living out of state i’ve been told that i had an accent, i’ve always thought i had a standard American accent or midwest at the least but apparently not, has anyone else been told this?

My furnace took a dump one this year. Through some luck I was able to get an unused furnace for dirt cheap. Problem is that most places I call won't touch the furnace unless they sold it to me. The old one looks like it's from the 70s and I need a rebuild for the new one.

I don't have a lot of money to begin with so I can't afford to buy a furnace again. Does anyone know of someone qualified around town that would take on this task?

Where is the best place in Flint? I need suspension work and my go to Guy is out of the game currently.

Well, that was a dramatic end to a very difficult and wild meeting. 90+ minutes of public comment, which at times felt like Bible study.

It also shows that we need civics education because there were clearly people who have never read the Constitution.

And the primary election I had trouble finding the props or millages on the ballot online before I voted and ended up finding out there was some once I got there to vote I'm trying to see what's on there beforehand but all the websites that I've checked none of them have it was wondering if they're just aren't any or they're just not showing them online has anybody got a ballot yet and were there any?

There have been several threads related to the chaotic environment that Mott Community College's board has created over the past two years. I am a faculty member there, live next door to the college, have family that graduated from there, covered their great basketball program as a journalist for many years, and care a lot about the college's future. I apologize in advance for this lengthy post, but for those interested, I wanted to recap some of the main issues, provide links to find more information, and, most importantly, share how people who live in Genesee County (or in parts of Lapeer/Shiawassee/Livingston counties who vote on Mott board members) can help change the dynamic on this board by voting on Nov. 5.

I know we are all burnt out on politics, but the MCC Board of Trustees election is a vital down-ballot issue that many people are not aware of.

First, here are some articles that discuss many of this board's issues:

• Mott Community College paying outgoing president $300,000 amid conflict with board chair | MLive
• Interim President Choice Inflames Tensions at Mott Community College | Inside Higher Ed
• MCC announces interim president Shaunda Richardson-Snell amid vocal opposition from faculty, community | East Village Magazine
• A Far Right Takeover of the Mott Community College Board | Mott recall website

There are many, many more details around the board's actions over the past year available here and here, if you're interested in a deeper dive. The key issue at the moment is Mott's current search for a new president to replace Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, the college's longtime president who resigned earlier this year amid an antagonistic environment led by several board members.

Five current trustees, Andy Everman, Jeffrey Swanson, John Daly, Janet Couch, and Wendy Wolcott, orchestrated a mysterious and rushed process to appoint an interim president, Shaunda Richardson-Snell, who had no higher education experience. For those receiving this who do not work in higher education, conducting an external search for an interim president is highly unusual. Typically, colleges will appoint an internal administrator who is familiar with the college to steady vital business like enrollment, accreditation, facilities/campus safety, etc., while a search for a permanent president is conducted. In Mott's case, a respected vice president at the college, Jason Wilson, had been serving as acting president since Walker-Griffea's departure until Richardson-Snell was appointed in July. There was no discernible reason to appoint a different interim, let alone one who is unfamiliar with the college's day-to-day operations, prior to then conducting a search for the permanent job.

The board then tried to rush a search for a permanent president, ostensibly to put Richardson-Snell in that position without a thorough search, despite major opposition from faculty, staff, students, and community members that was regularly voiced at their meetings. They attempted to limit their search only to Michigan candidates rather than engaging in a national search (as is customary for nearly all colleges for a CEO-level role). They also attempted to use an ad-hoc committee consisting only of Everman, Daly, and Swanson to handle the search rather than a typical step of hiring a search firm that specializes in finding higher education executive talent.

After massive public criticism, the board recently reversed course on that decision when the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (not affiliated with the college) offered a grant to support funding the cost of a search firm.

In October, a campaign mailer was sent endorsing three candidates in the upcoming election. The mailer threatened to, among other things, force faculty resignations if they aren't aligned politically with the current board majority. It also advocated for installing Richardson-Snell as permanent president. The mailer also likely violated campaign finance law, as it did not include a "paid for by ..." line on it. 

