do to his wife and four kids. He said they have broken laws. He demanded an investigation be led by Chinonis.

So the board voted to do it. They voted to hire her.

So her boss, Knecht, is the guy who represents Tim Herman's private LLC that owns 1,029 acres of land within the controversial Mega Site. In fact, he was the Registered Agent when the LLC was formed. Herman was the only owner identified.

Herman is also President & CEO of the non-profit organization known as the Flint & Genesee Group that convinced our state's governor to give $29 million to his company's arm known as the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance to build an advanced manufacturing plant on the Mega Site.

A plant most don't want out there as evidenced by Stainton ousting the old Supervisor in November, along with three others she endorsed who won seats on the board.

So now an investigation by a lawyer who works for Herman's law firm?

Don't you think Belzer should have cried foul?

Or maybe shouted "CONFLICT OF INTEREST" as I'm gonna do to law enforcement?

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Friday, Jan. 10, 2025

Flint Township's Fire Chief wanted a sweetheart deal, was rejected, resigned, wanted to take it back and was then left holding his hose, so to speak.

Brett Beckley's request to rescind Monday night's (Jan. 6, 2025) resignation fell on deaf ears at a special meeting Thursday of the Flint Township Board of Trustees. They voted 5-2 to accept his resignation that was submitted about 60 hours earlier.

It came immediately after the board rejected his request to get a four-month leave to attend classes for police training. Prior to the 6-1 vote, residents took turns blasting Beckley's thinking about getting paid to further his own resume. Residents told the board that training him in law enforcement would be an absolute zero in benefit for Flint Township taxpayers.

When the meeting ended on Monday night, Beckley promptly marched up to Flint Township Supervisor Karyn Miller and presented her with a letter of resignation. He was seen becoming emotional in the hallway afterward when talking with supporters  — stopping in mid-sentence to hold a hand over his eyes and then bolting from the building with an immediate exit. 

"He's crazy to think that way," said resident Dave Huffman who was among those speaking out against Beckley's proposal to get paid while taking classes for a four-month period. From the public speaker podium, Huffman invited Beckley to "move on down the road" to another job.

Huffman, a retired car salesman, pitched it to me this way: "If I went to my boss and told him I had my eye on a better job but needed him to pay me four months while I take some classes to get qualified, he would have looked me in the eye and said good luck to you Dave but you don't work here any more."

It's bad enough that Beckley's salary package of more than $100,000 per year from Flint Township taxpayers allowed him to spend Tuesdays at his part-time job over at Bishop Airport.

We might add here that Bishop Airport wants its future public safety officers to become cross trained as both firemen and law enforcement officers. Perhaps Beckley had his eye on some day getting the top job there?

As an employee of Bishop Airport, rumor has it they agreed to pick up the tab to send him to school to get law enforcement training. Beckley wanted to use vacation time he had stored up with personal days from his Fire Chief gig. That's what happens when promoting from within to choose a Fire Chief from the ranks of the union members. How does someone on salary get so many personal days? Going over 40 hours? Salary means 100 hours if necessary at almost any private sector management position in this county.

What's worse than allowing him to work part-time at Bishop Airport while hauling in a big salary for a full-time job is how the civil service requirements restrict choices for Flint Township board members on picking a replacement for Beckley. The civil service garbage in Flint Township should be reversed at the next meeting. Any board member who opposes it should be tossed out of office on their ear.

In fact, forget such requirements. Flint Township has a pretty smart guy as police chief. Make him the "Super Chief" in charge of administrative duties for both the police department and fire department. Beckley said it himself on Monday night that most of his duties are administrative in nature when asked how his department would deal with his absence when there have been so many cries of being short handed on firemen to fight fires.

Other very good fire chiefs around the Metro Flint regional area are making lots less money while doing lots more with their city or township funding for fighting fires.

They can also be seen on almost EVERY fire scene. 

Burton Fire Chief Kurt Wilkinson is only paid $72,000 to manage a much better fire department. Brian Flewelling's salary to serve the Davison community is way below what Chief Beckley was paid in Flint Township, too.

Flewelling, sworn in last week as a new member of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, manages the Davison-Richfield Fire Department which serves Davison Township, Richfield Township and the City of Davison. Flewelling, past President of the Genesee County Fire Chiefs Association, has lots more fires to deal with than Flint Township's department and handles them with lots less money in his budget by depending on a volunteer fireman philosophy.

He's Davison through and through. You can probably offer him double what Chief Beckley was being paid, and my guess is that Flewelling would likely stick to his community.

Maybe that's the difference. My guess is that probably nobody in the student body at Flint Carman-Ainsworth High School knows who Chief Beckley is while everybody at Davison High School knows Chief Flewelling. Heck, he's so popular that he won a seat on the county board of commissioners.

Beckley pushed a millage to hike taxes last winter by 4 mills to hire more firemen. He couldn't get elected as dog catcher now in Flint Township. By the way, he does not live in Flint Township. He lives in Flushing. Maybe that explains the disconnect he's had with recruiting firemen for his volunteer ranks.

He was hired as Flint Township Fire Chief in late January of 2022 after joining the department as a fireman in 2019. Beckley was promoted to sergeant, fire marshal and interim assistant chief before getting the top job. Prior to that, he was a fireman in Flushing.

Beckley is only 34 and by all accounts, I'm told he's a "very knowledgeable" and well qualified Fire Chief as well as being a genuinely nice guy and good family man.

But walking out on an important job without notice? Pushing a 4 mill tax hike to hire more firemen for a department rather famous for sending out fire trucks and lots of firemen to accident scenes, or to supply "lifts" for elderly or large folks who fall down in their driveways?

I'm guessing his Fire Chief career is over in Genesee County. Who would want to hire a Fire Chief with baggage like that? He's a social media star and let's just summarize the comments into saying the general classification is to place him in the "stupid politician" class. Sad when considering how everyone tells me he's a smart young guy when it comes to the fire department biz. Only one Fire Chief in Genesee County makes more than him, and that's in the City of Flint. 

I've owned an advertising agency for more than 30 years but I'd tell my staff to reject his request to help out with PR to repair his public image. Free advice? I'd tell him to issue a statement blasting the sole board member who voted to let him take four months off on the township's dime — Tom Klee.

If I were asked to prepare him a statement to repair his image? How about this: "After talking with community leaders with much wisdom, I'd like to apologize for being misled by Tom Klee and former Trustee King who represent all taxpayers — not just union members. Hire me and I will stick to fighting fires with whatever budget I'm blessed to get from the board or council who answer to the taxpayers. I hereby promise to stay out of politics and not be buddy-buddy with my employees because I have a family to feed."

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Friday, Nov. 29, 2024

Checking out tidbits in my my Editor's Notebook on this day after our Thanksgiving feast 2024:

REMIND MYSELF TO THANK THE CHEF: Having a chef in the family comes in handy when it comes to a Thanksgiving feast. We started a new tradition in our household by letting son Aaron prepare the meal. He delivered most of it to Flushing from his home in Lansing. The finishing touches were put to it in our kitchen. It never smelled so swell in there! My wife keeps reminding me to text Aaron a big "thank you" as we devour leftovers. We had two meals today, and there's enough for at least one more tomorrow. I think there could be a celebrity chef business in there. What would you pay to have a special meal catered in? How much if he threw in a cool chef hat, complete with a white outfit like we see in the movies?

SPEAKING OF GOOD FOOD: Perusing through thousands of comments on my Facebook page with 5,000 friends (that's all Facebook will let you have for some dumb reason or maybe Head Honcho Zuckerburg figured nobody could get that many?)  — I stumbled upon an interesting post by friend Eddie Barberi. Before he earned a management job at Amazon in Lansing, my son worked in his kitchen at Da Edoardo's in Grand Blanc which has the best fine dining experience in our part of the world. Here was Eddie's post: "What a crazy week ! We have finally moved back to Gp! It’s a move , I believe was needed , Susie and I both wanted to be closer to family. Plus our first grandchild is close to arriving and if anyone knows my wife she wants to be seconds away not an hour drive. Grand Blanc is a great town. We met so many great people and made so many friends we are indebted forever. We will not be far bc like I tell everyone, we drive to Detroit every day and now we will just drive to Grand Blanc. We will still see everyone because of the restaurant, we will still be working. But it’s time to start a new chapter closer to family."

MORE CHAOS COMING? Mundy Township's fist meeting under newly-elected Supervisor Jennifer Arrand Stainton resulted in chaos. My sources who were at the meeting gave her an A-plus for handling the situation. They also tell me a war is coming. Township Manager Chad Young apparently would not let Stainton inspect any documents related to the proposed Mega Site. He wants her to sign a non disclosure agreement first before sharing anything with her related to the advanced manufacturing plant out there. Stainton ran on a platform to stop it, and voters in a hard-core Democrat community overwhelming chose the Republican to unseat incumbent Democrat Tonya Ketzler. Our Governor steered more than $269 million of your tax dollars to the Flint & Genesee Group's non-profit arm known as the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance to create a plant to support the electric vehicle push by President Joe Biden. Stainton getting elected despite huge odds absolutely proves people don't want it there.

