Santino J. Guerra – Third Ward
Age: 19
Education: Kearsley High School Alumnus
Currently, Pre-law double majoring in Criminal Justice and Sociology at the University of Michigan – Flint
Occupation: Full-Time Student, Prior to campaign worked at the University of Michigan – Flint Department of Public Safety
Why do you feel you are a good fit for Flint City Council?
I bring a fresh face to the city council, with new ideas.
What are the top five issues you want to focus on as a City Council member?
- Safe and Affordable Water
- Getting rid of blight and abandoned homes.
- Increasing Public Safety and improve community relations.
- Bring Jobs to the community.
- Stressing the importance of education.
How would you help the city navigate through the water crisis?
To navigate through the water crisis we have to work together. The Council, the Mayor and the People need be on the same page. If elected I will have no problem working with anyone who has the best interest of the people at heart.
What would your water source recommendation be?
My first priority is making sure that the water is safe to drink. My second is to make sure that it is affordable for all residents. When I have all the information and details then I will decide, we only have partial information at the time.
How satisfied are you with Flint’s current administration?
There is always room for improvement in any administration. If elected I would endeavor to work with any administration to help improve conditions in our city.
Millions of dollars have been poured into the development of downtown Flint. How would you develop other areas of the city and what areas do you think need more focus?
We need to focus on the outer areas in the City like the 3rd ward. Sometimes the people feel like they have been forgotten about by their local government. To develop areas I would encourage business owners to invest in the area and encourage the youth to focus on education and skill trades.
A complaint from some millennials is the lack of opportunity in Flint. How would you tackle that issue in hopes of keeping young people in Flint?
Coming from the younger generation, opportunity is lacking. It is important though that we understand these younger generations will be the future of our city. To keep them in Flint we need to bring in business or encourage them to further education. We have many great Universities and Colleges in Flint that bring in people from all over the world.
What is your opinion about blight in Flint and how would you tackle it?
Blight is a huge issue, especially in the 3rd ward. To help tackle the issue we need to work with the community and the land bank to identify areas of blight and get them cleaned up.
How would you build better communication with the administration in hopes of unifying the two bodies to work for the betterment of the Flint community?
I will explain to the bodies that we are elected by the people to serve the people. We are not in it for ourselves, but to better the city of Flint overall.
What are the top three top goals that you hope to accomplish as a City Council member?
I want the people to have safe and affordable drinking water. I want the people to regain trust and have transparency in local government. And I want to bring Morals and Integrity to the council.
If there was one thing you could tell all Flint residents what would it be?
It’s important to know that if elected we cannot fix the city overnight. We at least need to start making those small steps forward in the right direction. The city of Flint is where I was born and raised and is a city that I love. I am ready to fight tooth and nail to make sure that all residents have a voice, and regardless who you are voting for make it heard on November 7th!