Flint City Council appoints Leon El-Alamin as 1st Ward councilman

Flint, MI— Flint City Council voted 5 to 3 to appoint Leon El-Alamin to the 1st Ward council seat during a Monday, March 25, 2024 council meeting.

El-Alamin will serve as a councilperson until a special election is held on Aug. 6, 2024.

El-Alamin, a lifelong Flint resident, is the founder and director of the M.A.D.E Institute, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide transitional housing and comprehensive programming for at-risk youth and individuals returning from incarceration. He also serves on the City of Flint’s Housing Commission and served a member of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Advisory Committee. 

According to M.A.D.E.’s website, a few years after graduating high school, El-Alamin was involved in an incident that led to his arrest and imprisonment on drug and weapons charges. At the age of 30, he was released from prison after serving part of a 12-20 year sentence. He then launched the M.A.D.E Institute in 2015.

“Since I came home in 2010, I have transformed my life,” El-Alamin said during his interview for the 1st Ward position.  

“I’m feeling super excited. I’m ready to continue the work we’ve already been doing in the ward, me and my team, expanding that, unifying the community as much as I can.”

El-Alamin told Flint Beat residents can contact him anytime at 810-835-8304 or talk to him when he’s in the community.

The 1st Ward Council seat was vacated by the death of longtime Councilman Eric Mays on Feb. 24, 2024.