OUT OF A JOB SOON?  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that Chad Young is gonna be in the unemployment line soon. I'd suggest that Flint Township leaders make it their next order of business to snap him up. Flint Township, once home to the most vibrant commercial district in our county, now trails Fenton, Grand Blanc, Clio and Davison. Chad Young's track record shows he's the man to help fix it. Every candidate who attended our debate in Flint Township for the election there cited economic development as the primary concern, and I put every one of them on the hot seat by asking if they would vote to fire the current economic development out there. Every last one of them answered with a resounding "Yes." Hey, as my favorite line in the old 10 Commandments movie says: "Let it be said. Let it be written. Let it be done!"

COPY THAT THOUGHT: Let's use the same line on my idea on who should be the next Chair of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners. My vote is for former Flint City Councilman Delrico Lloyd. The Democrat was unopposed for his 1st District seat after being appointed when Bryant "B.B." Nolden passed away shortly after he was re-elected two years ago. Lloyd has displayed signs of real leadership for our community with a level headed approach to making this the very best place on earth to live, work and play. If he gets to give a speech, I'd urge him to recommend Shawn Shumaker of Fenton to be elected as Vice Chair. He's been the hardest working and most  knowledgeable commissioner for a while now, and he was just re-elected to another term in another landslide. It would also send the right kind of message in this divided society right now. Shumaker is a Republican.

WHY NOT MAYOR? Many community leaders have suggested Delrico Lloyd should pursue Flint's mayoral job. He tells me he isn't interested in taking a major pay cut. He's currently chief of staff for UAW President Shawn Fain at the national office in Detroit. "It's in my heart to help my city but it would not be fair to my family to take a cut in pay to do that right now in my life."

RECALL FEVER: All these recalls in the City of Flint remind me of David Davenport. He filed so many about a decade ago that they changed state law to make it tougher to remove elected officials. He lives in Atlanta now but maybe he should start a consulting business for all these recall filing people. I bet he would simply say: "Stop! It does no good."

RECALL OPINION: Unless public corruption has been exposed worthy of prison time, I'm not a fan of the recall process. It's an expensive price tag for taxpayers to allow political squabbles to result in recall efforts to simply make the other guy look bad. Right now, recall petitions are being circulated for three Trustees on Mott Community College's Board of Trustees and one was just approved against Flint's 8th Ward Councilman Dennis Pfeiffer. Community activist Art Woodson is shopping for someone to do his dirty work in the 4th Ward since he lives in another ward. His recall threat was in response to the recall that's been approved against Pfeiffer and another one now being filed against 6th Ward Councilwoman Tonya Burns. My vote is to drop all of them and get both sides together to use their energy on figuring out how to fix Flint.

HOT LINE OF THE YEAR: The first comment in today's Hot Lines is absolutely, without question, my favorite comment of the year. Our newest columnist, Marty Embry, apparently has a stalker after his first day on the job.

HIS TICKET TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE: He wasn't even one of the dozens of applicants to respond to last month's call out on my radio show to help me search for a replacement for Terry Bankert on the left, to provide balance for George Moss on the right. Terry, a regular contributor for many years, was a prominent local attorney who hasn't been replaced on our Viewpoints section since he passed away before my health-related vacation of nearly two years. I've borrowed a few opinions of Marty since I went back to work and The Daily Gazette and Metro Flint News/Talk Radio were plugged back in, and sharing his views each time attracted lots of positive reactions. Some of you think you can write but I must break it to you that, well, you can't write. Nobody will read your stuff is why we didn't respond to your application with writing samples. If we did respond, it was because you have talent but are just not quite up to our standards for attracting readers. Marty's column today is one that will hit home for many readers. Leave him a note or call our Hot Line at (810) 771-8348 to inspire him to write columns often by suggesting topics.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

 Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024

Checking out my Editor's Notebook to count my blessings before Thanksgiving dinner today. Here's what I'm thankful for this holiday season:

SHERIFF SWANSON'S CHRISTIAN SPIRIT: I like it that he mentions God and acts as an inspiration to all to do better. His weekly press conferences are my favorite time of the week on the job. He spoiled the big press conference for Flint's Trey McKenney to announce he's going to continue his basketball career at Michigan with a Facebook Live after spotting the future Wolverine decked out in UM garb at the Crisler Center last week. He was also on the sidelines out west to chat with Jim Harbaugh before Monday Night Football. He seems to be everywhere, and representing Genesee County with a class act.

THE DETROIT LIONS: Sure, they've lost seven years in a row on Thanksgiving. It's an annual thing, except this year — it's gonna be different! They will beat the Chicago Bears today on national TV. These Lions are different. They're won nine games in a row — Detroit's longest winning streak since 1937. At 10-1, they're the best in the NFC. Bring on Mahomes, Travis Kelsey and girlfriend Taylor Swift  —  again the best of the AFC. We're going to the Super Bowl baby! Mark it down today before dinner. We're winning it all. These Lions may be the most dominant NFL team I've seen since the '85 Bears and the so-called greatest of all time  — the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins.

DAN CAMPBELL: I must admit that hearing him in that very first introductory press conference, my hunch was that this was worst hire ever. He sounded like a nut, yelling about developing a team of guys with character, grit and determination to never quit — guys who would bite 'em in the knee cap when they knocked them down. I was on the bandwagon to usher Campbell out of Detroit after an 0-10-1 start to his first season was followed by a 1-6 beginning in his second season. Ever since, his Lions are 39-18 in regular season play. Last year's repeat Super Bowl champions? Yeah, the Kansas City Chiefs have won only 38 times to trail only the Lions during that 57-game span. The Lions made it to the NFC championship game last year in San Francisco before blowing a halftime lead to lose a heartbreaker to the 49ers. As it turns out, this guy who wanted to broom him out of Detroit is a Dan Campbell fan now. I haven't liked a Detroit coach of any sport so much since Billy Martin made it exciting at Tiger Stadium in the 1970's.

TOM ALWARD: The veteran coach is taking the Goodrich Martians to the prep football state finals in Division 4 tomorrow at Ford Field in Detroit for the second time in three years. It took him 35 years of coaching to get there for the first time in 2022. Goodrich had never been that far before in school history. It was also the first Final Four appearance ever for the Martians. Goodrich was a state playoff qualifier under Alward this fall for the 12th time. Last Saturday's 28-14 victory over Harper Woods gave Alward a chance to experience his biggest championship moment since being part of Nebraska's national title winning team in the 1972 Orange Bowl when the Cornhuskers beat Alabama 38-6. He nearly tasted prep football supremacy in 2022 when he was named Division 4 State Coach-of-the-Year for giving the Goodrich community its first ever trip to Ford Field. He was Regional Coach-of-the-Year in 1995, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2010 .he Orange Bowl.

HEALTH: Since my life-saving kidney transplant two days before the end of last year, everywhere I go and everyone I talk to on the phone — one question seems to be, "How are you feeling?" Well, I'm getting stronger every day since officially going back on the radio airwaves on July 1st.

FRIENDS: I had taken a place in line at dialysis and punched my ticket to wait for a rainbow ride to Heaven. I've always thought of myself as having hundreds of friends. Going through what I went through let's you know who your true friends really are on this earth. It turns out to be dozens for me, not hundreds as I always thought. To all those special people who had their hand up to donate a kidney but couldn't get hospital approved to save my life, you earned a special place in my heart forever. I love each of you so much that it can't be put into words on this page. My hero was a teenager who signed the back of his driver's license to donate his organs to save lives after his tragic death.

ORGAN DONORS: Please say a prayer at today's Thanksgiving dinner table to inspire more people to take the time to learn about how easy, and safe, it is to become a living organ donor. I'm so thankful for all those true heroes out there in this world who made Thanksgiving dinner possible for so many this holiday season. The reality for me was that I figured Thanksgiving 2023 might well be my last. A little over a month later, I received the gift of life. It's the greatest gift there is. Click on the ad scrolling across the bottom of this page with the National Kidney Foundation logo, and give that gift — either in life or after your death.

MY ARMY OF PRAYER WARRIORS: Each of you is so special in my heart to have cared enough to call, leave voice messages, texts, e-mails and messages via Messenger, if you couldn't reach me. Many of you among hundreds I've never met. But believe me: I was so moved by your prayers. So many friends called to pray with me, too, that it brings tears to me eyes right now as I write this. They were so appreciated in my darkest days as I spent 15 days in recovery at the UM Hospital in Ann Arbor. For those of you who don't know, my body initially rejected my new kidney. I went back to dialysis a few times after getting out of the hospital, right back to the drawing board. But I kept the faith.