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This week, a pastor from a Hartland church wrote a lengthy diatribe accusing members of the public who have spoken out against the board's irregular procedures as being politically motivated and engaging in "crucifixion-like abuse" of Richardson-Snell. He also incorrectly asserted that Richardson-Snell is being specifically singled out because of her religious beliefs, rather than members of the public expressing frustration for two years of board actions that have routinely displayed bad governance, a lack of procedural knowledge, a lack of transparency or explanation for decisions that seem to be made in secret rather than during public meetings, a hostile environment, a controversial presidential search process, and much more. Richardson-Snell's hiring is certainly a part of those frustrations, but far from the entirety. And, it should be pointed out, that stating that she lacks any higher education experience is a factual observation, not an attack on her character, let alone "crucifixion-like."

In a blatantly dishonest attempt to cover for Richardson-Snell's total lack of experience in higher education administration, the pastor also wrote in his letter that, "Even closer to home, the President of Oakland University, Ora Pescovitz, has no background in higher education. Russell Kavalhuna, the President of Henry Ford Community College, is a former pilot with a law degree."

A cursory look at the bios of Pescovitz and Kavalhuna show that the insinuation that their respective institutions hired them without any background in higher ed is not true. Further, both of those institutions engaged in robust presidential searches, introduced finalists for the positions to their campuses, allowed for opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others to ask questions of those finalists, and after selecting them, board members ultimately explained the reasons they chose each person at the conclusion of those searches. I'm a graduate of Oakland University and, as an alum, received numerous communications and invitations to engage in various ways with search-related events throughout their presidential search.

Other than Swanson saying he wanted a president to run Mott "more like a business" during a meeting over the summer, no board members have provided public explanations for what they believe best suited Richardson-Snell for this role over other interim candidates who applied and seemed more qualified. They did not publish any criteria or rubrics they used to evaluate candidates. Richardson-Snell has also yet to substantially unveil any comprehensive vision she has for campus.

Collectively, the board's actions have already had a negative impact on the campus. But they could result in even deeper damage, up to risking Mott losing its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. If that were to happen, and Mott lost its ability to offer federal financial aid, the college would be in jeopardy of closing. Similar instances of bad governance have resulted in awful outcomes elsewhere in the country, including Eastern Gateway Community College in Ohio closing and North Idaho College on a similar path as it struggles to keep its accreditation.

That's a long-winded introduction, but important context. Now here's the more important part: getting involved. Below are a few ways you can make a HUGE difference.

Make a Public Comment at the Next Board Meeting

Mott's Board of Trustees has a regular meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, October 28, in the MCC Event Center, located at 1401 E. Court Street. The meeting will also be streamed live on YouTube if you can't attend. Attending in person if at all possible would strongly show support to current students, faculty, and staff pushing back on this board's actions. It would also remind this board that it is accountable to voters. Public comments have to be submitted beforehand using this submission form. After submitting, you can read your public comment in-person at the meeting if you plan to attend, or if you can't attend, a staff member will read it for you into the public record. I can't stress enough how important it is to submit public comments, as the pastor's letter linked above is trying to orchestrate a swarm of bad faith submissions to create a false impression that this board's decisions have been popular.

If you plan to submit a comment, I would suggest stressing the importance of MCC to our community (including any personal stories about your connection to the college or how it has impacted you), and reiterating that, as a publicly elected board representing voters in Mott's district, their decisions should include input from the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community that they serve. 

VOTE, and ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO VOTE

Three seats are up for grabs on the Nov. 5 ballot. Andy Everman and Jeffrey Swanson are running for re-election. Michael Freeman, who has been one of only two (along with Art Reyes) voices of reason on the board, did not seek re-election. This election is VITAL to Mott's future. If all three seats go to sane candidates who care about managing the college and its direction responsibly, the board's majority will flip and a lot of the damage they have inflicted will be mitigated.

