Featured photo: Pamela Hawkins was one of many who attended a Feb. 28 city council meeting in support of the North Flint Food Market.
Written by Tanya Terry
Many supporters and members of the North Flint Food Market left the Feb. 28 city council meeting disappointed, and others may have considered the meeting lasting more than five hours to be less than productive.
During the public speaking portion of the meeting, Pamela Hawkins spoke first, identifying herself as the president of the North Flint Food Market board of directors. She asked members and supporters of the food market to stand, which encouraged just about everyone on the right half of the council chambers facing the council to rise to their feet.
“We’re here in support of the American Rescue Plan funding,” she informed the council.
“What we want you to do is see we want the store,” Hawkins added.
She also told anyone on the council who may have not been aware that during the groundbreaking ceremony for the store, there was standing room only and people took buses in order to attend.
“I wanted you to see who wants the store; it’s the residents of Flint.”
Arlene Wilborn, general manager for the food market, noted there were 960 members at the time of the meeting.
“We are going to have over 1,500; over 2,000; over 3,000 members that’s going to belong to the North Flint Food Market,” she expressed. “What does that mean? That means when something like a politician comes into Flint, they’re going to come to the North Flint Food Market to tell us what they’re going to do for our city.”
Wilborn said she believed the store would also result in healthy access to food, as well as show the young people of Flint what it means to execute and delegate.
The proposed store is to be on the north side of Flint, in the 1st Ward. The area is often referred to as a “food desert” because those who reside in this part of the city often lack access to affordable and nutritious food due to the lack of grocery stores or supermarkets.
According the Wilborn, the store will be a clean store, have a meat department, a deli department, a clean parking lot, offer good customer service and offer everything typically found at similar stores in suburban areas. Wilborn said they want to work with the school system and will additionally have an event center to bring resources to the north side of Flint.
Council President Eric Mays made the motion to approve a resolution resolving the appropriate city officials be authorized to do all things necessary to administer $600,000 for the grocery store. If approved, the funding would be provided under Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CLFRF)/American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. The store would be located in Mays’ ward.
3rd Ward Councilman Quincy Murphy said looking at the lack of investment in the north Flint community hurts his heart.
Later in the meeting, Mays expressed strong disagreement with William Kim, assistant city attorney, and Chief Financial Officer Robert Widigan after they said spending resolutions and processes must be issued by the mayor.
“I understand you may not agree with them, but the way you are talking to them and your tone of voice is rude and disrespectful…”Murphy said.
Murphy told Mays he was using his position as a chairperson to antagonize people they may not agree with.
“…It’s wrong; it’s disrespectful,” Murphy continued, noting the council members had recently had training at Mott Community College on how to talk to people.
Murphy said even though he supported the grocery store, he did not support the way Mays was talking to people, including council members. When later in the meeting Murphy announced he would remove himself from the meeting, Mays asked the police officer present to “speed” Murphy up.
Councilwoman Eva Worthing said the way Mays talked to members of administration at the meeting was “unprofessional” and “abusive.” Mays also ordered police remove Worthing from the meeting at one point. Before she left the meeting, escorted by police, Worthing said she thought all the Council Community Meetings on ARPA Spending would be held before decisions were made. She added because her ward was the 9th one, the meeting would be held in her ward last. She also said she would like to see additional financial information for the store.
Other council members voiced they would be leaving the meeting, as well.
Kim recommended two council members who were also members of the food market refrain from voting, but also agreed with Mays that if three more members of the council became food market members they would all be legally able to vote.
Ultimately, however, Mays ended the meeting due to lack of a quorum: the minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the North Flint Food Market took place August 30, 2021, after seven years of planning.
A special Flint City Council meeting was planned for Thursday, March 3, 2022 in order to address agenda action items that were unfinished from the February 28 meeting. Check out www.theflintcouriernews.com for updates!