KNOWING BOB CARMACK: I'm proud to have called him my close friend. To those who knew Bob, you probably viewed him as a ruthless businessman who played dirty politics at the highest level. His war with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made national headlines because of his nasty, mean-spirited tactics. Bob got a cancer death sentence a few months before my transplant. But as sick as he was, there was Bob on the other end of my phone a few times every day at the hospital during my recovery. He often started with a prayer after asking if I was walking yet and ready to go knock out some crooked, corrupt politicians with him. He finished every call by turning coach, cheerleader and motivator all wrapped into one. When the kidney was rejected by my body, Bob kept the faith for me. "God is testing you," he would shout. "Keep the faith. Your miracle is coming. Trust me. God knows you are needed down here to fight public corruption. Who else is gonna do it?" When back in my torture chair at dialysis a second time, a call came to get to UM right away. I told my wife it was probably bad news. My second call was to Bob Carmack who declared: "You dummy. You think my prayers don't work? I asked God to save you and he will, just have faith. The doctors probably want to look at a miracle up close to make sure God made that kidney start working." My miracle came despite the doctors declaring previously that my odds were slim. God indeed works miracles.

KNOWING ERIC MAYS: The controversial and colorful 1st Ward City Councilman left us in February. I still hear his voice in my head, urging me to keep fighting all these corrupt politicians. Knowing Eric Mays keeps the fire burning in my belly to expose every last one of them. I promise, Eric.

TERRANCE SNOW: The podcast host of the Snow Show and Flint After Dark raised enough funds to paint a beautiful mural on the side of a building on Saginaw Street as a tribute to Eric Mays. I'm thankful to have people like Snow in our community. Well done, my friend. A collection of photos appeared on the front page of our Metro Section for a few weeks, and I've been urged to put them back up as a lasting tribute to the man so loved by so many in Flint.

JEFF KLINE: The dean of local Athletic Directors, we're blessed in our sports community to have such a leader to share his knowledge and experience with so many younger AD's. Jeff Kline, who is the area's longest-serving AD who has been on the job at Mt. Morris High School since 2008, was honored a few weeks ago as Michigan Athletic Director of the Year. I'm glad two of my grandchildren go to sleep at his house with my daughter Carrie.

CARRIE K: Still my favorite daughter, she's a blessing to my life every day. I'm thankful she calls me "Dad" and let us share in the lives of our grandchildren with my wife and me.

VOTERS WHO TOOK OUR ADVICE: Most of our endorsements in this space and on The Morning Gazette turned out to for candidates who won in the primary or on election day earlier this month in the general election. Close races where we may have made a difference to winners across the finish line? How about Argentine Township in the primary where Bob Cole won by a mere 4 votes? Or in Gaines Township in the primary when unknown challenger Daniel Jenkins unseated long-time incumbent Paul Fortini or in the Mt. Morris Township Supervisor primary when Larry Green ousted incumbent Jolena Sanders-Sims by only a 33-vote margin? Mundy Township's Jennifer Arrand Stainton unseated incumbent Democrat Tonya Ketzler in hard-core Democrat territory with great campaign signs that tied her bid for Supervisor to the controversial Mega Site issue by copying the "No Mega Site" on the red wave across the top of "No Mega Site" signs that began popping up months  before political signs were allowed in late September. Stainton replaced language at the bottom of the yard signs with a "Vote for Jennifer Arrand Stainton" message that effectively tied her to the push to block the controversial advanced manufacturing plant being proposed with state funds. Two Republicans she endorsed also won seats on the Mundy Township board. Two Grand Blanc faces benefitted from our endorsements — Dave Robertson who was re-elected as Grand Blanc Township Clerk by a razor-thin margin (by 101 votes out of 22,581) and 5th District Commissioner James Avery who won his re-election bid by only 758 votes out of nearly 26,000 votes cast.

LINDEN ADMINISTRATOR MIKE GATES: He's an assistance coach with the right message and role model example for youngsters as a leader on my grandson Jack's football and baseball teams. The football team was undefeated at Grand Blanc and his travel baseball team won the 10u state championship as a 9u club after winning the 8u state title a year earlier when ranked as the No. 1 8u team in the entire nation.

JUSTIN SLUSARZYK: He's the head coach of my oldest grandson's Foutch baseball team. Justin is a great leader for these young men and winning seems to be a magic formula in his blood without the win-win attitude of so many youth coaches of today.

ROGER FOUTCH AND DAVE DOHRMAN: They've been friends for more than 30 years, and what they've contributed to our baseball community with the Foutch's Strike Zone training facility and the Foutch's travel baseball program is absolutely amazing. A  mere dream 10 years ago when they began, Foutch's organization is now the envy of parents around the state. They've gone from two teams that first year in 2014 at the 15u and 18u Connie Mack level, to a 17-team program this year for both boys in travel baseball and girls in travel softball. Dohrman has been the driving force in the background with 12-hour days, seven days a week — almost since they opened the place at the corner of Linden Road and Corunna Road in Flint Township, next door to Foutch's Pub.

LENNY DANTINE: Mr. Millington is Mr. Motivation and Mr. Excitement around his small town community. He may not realize it, but I think he may be making state history when he steps on the carpet at Ford Field Saturday for the Division 7 state championship in prep football. Millington has never been in the state finals before, but I don't think anybody has ever had the high school principal on their coaching staff. He's a former varsity head coach and a former Athletic Director but his love for kids pushes him to keep going and get out on the football field after long days as an administrator. Millington is undefeated and the last person out of town has been instructed to turn out the lights.

MRS. DANTINE: Also a teacher in Millington, she's the perfect example of a head cheerleader for everything Millington and the perfect example of everything a coach could ever want in a supportive sports wife. Taylor Dantine is an absolutely tremendous person. I know because I've had a chance to get to know her and her sports crazy husband Lenny over the past couple summers. Their son, Hudson, has been teammates with my grandson Jack on state championship teams with Lenny serving on the coaching staff. Here's the tribute she offered to husband Lenny via social media today on Facebook: "Since it’s almost Thanksgiving, I’m in all my feels of gratitude. Today I’m feeling most grateful for my husband Lenny Dantine! We’ve been working on recognizing our unsung heroes this week and I just can’t help but feel so much pride for this guy. He has dedicated himself to Millington Community Schools, our Millington Cardinals football program, and the entire community for the last 18-plus years. His work is often behind the scenes doing HOURS of film work to make us the best prepared team possible. It isn’t unusual to not see him before I fall asleep and wake up to an empty bed on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I may be a little biased, but I think he is the most generous human I’ve ever met. He has taught our little family how to care for others and how to continue to 'show up' consistently.
Although it’s tough to deal with the sacrifices he has to make, in the end I am grateful for this incredible journey! 16 varsity coaching years in the making. You did it babe!"

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Saturday, Oct. 25, 2024

 I wrote earlier this week that I was absolutely sickened by all the massive spending on the U.S. Senate race between Holly's Elissa Slotkin and Florida's Mike Rogers. 

Even more sickening? Whoever wins may give their party control of the U.S. Senate.

Rogers, who lived in a $1.6 million mansion in Florida until U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenaw decided to retire, has spent $62 million on the race.

Democrats have poured $80 million into trying to get Slotkin into the Senate.

I can think of so many better ways to spend $142 million. We could start by fixing all the remaining bad pipes from Flint's water crisis of more than 10 years ago.

SORTING OUT THE LIES: The campaign season always brings such a task when evaluating the merits of candidates who want our endorsement for their race. 

But in my now 50 years as journalist, Sloskin and Rogers combine for the worst campaign of distorted claims I've ever seen in a major political campaign outside some local races over the years.

I guess these two have so much money that they seem to be making up lies about each other to try to win votes. Well, not "seem to be" — they are flat out liars. 

Fact checking their commercials gets tiring when discovering that almost every campaign TV spot contains outright lies. Let's just say it was a disheartening experience when finding both are spewing untrue political gobbledey gook.

MOST SCANDALOUS OF ALL? Worst of all for the Slotkin-Rogers race is what they did before going to the U.S. House of Representatives. Slotkin worked for the C.I.A. and the Pentagon before going to Washington D.C. in 2019. Rogers was a special agent for the FBI before serving in Michigan's state legislature launched his 14-year career in the U.S. House until 2015. 

If ever there was to be a clean campaign, you would think it would be between a couple of ex-employees of the C.I.A. and the FBI.

But this is the single worst congressional race in my lifetime for our area.

IF I WERE KING, both Slotkin and Rogers would get prison time for their lying ways.

That's the only way to stop this nonsense called "politics" with a "say anything to get elected" attitude.

 Speaking of prison time, lying in politics may not earn a politician any prison time — but other lies may cost Rogers in this particular race.

SHOCKING HE's NOT INDICTED ALREADY: I'm shocked and surprised that Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel, never one to shy away from using her political power of indictments against Republicans, hasn't already charged Rogers after M.L. Elrick exposed Rogers in the Detroit Free Press for using a fake address to run for office here in Michigan.

For those of you who didn't know, now the Slotkin from Holly and "Rogers from Florida" intros above make sense. Yep, Rogers does not have a legal address here unless he's camping out on a vacant lot in Detroit without any neighbors seeing him. 

