10/29/2026
Three forums later: 2026 Flint mayoral panel series. With People Powered Flint Oct. 29, 2026
After organizing three Flint mayoral forums through People Powered Flint, we would still support Roshanda Womack. The questions residents brought to those forums and the answers we heard explain why.
Our involvement grew out of work we were already doing. While actively volunteering with Bridge Brigade Genesee County for over 65 weeks, where we connected with local organizers and began canvassing with Rank MI Vote and Michigan Faith in Action which connected us to the Invest in MI Kids campaign. Thanks to volunteers, we collected more than 1,800 signatures at one Flint event.
We met Roshanda Womack through that volunteer work. While canvassing for Mop Up Michigan, a campaign working to reduce corporate influence in politics, we were approached about another canvassing opportunity with her. "Getting big money out of politics is something I believe the entire country needs right now."
The forum series began with a conversation with the Equality Caucus of Genesee County and an idea. People Powered Flint agreed to take on the organizing. That became three public forums: May 27 at Higher Quality of Life Ministries Vision Center, June 25 at the New McCree Theatre and July 25 at Kew's Korner.
When we started this work, we said we wanted to learn directly from the people involved. From protest to canvassing to political engagement, everyone has a road into this work. Ours brought us into conversations about who should lead Flint and how residents could have more opportunity to question their choices.
Our main goal is personal connection. Everyone has a title or a label, but neither tells you everything about a human being. On social media, words can lose the context of the conversation around them. Talking directly gives people a chance to ask what someone means and understand more of their experience.
We don't claim to be experts in every subject. We ask questions, seek reliable information and learn from people with relevant knowledge and direct experience. Some people understand an issue better by reading or revisiting a recording. Others learn by participating directly. We wanted the forums to make room for both.
We work in Flint, spend our free time here and support Flint businesses. As patrons of the city, we respect the history it holds and the dedication of the people who have shaped it. The opportunity to partner with organizations and individuals here is both an honor and an education.
The mayoral office mattered to us because its decisions reach into people's daily lives. Residents brought concerns about water, violence, their children, development and public money. We asked candidates what they could actually do, what would require council approval and how residents would know whether a promise had been kept.
Roshanda participated in all three forums. At the first, she spoke about her work with children and families and identified educational, mental health and continuing health supports children affected by the water crisis need. At McCree, she opened with the question, "And how are the children?" She described their well-being as a measure of how the community is doing.
As a parents and caregivers, we understood why that question belonged in a mayoral forum. Her public safety answers also addressed the conditions contributing to violence, including wages, opportunity and support for young people.
In July, we asked how residents could obtain clear records of water work at their own properties and challenge missing or conflicting information. Roshanda described a way for residents to look up their homes and verify what the city said had been done. That would give residents a way to check a government announcement against the work at their own address.
When we asked what she would independently review, she proposed a financial audit and an examination of whether funded programs accomplished their purpose. She identified water infrastructure, unresolved property issues, demolition, major contracts and ARPA spending. Those were commitments residents could return to and ask her to account for.
On mayoral authority, she said she would follow the charter, consult the city attorney and work with council. She also acknowledged that she could have blind spots and would need people around her with knowledge she didn't have. She said she was willing to hear criticism. I want a mayor who understands that residents' questions are part of the job.
Sheldon Neeley's experience doesn't earn him another term by itself. Experience gives residents a record to examine. The questions about services, public spending and responsiveness still deserve answers. He did not attend any of the People Powered Flint forum panels.
Tonya Burns has served on City Council since 2021. Her record deserves scrutiny too. The attention around her hasn't convinced me she is the best person to lead Flint. I want to know what she helped accomplish, what she followed through on and how her proposals would work. A large following doesn't tell residents whether someone can manage a disagreement or deliver on a commitment. Tonya attended one panel forum, at the Mcree theater to which no communications were granted from her team throughout the process as requested via email for organization.
We don't believe Flint needs another career politician or a political personality whose attention becomes bigger than the work. Roshanda's answers gave us more confidence that she understood who the office should serve and that's exactly why People Powered Flint will be focusing on permanent volunteer opportunity following the November 2026 election.
We believe in equality. Everyone has a place in Flint and deserves dignity, a fair hearing and the opportunity to participate. Our concern for human beings isn't limited to one location. The mayor's office should serve residents regardless of their background, their beliefs or who they supported.
The recordings remain available for residents to hear the questions and answers themselves and reach their own conclusions. Our support for Roshanda isn't a promise to stop asking questions. We would expect her to account for her decisions too.
Roshanda didn't advance from the August primary to the November ballot. That hasn't changed our assessment. If a write in vote for her was requested, we would still support her.
We took on these forums because the people living with the next mayor's decisions deserve opportunities to question the people seeking that responsibility. Across three conversations, Roshanda Womack gave us the strongest reason to believe she would use that office in their interests.
We stand behind the name People Powered Flint, but it's the people who stand behind Flint who make the difference.