The complicating factor is that there are 14 candidates running for those three seats, which will certainly lead to confusion, especially for voters who haven't been following news about Mott, or know where to get info about candidates. I plan to vote for these three:

• Kenyetta Dawson
• Perci Whitmore
• Anne Figueroa

Those three were endorsed by Mott's faculty union. They were also endorsed by the Michigan Education Association, and Figueroa and Whitmore both have UAW endorsements. I know each of them personally. They are passionate about Mott, public servants who have integrity, and would be amazing board members. I'm happy to answer any questions if anyone has them about why I'm supporting them.

There are other great candidates running. Several filled out responses to the Genesee County League of Women Voters questionnaire that are instructive, if you'd like to read them. I believe Andrew Watchorn, Amanda Wares, Gail Johnson, or Aron Gerics would all be trustworthy and good board members, too. However, for me personally, this election is too important for me to risk splitting votes among the good candidates, which is why I'm voting for the three faculty union-endorsed candidates. I know of three of the four other candidates mentioned above, and am on very friendly terms with one of them. I respect all of them, the work they've done in our community, and their reasons for running. I hope they all run again, and certainly don't begrudge anyone for voting for them in this election either. But, to be transparent, I wanted to share my rationale and hope it makes sense to others.

As far as other listed candidates? They all need to be avoided. Everman, as board chair, has been the point person for this board's chaos, and has also been caught being dishonest on more than one occasion. He also became a meme, which was pretty funny. Swanson has worked hand-in-hand with Everman and has had his own problems with honesty as a board member. Candice Miller and Virginia Sepanak both appeared as endorsed candidates on the Qanon-friendly mailer above that went out to voters. Mary Davis and Jenna Rose Marden are both aligned with Wolcott.*

* Sidenote on Wolcott if you live in Davison: She's running for County Commission as a Democrat somehow, even though she is in no way a Democrat. Her Republican opponent, Brian Flewelling, is the far more sane choice in that race.

Of those candidates who should be avoided, only Everman even bothered to fill out the League of Women Voters questionnaire. Swanson doesn't even have a bio on Mott's board website. So it's not particularly easy to understand what their visions even are for the college or what attributes they offer to the board.

The Recall

There is an active recall against the three trustees who have longer terms, Wolcott, Daly, and Couch. Although the primary focus at the moment is the election, the recall will also continue to be a significant effort to restore sanity to this board. The best way to find information about where to sign the petitions is by following the Facebook page. 

PLEASE SHARE

Please share any or all of this info that is helpful with any people you know in your personal networks who care about Mott and its future, who want more information about candidates in this particular election, or who want to know how to find information about the recall. 

I apologize again for the length of this post, but wanted to convey how bad the environment is at Mott, and how consequential this election is for the college's future.

Anyone know what’s going on with Dorothy’s Coffee? Is it permantly closed? Google says it is.

It's the worst intersection. Belsay needs a protected left turn onto Richfield. I've seen 13 cars totaled in the past 5 months there, one of which, was mine when some lady blew through a red! I'm mostly venting, but it'd be amazing if something could be done about it before someone loses their life at that turn. It's always someone turning left from Belsay onto Richfield that gets totaled.

The next regular MCC Board of Trustees Meeting is Monday Oct 28 at 5:30 pm in the Events Center on the main campus.

It is also live streamed on the YouTube channel.

As always, take a careful look at their agenda; this board has a pattern of including problematic board policy changes.

This agenda includes adding a new Board Policy for Public Prayer at Board Meetings, and limiting public Comment.

First Amendment issues.

Perhaps, they will also update the community on the search for the President.

For a background on board policy changes in recent months:

https://savemottcc.wordpress.com

anyone going to the moz concert on the 20th?:)

Hello I am in the market trying to find a new PCP that is experienced in treating gender affirming issues/ is a safe space for queer and trans folk ,any help or experiences from fellow trans/queer people would be wonderful or if just anyone in general if you know of a PCP, I do most of my scrips through PP , but I need a place for general checkups and physicals.

Thank you so much if you can help!