Elrick, who won a Pulitzer Prize for stories that led to former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick getting 28 years for stealing his city blind, reported two Sundays ago that Rogers picked Florida to live when he retired from the U.S. House, moved into a $1.6 million mansion there, bought a couple expensive yahts and then bought a house in the Detroit area, promptly tore it down, used the empty lot as his new address and voted in the primary to likely cast a vote for himself. Voting here without an address would be a felony. So, too, would be the perjury charges for signing his residency requirement for both a driver's license and to get a spot on the ballot.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024

The Genesee County Election Commission hasn't yet scheduled a hearing date on recall language submitted against Flint's 8th Ward city councilman. I've advised Lisa Pasjberg that her language is dead on arrival to get rid of Dennis Pfeiffer as her representative on the Flint City Council.

Her language says: "Councilman Dennis Pfeiffer was censured by the city council for calling another member a 'fake ass Republican'  another a 'big piece of shit' and told other colleagues to shut up." 

She didn't like it that our front page story revealing her recall effort noted that language must be clear and concise. We quoted two English teachers as saying her language was a "run on sentence" and "completely illiterate."

Not our words. Words of people who specialize in determining "clarity" which also goes to words being spelled incorrectly or a comma being in the wrong place. Blunders that render denials at hearings in front of election commissions tasked with ruling on language submitted in recall attempts anywhere in our state.

So my opinion expressed here today in this space where I spew my opinions is that her recall language is dead on arrival. It must be rejected under state law.

The facts cited in a news story on our front page a few days ago is that two English teachers we consulted say it's not "clear and concise" because it's a "run on sentence" and "completely illiterate."

The last hearing on a recall attempt earlier this month in front of the local election commission was to review eight sets of language submitted to recall Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley. I didn't bother to read any of it because the address of the lady behind the effort lived in Flint Township, not the City of Flint. I said so on the radio the very next day after looking her up because I had never heard of her.

I only exchanged texts with Lisa Pasjberg via Messenger earlier today when inviting her to appear on The Morning Gazette Radio Show to explain why she wants to dump Councilman Pfeiffer. Her profile on Facebook says she works for the Flint Registry and that's all I know about her except that she isn't very good at grammar.

Lisa rejected my interview invitation. 

Probably needs to brush up on her English skills before going public on the radio.

One question I wanted to ask was this: With all our tax dollars being dumped into work being done at the Flint Registry, I'm surprised how the boss there can allow one of the organization's employees to be involved in politics. What do you think? Drop me a message on my Hot Line at (810) 771-8421, find me on Facebook and drop me a note via Messenger or simply e-mail me at morninggazetteradioshow@gmail.com.

How do I know tax dollars are going into the Flint Registry? How about $39 million since 2016?

I'd like a report on what they've done with all that cash. I do know they are certainly not teaching any English classes to the employees.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Wednesday, Oct 23, 2024

Anybody seen Eric Mays lately? The man I consider the most popular city councilman in Flint history has been gone 8 months and Flint City Council meetings are still utter chaos. 

You would think they can't blame Mays for it.

He's watching from Heaven, yet several of our current cast of "Eric Mays-ists" as he once tabbed them on The Morning Gazette Radio Show — they have actually said all the current mess is his fault for setting all this divisiveness into motion. They have Facebook friends filling social media with the blame game directed squarely at Mr. Mays, too.

I guess that's part of the plot at Flint City Hall to control millions of tax dollars. The way I see it, Commissioner Delrico Lloyd's well written scolding of city leaders last week (See Related Story in Today's Metro Section) needs to be taken to another level. He should use his influence at the UAW International office where he works in Detroit to get his city help from the Governor.

Gretchen Whitmer yelled and screamed about how bad an insurrection in Washington D.C. was on January 6th when Donald Trump didn't want to transfer power after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, and it was truly a terrible day in American history. It's shameful how Trump's supporters destroyed property and attacked police.

Yet, nobody in the angry mob there pulled out a gun. Still, police shot at one of them who was unarmed and killed her.

Right here in Big Gretch's own backyard 53 miles east of her office in Lansing, a gun was pulled out in what at least one Flint City Council member calls a "insurrection" on Flint's elected leaders. She says she was a target. So, too, was a lady who led a recall against the 3rd Ward councilman named Quincy Murphy who recently died. The recall lady (Beverly Biggs-Leavy) was lucky her daughter was there to pull out a gun and stop the mob coming at her.

My prediction in typical Flint fashion is that the daughter will be the only person charged despite clearly acting in self defense to protect her mom. 

Oddly, Flint police didn't take anybody to jail on the night of the "insurrection" in the city council chambers on the 3rd floor of Flint City Hall. Others who disrupt meetings or talk too long at he public speaker podium have been hauled out in handcuffs. Yet, never has a mob stormed a council meeting from the back of the room after an hour of taunts and wisecracks until the rush up front to stop the proceedings.

They were yelling obscenities and screaming threats as they suddenly bolted forward out of their seats. Multiple videos also reveal that at least the City Council President allegedly knew about it and invited them to come cause trouble. That's what a few of them said anyway. It seemed almost on que that the angry mob descended on the front of the room in a scary scene that I rank as the all-time low in the fall of a once great American city  we call Flint.

The folks next door in Flint Township are so sick of being lumped in with "Flint" that they got a state law changed to hopefully fix their name some day and rid themselves of their ties to the "Flint" identity forever.

But back to the Prez for a minute. She likes to be called doctor, by the way.

Her critics say she went to school too long and got too many degrees on our dime. Listening to her babble at council meetings can quickly confirm she's not very smart. Dr. Ladel Lewis is her name. She demands to be called by her educational title and scolds those who call her "Ladel" instead of "Dr. Lawis." No real jobs on her resume, mind you. Some say she was chased out of Maryland where she got herself elected to office prior to running for the 2nd Ward seat in Flint. Sadly, Yours Truly endorsed her. I didn't know about all the stories of how she acted in Maryland. I had no clue she had ever been in Kalamazoo, let alone chased out of town there, too, by many accounts regarding alleged shady behavior.

Who would think she would set up a non-profit for Sarvis Park in Flint and steer thousands of city dollars there from federal ARPA funds and from one developer her and four council friends gave millions to in hopes they build something at the old Buick City site?

I'd invite her on my radio show to defend herself but she hasn't taken my calls since the campaign three years ago. I once corrected her on false information she was spewing on a Facebook group page and she promptly unfriended  me. Probably just a coincidence but a fake person then popped up to pretend to be a former sales rep for my company who said I never paid him what he was owed. A deep dive into company records confirmed that nobody with his name ever was employed by us or even filed an application.

Dr. Ladel has also been accused by colleagues on the council of making up fake people on Facebook to go after political enemies while handing out compliments for her. She has denied it was her behind the alleged fake people who did that. An attorney on my case, however, tracked the fake person to an IP address used at a Flint church.

It's a two-year felony in Michigan to make up a fake name on social media to bully someone, and I indeed felt very bullied.

My friend Eric Mays said at the time that Mayor Neeley's Flint police obviously don't investigate those with the power to fire them. It's unfortunate that State Police were also not interested in being bothered with what a desk sergeant there called a "Facebook spat" and advised me to stay off social media to avoid crazy people who probably don't have jobs while they focus on catching real bad guys with guns. The church wasn't worth much money and my attorney figured it would be bad PR to padlock a church and sell it to collect on a libel judgment.

It's absolutely shameful how there's enough evidence on my desk for the FBI to make dozens of arrests at Flint City Hall. As a side note here,  I've sent copies of important documents to various high profile journalist friends around the USA for safekeeping in case anybody wants to break windows on my office as they've done on one individual challenging for a city council seat in the 1st Ward. A fire was set at her place, too.

All the documents are tied to cases we've talked about on the radio or in this space. Journalists are not given subpoena powers to finish building iron clad cases. All we can do is plead to the Governor to bring justice to the people of Flint.

Oh wait, she couldn't even do that when politics played a major role in how an entire city was poisoned just over a decade ago and nobody got any prison time despite how many people died here because of the water crisis.

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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024

Checking tidbits from my Editor's Notebook:

COVID CASE: If you missed me in this space or on the radio for the last week, my wife and I have been battling a case of COVID. My meds were adjusted to keep my new kidney safe from the transplant and we shuttered away from the world for a week although I must admit there were lots of calls urging me to go spread some COVID germs to some stooges on the Flint City Council and the Flint Township Board of Trustees.

BELATED APOLOGY: I went off the air suddenly without explanation after a horrible coughing spell. I had mentioned I was working from a studio in my den and hiding for a few days since my wife had tested positive for COVID. I piped in a replay of the previous night's Alex Jones Show and didn't return to the air since I immediately tested myself and learned I, too, had COVID. Down on my couch for a few days, I responded to every single e-mail, text and call to let everyone know the COVID news. I guess there were so many inquiries that I figured everybody knew, so I apologize for the oversight in not proclaiming publicly why I was away.

