In less than two weeks, voters will decide the top two candidates for the city's top job.
ABC12's Candace Burns spoke with incumbent Mayor Dayne Walling. If re-elected, he says he will continue to focus on economic development. "Everything that we do in this community depends on a strong economic base, so you'll continue to see me and my team work very, very hard for new jobs, new businesses. Large businesses, like Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy and small businesses, like Tina Sweets Downtown. We need all of those investments in our community, so that everyone has real economic opportunities."
Many residents are concerned about the escalating crime rate, however Mayor Walling says he knows what needs to be done on the issue. "This is a long-term problem that has been going on in my community every since I was born here. We need to work together to tackle this in our communities, in our households. Our police department is looking for ways to do more. There are new partnerships with the Michigan State Police, with federal agents. It takes all of us working together."
"We know that we would like to have more patrol officers if sources were there," added Walling. "We have more than 25 officers today working on competitive grants that my administration brought in. Those dollars came in since I was elected. We have four more patrol officers going out on the streets now ... We will continue to do everything we can, put as many officers on the street as possible. But we won't bust the budget and we won't send this city into receivership."
When asked how to prevent Flint from being taken over by the state, Walling responded, "It will not happen under my leadership. We will do what we have to do to keep the budget balanced, to pay down those old deficits. I am very proud of our record of making progress during what has been some very, very difficult times."
Though being a mayor can be difficult, Walling wants to continue the job. "I love this community and I really believe in this city. I believe in the people here and I believe ... if we stay positive and work together, then we can get some great things done."
Mayor Walling says his leadership is moving Flint in the right direction, however it is up to the voters to decide.
The Mayoral Primary Election is August 2. There are seven candidates in the race to lead the city. The top two voter getters will move on to the general election.