So, Friday we went into Walmart to get an oil change. They told us they can’t do walking,that we would have to make an appointment. All good, we scheduled for today at 9:30.

We got there, got checked in. Decided to do a little shopping, got done with that. Went to go check on the car. Still not in the bay. So, we go sit for a while. 11:15 comes around and we get a text that they had started servicing the car. Ok, shouldn’t take more than another 15 minutes.

Nope, 12:30 rolls around, still not done. I ask for an estimate of when it’ll be done. “Oh, another fifteen minutes.”

So, yeah at about 12:45 (over 3 hours later) we get the text that our car is ready. No apology for it taking so long or anything.

Will not be going back.

Anyone have any recommendations for a reasonable and quick oil change around that area?

Where's the best place to get a radio installed at a good price?

Started out today at the Genesee Vererans Park on Genesee Rd and walked the trails out to the Bluegill Boat Launch. It was gorgeous with all the leaves changing.

If anyone is looking for a beautiful safe place to walk I definitely recommend this! The trail winds around by the lake and thru the woods. It’s peaceful and beautiful. You do hear the train from Huckleberry Railroad on the weekends but it doesn’t take away from it.

I also recommend Stepping Stone Falls as another beautiful place to walk some trails.

We’ve walked them in all seasons but fall is by far the best time. It’s such a nice little slice of nature so close to the city.

Just fyi you can walk, bike or rollerblade on the trails and they are dog friendly.

Is there anywhere in Flint/Burton that you can donate whole blood on the werkends?

All commentary about the Journal (urinal, etc), how horrible the paper is, its political stance and local commentary aside, does anyone know what’s going on with its only local sports reporter Brendan Savage?

Haven’t seen anything posted by him in awhile and his socials seem to be nonexistent. They outsourced the weekly football picks today; I’m just wondering if he finally hung it up, is dealing with more health issues, moved to a beach somewhere, retired to his wife’s bakery, ran away with his dogs or is out of a job.

Group of people squatting in a abandon house and the old abandon school unit next door anyone know who I can complain too to get them out ? I'd mind my own business but these people are nasty and 100% running drugs out of there. People are in and out all day and night. One lady left there and overdosed in my front yard about a month ago 🤦🏻‍♀️

We stayed on Belle Ave for a handful of years growing up, in the early 2000s. Mostly good memories, though it wasn't and isn't the best area.

I'm pretty sure the house we resided in is no longer there but I have a reasonable memory of what it looked like. Is there any tool to view houses or neighborhoods from around that late 90s-early 00s time frame?

Has anyone here ever served as a foster family in Flint or really anywhere? I’m not really sure what the process is or if I’d even be eligible, but I’d love to foster particularly maybe a kid that has been kicked out for being trans or really any part of the LGBTQ community, but would be pretty open and have the space for it. I’ve thought of reaching out to the Trevor Project and ask if they have any information or if they work with foster families and such, but if anyone has any additional information I’d appreciate it.

Join Flint Residents for Stronger Neighborhoods as we welcome Henry Grabar, Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World, for a conversation about the history of parking policy in America, how it shapes our cities, and what policies we can enact to build more walkable, vibrant communities.

Free coffee, tea, and hors d'oeuvres will be available for all attendees and there is no cost to attend!

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This event is generously supported by the donations of Flint residents as well as Communities First, Inc., the Crim Fitness Foundation, Genesee County Habitat for Humanity, RIPMOS Properties LLC, Flint Residents for Stronger Neighborhoods, and Flint Neighborhoods United.

I’m starting to lose hope. I am a trans man, and for a year or so I was receiving testosterone from Henry ford Harbortown, an hour away by Detroit. I did like it there, but I’d see a new doctor every time and it’s hard to get time off to go. Any trans flint natives who get HRT closer to the city, whether from their PHP or a clinic? I’ve done my fair share of searching around and I just can’t find anything. Any point in the right direction would be so so helpful, thank you! (Also, if you’re gonna be transphobic in the comments, you can save it. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before, I promise.)