MOST COMMON TEXTS AND EMAILS: Thanks for all the prayers. But easily beating the number of people praying for me was the number of requests to me to visit some of Flint's city politicians or to do an "up close, in-depth interview" with Flint Township's fab five of Treasurer Tom Klee, Clerk Monya Triplett and Trustees Greg King, Carol Pfaff-Dahl and Gene Leverette Sr. Now that Flint Township residents are learning about some of the stunts they've pulled, they have easily surpassed all the nasty texts, e-mails and phone calls to my Hot Line — (810) 771-8421 — about City of Flint stunts. The common theme in Flint Township is for me to do something to get rid of the township clowns. I'm a mere columnist and radio show host. What can I do except expose their garbage and hope my listeners and readers spread the word about it?

A PERFECT EXAMPLE: Last night, Flint Township Clerk Monya Triplett proposed giving a $5,000 stipend to the Township's economic development leader (Tonya Tucker) for her work as Deputy Clerk. Yes, you read that correctly. The high-paid position to do important work to attract business goes undone while Tucker plays Deputy Clerk at the office. My endorsements included ridding Flint Township government of Triplett who has been a miserable failure at her job, in my opinion. Not going back on the air until July 1 likely saved her job because we were still building back listeners for my show and attracting readers back to this space while educating voters about her record. Not enough people knew about her miserable performance and she won the August Democrat primary although her challenger (first-time candidate Roscoe Clark) didn't mount a strong campaign. He didn't knock on doors, mail out a single flyer or buy a single radio commercial. He tried to win by putting up lots of signs which is usually a ticket to losing in local political races. She's now unopposed in the general election two weeks from today with no Republican filing to rn against her.

OH, BACK TO THE VOTE? The board voted 6-1 last night to approve Triplett's motion to give the $5,000 stipend to Tucker since her help is certainly needed to pull off the upcoming election in November. My question? When does Triplett repay the township for not letting Tucker do her real job on bringing in some much-needed economic development? Triplett should have been laughed out of the township hall with her proposal to give Tucker $5,000, yet they did it. Trustee Vert cast the only vote on behalf of protecting taxpayers. The board should have been voting to write a letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer about possibly stepping in to remove the Clerk who should have been handling things at her office without any help from the economic development leader.

LET'S CLARFIFY: By all accounts from multiple sources, Triplett still does not know how to do her job as Clerk since being appointed to the position two years ago. She has also collected a $63,000 annual salary plus generous benefits to mostly not come to work for big chunks of time. Community activists Dave Huffman and Jerry Roberts perhaps said it best when declaring on multiple occasions that two or three days off is standard for most jobs when there's a death in the family. Sadly, Triplett has lost her husband and son since becoming Clerk. But that does not excuse her from not showing up to work when the taxpayers are paying her salary. She didn't even properly swear herself in to do the job in the first place. I've read the statute about how only a recall by residents or under the governor's decree can an elected official be removed from office. 

CRITERIA FOR REMOVAL? Not coming to work so much qualifies Triplett for removal since the office has been closed so much to the public since she was appointed to the position. Going to work at her job without swearing herself in and taking the proper oath qualifies her for removal. I could go on and on and on. Maybe we just close on pointing out how she cast the tie-breaker vote in setting two public hearings to raise taxes by 4 mills via a special assessment without a vote of the people — illegal under state law because you can't use a special assessment to add personnel or buy anything that does not qualify as an "emergency" and adding money to the fire department does not qualify.  

DID TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS KNOW? That's the key question here. Zero media attention left senior citizens on fixed incomes facing the possibility of opening the mail weeks later to find out they can't afford the tx hike and need to move out of their homes. Yours Truly stepped up (from my couch while recovering from my life-saving kidney transplant) to notify business owners about the first meeting. They packed a church on Bristol Road to voice their opposition with angry comments about it being the last straw to put them out of business while likely driving many unsuspecting seniors on fixed incomes out of their homes. Triplett changed her mind about the tax hike under pressure from 16-year Trustee Barb Vert who successfully pushed to get the second hearing canceled to avert disaster for her township. Wasted were thousands in legal fees and money spent on organizing the dog and pony show by staff members.

FLINT CITY COUNCIL CIRCUS CONTINUES: The circus atmosphere at Flint City Council meetings reached an all-time low last week when a gun was pulled by an audience member and police ended the meeting. Family members of the late City Councilman Quincy Murphy stormed toward the front of the chambers and confronted the woman who filed a recall against him before he passed away late last month — Beverly Biggs-Leavy. Nearly a dozen people (the target of the attack says 20 in her statement on social media but video reveals fewer) left seats in the back of the room about an hour into the meeting and rushed to the front of the room, yelling  obscenities in what many are calling a "set up" event. I'm still doing research and will report on the case in this space before the end of the week. Probably no radio show until Friday, so I can get caught up.

WHERE ARE THE CHARGES? Councilman Mays had many public spats with Quincy Murphy after he was elected in 2021. Quincy a few times warned Mays that "you don't want my family coming down here after you" and after he sadly passed away a few weeks ago  —  Quincy's family members (maybe nine or 10 of them by our count) stormed a Flint City Council meeting last week as noted above and my question is simple: Why were none of them arrested by Flint police?

VIDEO EVIDENCE: If Flint police do not act on this latest circus act at Flint City Hall, plenty of video evidence is out there that may turn this into a national story. City Councilwoman Tonya Buns is calling it an "insurrection on Flint's elected leaders." Comments can be heard on numerous videos I've reviewed where family members of Mr. Quincy were heard saying City Council President Dr. Ladel Lewis knew this stunt was happening because she asked them to do it. If Flint police do not arrest her, they're gonna have some explaining to do if outside agencies start investigating them. Forgotten in all this is that Beverly Biggs-Leavy mounted a recall effort against Quincy after he admitted taking money and a free $11,000 lawn mower from Ashley Capital prior to joining a vote to give the company millions in cash and tax breaks to build something at the old Buick City site. 

SPEAKING OF TONYA: An interesting note to mention about Flint City Councilwoman Tonya Burns is that her podcast will no longer be presented by 810NewsMediaGroup. That's the official word from both sides. Mickey Jordan made a lengthy statement without telling us any details about their spat at the beginning of yesterday's "Bump" program by Wyntis Hall on his platform. Classy way to handle it perhaps but inquiring minds want to know, as they say. Burns took to Facebook to say: "Exciting News: Talking With Tonya will no longer be on the 810-Platform. I will still be on every Saturday @10:00am on YouTube and Facebook. My commitment to 'Transparency' to our community is still my goal as I work with community members to work together to ;Move Flint Forward' …… I appreciate the support and loyal listeners that have followed my platform from Facebook and YouTube for the past several years. This will allow me to control my content and topics that are concerning to our community. 

I’m looking forward to this positive transition."

TONYA TIDBIT: Councilwoman Burns last week dropped a bomb unrelated to her spat with 810NewsMediaGroup. She revealed that the federal non-profit 501c3 status of the Sarvis Park Neighborhood Association has been revoked. That's the non-profit started by Flint City Council President Dr. Ladel Lewis after she was elcted to her 2nd Ward seat in 2021. "Ladel has voted to give her non-profit she originated $75,000," Councilwoman Burns said. Stay tuned on this one.

 WORLD SERIES THOUGHTS:  Fans who hoped to see their young Detroit Tigers in the World Series may be disappointed to be watching the Los Angeles Dodgers facing the New York Yankees when the fall classic kicks off on Friday night. But they can take delight in learning that there are more young stars waiting in the wings. The No. 9 prospect in the minor league system of the Tigers made a splash in an Arizona Fall League game this past weekend. Josue Briceño smacked three home run blasts Friday in a single game. He hit .283 in his third season of minor league ball this past summer while leading the Lakeland Flying Tigers to a single-A championship.  Briceño was named to the all-star team as a catcher. In two weeks with top rookie performers across baseball in Arizona, he now counts 5 home runs and 10 RBI while so far hitting at a sizzling .478 clip.

CLOSING WORLD SERIES FACT: I won't be going to Game 1. The lowest ticket price is $1,000.

CLOSING THOUGHT: Are you tired of all the TV commercials by politicians who want your vote. The worst lies are being spewed by our two presidential candidates but running a close second is in the race between Mike Rogers and Holly's Elissa Slotkin. They want the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Debbie Stabenow. Rogers has spent $60 million so far to get your vote. Slotkin's total? How about $82 million. i could think of a lot better ways to spend $142 million.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024

Checking tidbits from my Editor's Notebook:

COVID CASE: If you missed me in this space or on the radio for the last week, my wife and I have been battling a case of COVID. My meds were adjusted to keep my new kidney safe from the transplant and we shuttered away from the world for a week although I must admit there were lots of calls urging me to go spread some COVID germs to some stooges on the Flint City Council and the Flint Township Board of Trustees.

BELATED APOLOGY: I went off the air suddenly without explanation after a horrible coughing spell. I had mentioned I was working from a studio in my den and hiding for a few days since my wife had tested positive for COVID. I piped in a replay of the previous night's Alex Jones Show and didn't return to the air since I immediately tested myself and learned I, too, had COVID. Down on my couch for a few days, I responded to every single e-mail, text and call to let everyone know the COVID news. I guess there were so many inquiries that I figured everybody knew, so I apologize for the oversight in not proclaiming publicly why I was away.

