Flint, MI — Flint City Council voted to fill leadership roles left open after Councilman Eric Mays was removed as vice president and finance chair late January.
Maurice Davis will now serve as vice president with a 7-0 vote; he will also take on the role of chair of the Special Affairs Committee. Kate Fields was appointed as finance chair in a 5-2 vote, with Monica Galloway and Jerri Winfrey-Carter dissenting. Herbert Winfrey and Eric Mays were absent from the vote.
The change in leadership comes after council voted 8-0 during a Jan. 27 meeting to remove Mays from all leadership positions following his removal from the meeting for disorderly conduct. This time around, conflict arose during a discussion on mayoral appointments after Mays alleged that his four black colleagues had
“Willie Lynch Syndrome,” and that Mayor Sheldon Neeley is involved. It wasn’t long before Fields made a motion to remove Mays from the meeting, seconded by Councilman Allan Griggs.
The meeting quickly fell into disorder after, during a discussion on the motion, Davis made a personal attack on Mays, calling him a “basket case.” Mays
proceeded to yell at the councilman as he gathered his things and exited the council chambers.
Although Mays left on his own accord, council members chose to continue on with the vote to remove the councilman from the meeting, for the record. The motion passed.