Former Mayor Karen Weaver Announces Another Run for Flint’s Top Seat
After just over a two-year absence, Dr. Karen Weaver is back. The former Flint Mayor recently announced she is once again running for the position she vacated in 2019.
Weaver, who was mayor of Flint from 2015 to 2019 before losing a bid for re-election to current mayor Sheldon Neeley in November of 2019, made the announcement Saturday, March 5th. Weaver, who was the city's first female mayor, made the announcement to media and the public at Vernon Chapel A.M.E. Church in Flint.
Weaver discussed her reasons for making another run at the office she loved citing a rise in crime and blight, and her disappointment on the Flint Water Crisis settlement as factors in her decision.
"I hear the cries of the people on the northside and eastside of town who have asked for affordable homes in their communities. I hear the voice of the people asking why can't we have clean safe affordable water. I hear the voice of the people saying why can't have streets without sinkholes and potholes. I hear the voice of the people who ask why does our neighborhood, the homes that we work so hard to purchase have to be surrounded by blight. So like Deborah said in judges 5 and 7, I rise to the challenge. I rise to the challenge," Weaver said during her announcement.
Dr. Weaver went on to say,
"I hope people will look at my record- I hope they will review the record that I had in place before because I talked about bringing home rule back to city of Flint and that is what I did, I talked about getting new pipes because the people deserve new pipes and that is what I did. I talked about getting money for other services and support for the city of Flint and that is what I did and I hope people will see that I've still be fighting and speaking up on their behalf because when we don't vote nothing changes".
Prior to the big announcement, Dr. Weaver turned to social media, even Tok Tok, to let people know she was making a come-back with several posts questioning the leadership of current Mayor Neeley and those who doubted her during her time as mayor.
The mayoral primary election will be on August 2, 2022. The top two vote-getters in that contest will compete in the general election on November 8, 2022.