MOST COMMON TEXTS AND EMAILS: Thanks for all the prayers. But easily beating the number of people praying for me was the number of requests to me to visit some of Flint's city politicians or to do an "up close, in-depth interview" with Flint Township's fab five of Treasurer Tom Klee, Clerk Monya Triplett and Trustees Greg King, Carol Pfaff-Dahl and Gene Leverette Sr. Now that Flint Township residents are learning about some of the stunts they've pulled, they have easily surpassed all the nasty texts, e-mails and phone calls to my Hot Line — (810) 771-8421 — about City of Flint stunts. The common theme in Flint Township is for me to do something to get rid of the township clowns. I'm a mere columnist and radio show host. What can I do except expose their garbage and hope my listeners and readers spread the word about it?

A PERFECT EXAMPLE: Last night, Flint Township Clerk Monya Triplett proposed giving a $5,000 stipend to the Township's economic development leader (Tonya Tucker) for her work as Deputy Clerk. Yes, you read that correctly. The high-paid position to do important work to attract business goes undone while Tucker plays Deputy Clerk at the office. My endorsements included ridding Flint Township government of Triplett who has been a miserable failure at her job, in my opinion. Not going back on the air until July 1 likely saved her job because we were still building back listeners for my show and attracting readers back to this space while educating voters about her record. Not enough people knew about her miserable performance and she won the August Democrat primary although her challenger (first-time candidate Roscoe Clark) didn't mount a strong campaign. He didn't knock on doors, mail out a single flyer or buy a single radio commercial. He tried to win by putting up lots of signs which is usually a ticket to losing in local political races. She's now unopposed in the general election two weeks from today with no Republican filing to rn against her.

OH, BACK TO THE VOTE? The board voted 6-1 last night to approve Triplett's motion to give the $5,000 stipend to Tucker since her help is certainly needed to pull off the upcoming election in November. My question? When does Triplett repay the township for not letting Tucker do her real job on bringing in some much-needed economic development? Triplett should have been laughed out of the township hall with her proposal to give Tucker $5,000, yet they did it. Trustee Vert cast the only vote on behalf of protecting taxpayers. The board should have been voting to write a letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer about possibly stepping in to remove the Clerk who should have been handling things at her office without any help from the economic development leader.

LET'S CLARFIFY: By all accounts from multiple sources, Triplett still does not know how to do her job as Clerk since being appointed to the position two years ago. She has also collected a $63,000 annual salary plus generous benefits to mostly not come to work for big chunks of time. Community activists Dave Huffman and Jerry Roberts perhaps said it best when declaring on multiple occasions that two or three days off is standard for most jobs when there's a death in the family. Sadly, Triplett has lost her husband and son since becoming Clerk. But that does not excuse her from not showing up to work when the taxpayers are paying her salary. She didn't even properly swear herself in to do the job in the first place. I've read the statute about how only a recall by residents or under the governor's decree can an elected official be removed from office. 

CRITERIA FOR REMOVAL? Not coming to work so much qualifies Triplett for removal since the office has been closed so much to the public since she was appointed to the position. Going to work at her job without swearing herself in and taking the proper oath qualifies her for removal. I could go on and on and on. Maybe we just close on pointing out how she cast the tie-breaker vote in setting two public hearings to raise taxes by 4 mills via a special assessment without a vote of the people — illegal under state law because you can't use a special assessment to add personnel or buy anything that does not qualify as an "emergency" and adding money to the fire department does not qualify.  

DID TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS KNOW? That's the key question here. Zero media attention left senior citizens on fixed incomes facing the possibility of opening the mail weeks later to find out they can't afford the tx hike and need to move out of their homes. Yours Truly stepped up (from my couch while recovering from my life-saving kidney transplant) to notify business owners about the first meeting. They packed a church on Bristol Road to voice their opposition with angry comments about it being the last straw to put them out of business while likely driving many unsuspecting seniors on fixed incomes out of their homes. Triplett changed her mind about the tax hike under pressure from 16-year Trustee Barb Vert who successfully pushed to get the second hearing canceled to avert disaster for her township. Wasted were thousands in legal fees and money spent on organizing the dog and pony show by staff members.

FLINT CITY COUNCIL CIRCUS CONTINUES: The circus atmosphere at Flint City Council meetings reached an all-time low last week when a gun was pulled by an audience member and police ended the meeting. Family members of the late City Councilman Quincy Murphy stormed toward the front of the chambers and confronted the woman who filed a recall against him before he passed away late last month — Beverly Biggs-Leavy. Nearly a dozen people (the target of the attack says 20 in her statement on social media but video reveals fewer) left seats in the back of the room about an hour into the meeting and rushed to the front of the room, yelling  obscenities in what many are calling a "set up" event. I'm still doing research and will report on the case in this space before the end of the week. Probably no radio show until Friday, so I can get caught up.

WHERE ARE THE CHARGES? Councilman Mays had many public spats with Quincy Murphy after he was elected in 2021. Quincy a few times warned Mays that "you don't want my family coming down here after you" and after he sadly passed away a few weeks ago  —  Quincy's family members (maybe nine or 10 of them by our count) stormed a Flint City Council meeting last week as noted above and my question is simple: Why were none of them arrested by Flint police?

VIDEO EVIDENCE: If Flint police do not act on this latest circus act at Flint City Hall, plenty of video evidence is out there that may turn this into a national story. City Councilwoman Tonya Buns is calling it an "insurrection on Flint's elected leaders." Comments can be heard on numerous videos I've reviewed where family members of Mr. Quincy were heard saying City Council President Dr. Ladel Lewis knew this stunt was happening because she asked them to do it. If Flint police do not arrest her, they're gonna have some explaining to do if outside agencies start investigating them. Forgotten in all this is that Beverly Biggs-Leavy mounted a recall effort against Quincy after he admitted taking money and a free $11,000 lawn mower from Ashley Capital prior to joining a vote to give the company millions in cash and tax breaks to build something at the old Buick City site. 

SPEAKING OF TONYA: An interesting note to mention about Flint City Councilwoman Tonya Burns is that her podcast will no longer be presented by 810NewsMediaGroup. That's the official word from both sides. Mickey Jordan made a lengthy statement without telling us any details about their spat at the beginning of yesterday's "Bump" program by Wyntis Hall on his platform. Classy way to handle it perhaps but inquiring minds want to know, as they say. Burns took to Facebook to say: "Exciting News: Talking With Tonya will no longer be on the 810-Platform. I will still be on every Saturday @10:00am on YouTube and Facebook. My commitment to 'Transparency' to our community is still my goal as I work with community members to work together to ;Move Flint Forward' …… I appreciate the support and loyal listeners that have followed my platform from Facebook and YouTube for the past several years. This will allow me to control my content and topics that are concerning to our community. 

I’m looking forward to this positive transition."

TONYA TIDBIT: Councilwoman Burns last week dropped a bomb unrelated to her spat with 810NewsMediaGroup. She revealed that the federal non-profit 501c3 status of the Sarvis Park Neighborhood Association has been revoked. That's the non-profit started by Flint City Council President Dr. Ladel Lewis after she was elcted to her 2nd Ward seat in 2021. "Ladel has voted to give her non-profit she originated $75,000," Councilwoman Burns said. Stay tuned on this one.

 WORLD SERIES THOUGHTS:  Fans who hoped to see their young Detroit Tigers in the World Series may be disappointed to be watching the Los Angeles Dodgers facing the New York Yankees when the fall classic kicks off on Friday night. But they can take delight in learning that there are more young stars waiting in the wings. The No. 9 prospect in the minor league system of the Tigers made a splash in an Arizona Fall League game this past weekend. Josue Briceño smacked three home run blasts Friday in a single game. He hit .283 in his third season of minor league ball this past summer while leading the Lakeland Flying Tigers to a single-A championship.  Briceño was named to the all-star team as a catcher. In two weeks with top rookie performers across baseball in Arizona, he now counts 5 home runs and 10 RBI while so far hitting at a sizzling .478 clip.

CLOSING WORLD SERIES FACT: I won't be going to Game 1. The lowest ticket price is $1,000.

CLOSING THOUGHT: Are you tired of all the TV commercials by politicians who want your vote. The worst lies are being spewed by our two presidential candidates but running a close second is in the race between Mike Rogers and Holly's Elissa Slotkin. They want the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Debbie Stabenow. Rogers has spent $60 million so far to get your vote. Slotkin's total? How about $82 million. i could think of a lot better ways to spend $142 million.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms

Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 Column

Last week after (and during) Wednesday's Morning Gazette Radio Show, several scoffed at my investigative reporter wisdom. They left nasty messages and sent texts to tell me to stop trying to invent stories.

The callers apparently wanted to be on the air but I was rambling along too hot and heavy to notice the phone lines being lit up. After 50 years of dealing with shady politicians, my investigative antennas go up when stuff just does not add up.

