1959 (age 64–65)
Flint,Michigan,U.S.
Karen Weaver (née Williams;born 1959) [1] [2] is an American psychologist and politician who was the mayor of Flint,Michigan,from 2015 to 2019. [3] She was the first female mayor of the city [3] and the fifth African-American to hold the office.
Weaver is a member of the Democratic Party, [4] although local offices in Flint are officially nonpartisan. [5] She is also a member of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation,and Governor Rick Snyder's Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee. [6] [7] [8]
During her tenure as mayor,Weaver twice visited the White House and met U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. [9] [10] [11] She oversaw the city's role in the recovery from the ongoing Flint water crisis,the most dominant issue during her mayoral tenure.
Her term ended on November 11,2019. She was defeated in her re-election by Sheldon Neeley the previous week. [12]
The youngest of three children,Weaver was born in Flint and grew up on the city's north side. [2] She graduated from Flint Northern High School in 1977. [2] She holds a bachelor's degree from Tougaloo College,a master's degree from Long Island University,and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Michigan State University. [3] [13]
Prior to being elected mayor of Flint in 2015,Weaver served on a number of committees in the city,including the Hurley Medical Center Board of Managers,Priority Children and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. [13]
In the mayoral election of November 3,2015,Weaver received 7,825 votes (55%),defeating Mayor Dayne Walling,who received 6,061 votes (45%). Weaver took office on November 9,2015. [3]
Shortly after taking office,she declared an emergency in the city due to the water crisis in the area. [14] She also pushed for a similar declaration by state and federal authorities,which were granted by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on January 5,and President Barack Obama on January 16,2016. [15] According to Weaver,this declaration means that the federal government will now be responsible for disaster relief efforts,rather than the state of Michigan,as had been the case before. [14] On January 19,2016,Mayor Weaver visited the White House and met President Obama. [10] On February 10,2016,Weaver testified before the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on the water crisis. [16]
On February 12,2016,she fired Flint Police Chief James Tolbert,Fire Chief David Cox,and City Administrator Natasha Henderson. [17] Tolbert said her explanation was,"she wants to make some changes." [18] The city council and state Receivership Transition Advisory Board approved her appointments for their successors (Tim Johnson as police chief and Raymond Barton as fire chief) later that month. [19] On May 9,2016,Henderson filed a lawsuit in federal court,claiming she was fired from her position as city administrator after reporting Mayor Weaver may have been telling staff to direct water crisis donations to her own personal funds. [20] Two days later,the city hired an attorney to investigate the claim. [21] Weaver said Henderson's claims were "outrageously false." [22] The case was dismissed on August 8,2017. [23]
On March 24,2016,Governor Snyder appointed Weaver to an eight-year term on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's executive committee. [7] Mayor Weaver was also appointed to Governor Snyder's Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee which is attempting to alleviate the problems caused during the Flint water crisis. [8]
Mayor Weaver endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and briefly spoke about the water crisis at that year's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. [24] [25]
On March 15,2017,Mayor Weaver met President Donald Trump to discuss funding for infrastructure and public safety for Flint [9] and met with officials at the White House for further discussion of Flint's water infrastructure later that year. [11] [26]
Mayor Weaver survived a recall election on November 7,2017,with 53% of voters supporting her to stay in office. Of the other 17 mayoral contenders,Ninth Ward Flint City Councilman Scott Kincaid came in second place with about 32% of the vote. [27]
In November 2019,Weaver lost her bid for reelection to Sheldon Neeley,a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. [28] Weaver ran against incumbent mayor Neeley in November 2022,after having gained second place in the August 2 primary. [29] Neely was re-elected.
Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County,Michigan,United States. Located along the Flint River,66 miles (106 km) northwest of Detroit,it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census,Flint had a population of 81,252,making it the twelfth-most populous city in Michigan. The Flint metropolitan area is located entirely within Genesee County. It is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Michigan with a population of 406,892 in 2020. The city was incorporated in 1855.
Swartz Creek is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,897 at the 2020 census. The city is a suburb of Flint and has incorporated land formerly within Flint Charter Township,Gaines Township,and Clayton Township,but is administratively autonomous from all three.
Richard Dale Snyder is an American business executive,venture capitalist,attorney,accountant,and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019.
Matthew Samuel Collier is an American entrepreneur,U.S. Army veteran,and politician who served as the mayor of Flint,Michigan from 1987 to 1991. Taking office at 29,he was among the youngest mayors elected in a major city in the United States.
Darnell Earley is an American public administrator and municipal manager. Formerly the city manager of Saginaw,Michigan and emergency manager of Flint,Michigan,Earley served as temporary mayor of Flint after the recall of Woodrow Stanley. Earley was appointed emergency manager of the Detroit Public Schools system in January 2015. He resigned that position in February 2016. In January 2021 he was indicted on felony charges regarding the Flint water crisis.