My hunch was that something odd was in the water at Flint Township. They went to lots of trouble during the City of Flint's awful water crisis to shout to the county how their restaurants had good water. Some of Flint Township's politicians and lawyers are obviously getting bad water, in my humble opinion. It's causing them to be stupid. That's the only explanation I can come up with for Flint Township's current political climate — excluding Flint Township Supervisor Karyn Miller and Trustee Barb Vert. They've both been at the board table for 16 years.

It wasn't until two years ago that "stupidity" started appearing at their board table.

The ignorance and erroneous reasoning exhibited often over these past few years against common sense positions of Miller and Vert could be classified as comical, except they've created real life consequences. It started with former Clerk Kathy Funk, former Treasurer Lisa Anderson, former Trustee Deb Campbell and out-going current Trustee Carol Pfaff-Dahl. Add in Tom Klee once he was appointed to be Treasurer about a year ago when I chased Lisa Anderson out of town. Or wait, she already was living in Atlanta, Georgia. I just started hollering how she needed to be in handcuffs and should return a chunk of the $63,000 in annual salary she was pulling in along with benefits despite not living in Flint Township anymore. She first said she was elected by residents and would complete her four-year term which would not have been up until after the upcoming November election.

But I digress.

Back to last week's hunch about Flint Township's current board members.

They called a special meeting last week. A community activist was asked to leave because an attorney told him it was a closed session.

Jerry Roberts said he never heard anything on the record about a reason to go into closed session. Not odd since I was at their first of now four executive sessions when no reason to go behind closed doors was given to the public. The attorneys there apparently don't understand the law. But we will get to that in a minute.

Witnesses were around after board members emerged from behind closed doors following the first three closed executive sessions. All we know is that the agenda item listed each time by Township Clerk Monya Triplett tells the public it was to discuss "complaints against elected officials (possible closed session)" and that's all we get to know. Forget what the Michigan Opens Meeting Act says about going on record with a reason why the meeting needs to be closed.

When Roberts revealed to me that he didn't stick around to find out if they emerged from behind closed doors to put anything on the record last Monday, my suspicions were elevated to high alert. He said he knew of no witnesses being around to see what happened. Time to investigate.

A call was put in to Clerk Triplett. No return call. She won't answer a simple question? Maybe it's time to call my friends in Lansing and let them know I'm writing a letter to ask Big Gretch to exercise her powers to remove an elected official for not doing her job. Only the Governor can do that unless citizens rise up to mount a recall campaign. That takes too much energy and effort. One swipe of the pen by Governor Whitmer and Monya Triplett is out as what I'm gonna classify as an absolute fraud of a clerk.

But again, back to my investigation.

A check of the township's web site for a video of the public portion of the meeting directed me to YouTube and Vimeo pages where there was no video available for Sept. 19, 2024. Triplett had published no minutes of the meeting on the township's web site.

Yeah, ok. My investigative reporter instincts that have won me state and national awards immediately kicked into high gear and I subsequently told my listeners about it when the next morning rolled around with a microphone in front of me. My prediction was that something happened. My guess was that with nobody around, they put something on the record about embattled Treasurer Tom Klee.

The board members seem to like him. My guess was they wanted to shield him from further embarrassment and scold him with nobody around by putting a few disciplinary resolutions on reccord to satisfy the union.

I was wrong on that one as you can see from today's front page story below about the board voting to ask the Michigan State Police to investigate alleged criminal wrongdoing by Township Supervisor Karyn. The township's labor attorney, Chad Karsten from the Lansing law firm of Fahey, Schultz Burzych Rhodes LLC, followed up on the vote earlier this week by making a complaint at the Flint Township post of the Michigan State Police on Corunna Road.

So here's the deal. These crazy board members (I'm guessing it was a 5-2 vote with Miller and Vert in the minority position) want State Police to investigate how Klee was allowed to be embarrassed.

That's where we turn back to Yours Truly.

They will come calling to ask me how I obtained documents related to all these closed executive sessions to talk about inappropriate behavior toward office staff by Treasurer Klee.

Let me save them some time. My sources are confidential. United State Supreme Court rulings are on my side to keep the names secret of who gave them to me. I will say, however, that I didn't get them from Supervisor Miller or anybody else on the board who should are required to keep such information private. That's the law for them.

State law holds that any member of public bodies for boards, commissions or committee are prohibited from sharing any information discussed in an executive session. Doing so "intentionally" can subject a public official to face civil and criminal penalties. On a first offense, it's a misdemeanor crime. If convicted, a public official who intentionally violates the Michigan Open Meetings Act can be fined up to $1,000. If the violation is a second offense within the same term, the penalty can increase to a fine of up to $2,000 and rise to a felony status with up to one year in prison, or both.

But here's where this whole situation turns hysterical.

They want criminal actions taken against Supervisor Miller for writing a letter to Treasurer Klee that was shared with an employee who had lodged complaints against him with her union. The e-mails to them are subject to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests by a media member or any citizen. So color her guilty of violating the law.

But when State Police take a peek behind the curtain and read up on the Michigan Open Meetings Act of 1976, they will find out that NO ACTION CAN BE TAKEN IN A CLOSED SESSION. Board members are required to come back in front of the public and put any resolutions on the record before voting on them. They are prohibited by law from taking actions in executive session.

The township's labor attorney (Chad Karsten from the Lansing law firm of Fahey, Schultz Burzych Rhodes LLC) must not have any experience with how to comply with the Michigan Open Meetings Act.

Otherwise, he would not have allowed any actions to take place behind closed doors in the first place.

The Miller letter to Klee and a staff member that was obtained by The Morning Gazette Radio Show clearly details decisions made about Klee needing to move his office to the back of thebuilding to avoid contact with employees as well as reminding that he had agreed to take sensitivity training for other allegations against him by the staff member. Such decisions subject every board member to possible criminal prosecution. The lawyer? Well, he may get a slap on the wrist by having his license suspended for 30 to 90 days by the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission. 

But as to holding him accountable for getting criminal charges for following his legal advice? Well, board members would be out of luck on that one. Just ask some of the inmates on death row around the USA who had bad lawyers via the public defender system.

As to Treasurer Klee, he would already be fired if he worked for my business. Documents we obtained detail allegations that he plays touchy, feely with female employees, uses disgustingly awful foul language around the office, made a racial slur and is on video making mocking gestures at an employee who has Tourette's Syndrome. She says in her complaint that he was stuttering to mock her, too. The fact that this employee with Tourette's Syndrome has two children with the same disease makes his behavior extra disgusting.

And yes, you read that item correctly about the "complaint" saying it because The Morning Gazette Radio Show obtained documents related to why the special meetings were called to discuss Treasurer Klee's behavior toward office staff. (See related column about it published on Aug. 19, 2024 that is contained within The Daily Gazette's Special Section with my "Most Read" recent Editor's Notebook columns)

I'm sure State Police can find some criminal activity in the documents we obtained. Maybe detectives can investigate all that after they're finished reading up on the Michigan Open Meetings Act.

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-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

 Sheriff Chris Swanson has always got lots of good press out of The Daily Gazette and The Morning Gazette Radio Show. Hey, he has done lots of good stuff around these parts.

That's why he was the most popular politician in Genesee County four years ago on election day.

That's why he will win by a landslide this time in November's general election.

He's usually right on top of any question we pose for him, too. If he does not answer his cell phone, he promptly responds via e-mail.

Until this week when the owner of a local bail bond company went on social media to question how the Genesee County Jail is being run.

Alerted to her post on Facebook by many listeners to my radio show and readers of this column with similar tales inspired me to make Shelly Benjamin's criticisms of the Sheriff public.

 Well, they were already public. I just gave her a bigger stage by letting our listeners know about it on The Morning Gazette Radio Show. 

I mentioned it on the radio show Wednesday morning (Sept. 18, 2024).

My tip line at (810) 771-8421 lit up. It seems Shelly Benjamin went on record with a complaint that is shared by many, many with loved ones at Sheriff Swanson's hotel.

It seems they want to check out.

When the judge sets bail and you post it, freedom is yours. Apparently unless you are locked up in Genesee County.

The common theme of Sheriff Swanson's hate mail to us is that he needs to stop running around the state campaigning for Governor. He has not officially announced he's running yet but a big shiny bus with "Walk With Us" plastered on the side says otherwise. So, too, does making a TV commercial for a national TV audience at Joe Biden's debate against Donald Trump and then appearing on the national stage to endorse Kamala Harris at the national convention after Biden dropped out. 

When expensive tabs for loved ones mounted for calling inmates, it made national news and Sheriff Swanson immediately acted to fix the problem.

That's an impressive way to handle a problem. He didn't shy away from answering my questions about the situation.

That's why I'm stumped as to why Sheriff Swanson didn't respond when I reached out for a comment after the social media post by Shelly Benjamin. She's a well-known business owner with a solid reputation.

On the radio, I said maybe Sheriff Swanson was busy Tuesday with helping with the security detail for former President Trump's town hall event here. But now, it's three days later.

Still, nothing but crickets out of the Sheriff on this one.