The City of Flint has operated under at least four charters. The City is currently run under its 2017 charter that gives the city a Strong Mayor form of government. It is also instituted the appointed independent office of Ombudsman,while the city clerk is solely appointed by the City Council. The City Council is composed of members elected from the city's nine wards.
Hurley Medical Center is a teaching hospital serving Genesee,Lapeer,and Shiawassee counties in eastern Michigan since December 19,1908. Situated in Flint,Michigan,it is a 457-bed public non-profit hospital.
Dayne Walling is an American politician who was the mayor of Flint,Michigan from 2009 to 2015. Although the Flint mayor's office is a nonpartisan position,Walling is a member of the Democratic Party.
Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) is a municipal corporation responsible for distributing water services in the Mid-Michigan and Thumb areas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Members of the authority are the cities of Flint and Lapeer,and the counties of Genesee,Lapeer and Sanilac. Karegnondi is a word from the Petan Indian language meaning "lake" and another early name for Lake Huron.
Stacy Erwin Oakes is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. She has been a Democratic Party member of the Michigan House of Representatives and Minority Whip representing Michigan's 95th District,located in Saginaw County,which includes the cities of Saginaw and Zilwaukee,in addition to the following townships:Bridgeport Township,Buena Vista Township,Carrollton Township,James Township,Kochville Township,Spaulding Township,and Zilwaukee Township.
The Flint water crisis is a public health crisis that started in 2014 after the drinking water for the city of Flint,Michigan,was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria. In April 2014,during a financial crisis,state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley changed Flint's water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River. Residents complained about the taste,smell,and appearance of the water. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water,which resulted in lead from aging pipes leaching into the water supply,exposing around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels. A pair of scientific studies confirmed that lead contamination was present in the water supply. The city switched back to the Detroit water system on October 16,2015. It later signed a 30-year contract with the new Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) on November 22,2017.
On June 21,2017,Airport Police Lieutenant Jeff Neville was stabbed in the neck at Bishop International Airport in the city of Flint,Michigan,in the United States. The assailant,Amor Ftouhi,yelled,"Allahu akbar" during the attack. Ftouhi was travelling on a Canadian passport. Numerous law enforcement agencies responded and the airport was evacuated. Bomb sniffing dogs searched the evacuated airport for evidence of a larger-scale attack,but found nothing. Ftouhi was charged with committing violence at an international airport and interfering with airport security. He was later charged with committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. He was found guilty of all three charges in November 2018,and was sentenced to life in federal prison in April 2019.
Flint Town is an eight episode American documentary television series that was released on Netflix on March 2,2018. The documentary focuses on the thoughts and conflicted emotions of police officers serving to protect urban areas of Flint,Michigan struggling with poverty,crime,financially strapped public services and the Flint water crisis. The series covers a period from November 2015 to early 2017,the same time frame as the 2016 presidential election. The department captured on-screen is down from 300 officers to 98 for 100,000 people,the lowest number out of comparably sized cities. Over the course of the episodes,the police faced a crucial millage vote and a city government wrangling over funding.
The 2017 Flint mayoral recall election in Flint,Michigan was held on November 7,2017,and resulted in incumbent mayor Karen Weaver being re-elected.
Sheldon Andre Neeley is an American politician,currently serving as the Mayor of Flint,Michigan. He was elected as Flint's mayor in 2019 and served an abbreviated three-year term before being re-elected in 2022. Neeley is a registered Democrat and a former state representative in Michigan's 34th House district. He served two complete terms and one partial term in the Michigan House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019. He resigned from his position in the House when he was elected as the Mayor of Flint in 2019. Neeley's wife,Cynthia,was elected to his former seat on March 10,2020. Neeley served two complete terms and one partial term on the Flint City Council between 2005 and 2014,prior to his tenure as Michigan Representative and was the Council's first African-American member to have come from Flint's Sixth Ward.
Cynthia Renay Neeley is an American politician serving in the Michigan House of Representatives for the 70th district. She is married to Flint mayor Sheldon Neeley.
Eric Bradford Mays was an American auto worker and politician. Mays served as a member of the Flint City Council from November 2013 until his death in 2024,representing northwest Flint as the councilor from the city's first ward. During his tenure,Mays was known to be highly controversial due to several incidents where he was suspended and escorted out of city council meetings. He was also widely known on social media,particularly for his catchphrase,"Point of Order!".
The 2022 Flint,Michigan mayoral election was held on November 8,2022,to elect the mayor of the city of Flint,Michigan. The primary was held on August 8,2022. Incumbent mayor Sheldon Neeley was re-elected with 53% of the vote.
The 2019 Flint mayoral election was held on November 5,2019,to elect the mayor of the city of Flint,Michigan. The primary was held on August 2,2019. Sheldon Neeley narrowly defeated incumbent mayor Karen Weaver by less than 300 votes.