We want answers about how this problem exposed by Shelly Benjamin has surfaced. We want to know it's going to be fixed. Not tomorrow. But today.

Here's the post by Benjamin on Facebook that has set off a tidal wave of complaints to us:

"I have a client. He has been in jail for three weeks after his bond was posted. Genesee County. Courts are actually really doing the best they can. But, at this point, three weeks after my Client’s bond was posted and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department has still not released him… I don’t really care who I rat out. Detective Messer has not responded to any of my calls. Sheriff Swanson has not responded back to me also. Think about this. You might look really pretty on camera, but are you really sure you’re running a professional facility? No actual access to phones. Not even paper and pens, stamps to write a letter?! Even to your own Mother?!  The Mother that doesn’t know how to access internet? Just might want a letter from her child. And!!! Don’t get me started on my clients that didn’t even get the medical treatment they needed Or medicine. But… let’s just think about it. Jelly Roll was there. Very nice guy. How much money was spent on security for that? In the meantime, inmates can’t contact family, attorney, or bail bonds. I honestly sometimes just want to give up on what I do. But guess what they call me and my hands are tied in Genesee County. The family does. Because, inmates can’t. So, my question is? Why is it so difficult? Oh. Because, people don’t realize that inmates are actually real people and might have now missed a spray tan appointment."

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-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Read This Week's Featured Column

Read Today's Editor's Notebook

-----------------------------------------------------

Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8-10 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a weekend national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

Thursday, August 28, 2024 Column

The Mott Community College Board of Trustees is treading carefully on the powder keg issue of a possible advanced manufacturing plant on the Mega Site in Mundy Township.

The Flint & Genesee Group is still stinting from a July mob that went to a Mott board meeting to voice concerns. Mott's trustees subsequently (that very night!) rescinded their former President's letter of support for the project and told CEO Tim Herman not to associate Mott's name with the project.

Another attempt to win back Mott's support failed today when trustees agreed to supply training for potential employees but stopped short at giving support for the Flint & Genesee Group's project.

I'd consider it a massive understatement to say residents oppose the idea among those who live in Mundy Township and in the bordering areas of Swartz Creek, Grand Blanc Township and Flint Township.

Four of the seven on Mott's board are currently fighting a recall over another issue, and the last thing they need is to have dozens of Mega Site opponents angry at them, too.

They're heroes to them right now after rescinding their letter of support to the Flint & Genesee Group. To borrow a line from Mundy Township Trustee Kyle Ward at a June meeting when he became the first public official to come out against the proposed project, I've seen lots of "No Mega Site" signs but not a single sign promoting it.

A massive PR campaign has been deployed by the Flint & Genesee Group to change opinions. CEO TIm Herman's non-profit group received more than $260 million from our state tax dollars to build something at the 1,000-acre site that measures 1,200 acres on an overlay displayed in numerous media reports.

The site borders Linden Road, Maple Road, Elms Road and Jennings Road.

The Flint & Genesee Group's Tyler Rossmaessler is Executive Director of its Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, and he has been the face of the proposed project. He gathered a few dozen community supporters for the project to get his bag of money from the state despite supplying no specific plans, admitting they didn't yet have a company willing to build anything there yet and there was no clue yet what kind of specific items may be built.

So how does he spout off guarantees about bringing thousands of jobs?

Well, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a big supporter of President Joe Biden's push to eventually get rid of gas-powered engines and replacing them with electric vehicles. She wants Michigan to lead the way in supplying the budding EV industry with battery plants and chip-making plants to support Biden's push.

Thousands were spent early on to kick off the massive campaign in a commercial paid for by a California climate change PAC that featured Big Gretch. She said her state was already supplying the batteries to lead the way while bringing thousands of good-paying jobs to Michigan.

What she meant to say was that she's hoping jobs will come and she hopes they pay better than what battery plants and chip-making plants across America are now paying their employees.

What she meant to say was more than $680 million of your tax dollars had been given away in Big Rapids to build a plant for a company from Communist China to build a battery plant there. All the township board members were thrown out in a recall and residents there vow not to let a company from Communist China build anything there.

The same kind of opposition has surfaced in Delta Township, near Lansing, that got millions in funding from Gretchen's piggy bank to support supplying parts to power the EV movement. So what's going on in Mundy Township isn't a surprise. 

 The surprise maybe is the lengths they're going  in order to try to convince us it's good for us.

You know, all the climate change fear talk and all.

But let's consider real facts. The pollution from burning gas is a fraction of the damage to the environment when matched against the toxins resulting from battery plants and chip-making factories to support the EV push. It takes 22,000 gallons of ultra-pure water to cool down and rinse toxins off a single chip. That's a lot of water with toxins in it that needs to go somewhere? It's the same problem with battery plants that also produce toxins associated with all the massive amounts of water needed in that manufacturing process. Where does the water with toxins in it go?

How about into the ground water supply in a few miles around the plant? That's the reality.

Do you remember GM's Berlin & Farrow disaster of the 1970's? I'd say we can likely consider that a minor disaster compared to what will happen if a battery plant or chip-making plant is located in Mundy Township when you add in how it will also drain Lake Huron within a few years because of the massive amount of water necessary to operate these plants.

Look at Atlanta as an example. They've warned plants there that they need to find a new home in a few years because they've tapped out how much water can be used without damaging the city's drinking water supply. They've been told to find a new home because there's no more water for them.

No wonder our area is a target of Biden's EV push. Hey, government poisoned an entire city more than 10 years ago and Flint still isn't fixed with more than 1,900 still waiting to get new pipes to their homes. They had 100,000 people impacted there. The Mega Site is in the middle of farm land where fewer people are around to make noise.

Sure, there's a Facebook group with more than 2,100 members.

Two candidates for the Mundy Township board have made the Mega Site the focal point of their campaigns for office in November. Jennifer Arrand Stainton wants to be Supervisor and Leah Davis wants to be a Trustee. Ward would be a third against the Mega Site if he can get re-elected to his Trustee position but his June declaration against the proposed project may be the kiss of death for his campaign.

Let's face it. Stainton, Davis and Ward have no big financial backing against the PR machine trying to convince everyone how great it would be to build an advanced manufacturing plant with thousands of good-paying new jobs to support the EV push.

Thousands went into TV commercials by Gretchen and the campaign has added mailers, polls and expensive social media buys with well-done videos. And we're not even within the final 45-day window when local campaigns usually heat up.

The basic message of their campaign is simple: An advanced manufacturing plant promising thousands of jobs to support the EV push is good. Anybody who tells you otherwise is bad.

They like the board they have except for Ward. Getting rid of him while keeping Stainton and Davis away would be good for their cause.

The Daily Gazette and The Morning Gazette Radio Show went on record early in July as endorsing Stainton after Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler made it clear she would not appear on my radio show to answer questions about the Mega Site or debate Stainton. I guess we can call it a mere "disqualification" because she chooses to be a "no show" in the campaign with us.

Ketzler insists she's only met Tim Herman a few times and says she's not his puppet.

She says he did not even come to a political fundraiser that was the target of a picket in late June organized by Stainton.

The picket demonstration against the Mega Site drew plenty media attention when the Metro Flint Police Authority met picketers with a massive police presence at Gateway Center off Hill Road where Ketzler's political fundraiser was being staged. The Daily Gazette later pointed out that police patrols are illegal under state law on private roads, yet Chief Matt Batt had his cops cruising all over the roads in the complex, saying it was private property and protesters could not be curbside outside Redwood Steakhouse or park at any of the nearby businesses.

Stainton said social media posts by certain individuals warning to meet Flint protesters with a strong police presence scared away many who were planning to come to show support for their cause, and she demanded an internal investigation be conducted to determine exactly how tax dollars were used to "hassle" protesters against their boss  —  Supervisor Ketzler.

Here we are more than two months later, and nothing. Stainton's call for an investigation was ignored.

If she can get her investigation, I'm sure it will impact the election. Maybe she can overcome the lack of money by continuing to get media attention to show voters what's really going on here. A July 21 campaign finance report shows Ketzler has raised more than $13,000 which will fund a solid campaign during the final 45 days and she is obviously helped by the massive PR campaign being undertaken by the Flint & Genesee Group although the non-profit organization isn't classifying any of that as "political" to influence the Mundy Township election.

Stainton initially filed for a waiver, saying she was not going to spend more than $1,000. She later amended that but did not file a July 21 campaign finance report which is illegal under state law.

Ketzler may likely try to use that as an example of how her opponent does not belong in office, trying to comply with hundreds of laws more complicated than that one.

I'm ready for someone who isn't a politician but is ready to listen to the constituents. Mundy Township residents clearly do not want this project and they need board members to listen to their concerns and get busy to do something about them.

Give Mott's board credit. They heard them.

So did the MTA when Director Ed Benning bowed to pressure and rescinded his support in the face of mounting opposition to a millage on the ballot for the MTA in the August primary. A few other businesses have rescinded their letters of support after Stainton and other opponents of the Mega Site have threatened boycotts against their businesses.

Hopefully voters are paying attention.

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