The City of Flint has operated under at least four charters (1855, 1888, 1929, 1974 City of Flint, Michigan Charter 1974 .). The City is currently run under its 2017 Flint City Charte Effective 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.
The city was under the supervision of a state-appointed Receivership Transition Advisory Board from 2015 to January 2019. The Receivership Transition Advisory Board had to review and rule on all financial matters approved by the city council and mayor.
In June 2018, an Administrative Hearings Bureau, or Blight Hearings Bureau, was started through a grant to handle blight hearings generated from blight citations given by the city's Blight Elimination Division. Attorney T.W. Feaster was appointed the first administrative hearing officer of the bureau. There were a backlog since 2013 of about 7,000 complaints.
Other principal officers See Also Mayor of the City of Flint, Michigan Year Recorders Treasurers Marshals 1855 Levi Walker Elihu F. Frary Cornelius Roosevelt 1856 Chas. B. Higgins John C. Griswold Joshua Vose 1857 M.L. Higgins George F. Hood Nathaniel Dodge 1858Charles HascallCyrus H. Golf 1859 1860 Lewis G. Bickford John A. KlineGeorge Andrews 1861L.R. BuckinghamJ.A. Owens 1862Julius Brouseau 1863 H. R. Lovell Anson S. WitheeJ.D. Morehouse 1864 Alvin T. CrossmanL.G. Buckingham 1865 J.D. Morehouse 1866 William W. Barnes 1867 George R. Gold John S. Freeman 1868 1869 Anson S. WitheeWilliam A. Miller 1870 1871 Chas. E. McAlester Samuel B. Wicks 1872 Francis H. Rankin, Sr. 1873 Solomon V. Hakes 1874 Francis H. Rankin, Sr. 1875 1876 Year City Clerk• Treasurers Marshals 1877 Francis H. Rankin, Sr. Charles C. Beahan Samuel B. Wicks 1878 Michael Doran 1879 J.B.F. Curtis Jared Van Vleet •In 1876, the office of City Recorder was abolished and replaced with a city council appointed city clerk.
1929 Charter In 1929, the city adopted a new city charter with a council-manager form of government. In 1935, the city residents approved a charter amendment establishing the Civil Service Commission. The three-member Civil Service Commission had complete control over all personal matters leaving the city manager powerless to hire and fire. The Commission powers were reduced in the 1974 charter. Year City Manager Deputy CityManager Clerk 1963—1965 James W. Rutherford 12/1971-4/1974Brian RappFlint Journal Unforgettable: When a former Flint city manager left this world, he also left mixed memories . BoothNewspapers: Flint Journal. March 5, 1995. retrieved March 08, 2011.
Emergency manager
Term Manager Governor Jul 2002 - Jun 2004 Ed Kurtz John Engler Dec 2011 - Aug 2012 Michael Brown Rick Snyder Aug 2012 - July 2013 Ed Kurtz Rick Snyder July 2013 - October 2013 Michael Brown Rick Snyder October 2013 - January 2015 Darnell Earley Rick SnyderAdams, Dominic. (September 11, 201) Darnell Earley promises bold steps as Flint emergency manager . MLive Media Group: The Flint Journal. Accessed on October 18, 2013. January 2015– Jerry Ambrose Rick Snyder
Ward officers
Street Commissioners Assessors Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1855 William Moon William Eddy John C. Griswold Ashael Fuller William Hamilton David Foot Chapter XIII: First City Officers. The History of Genesee County, MI. 1856 Thomas McElhany George Andrews James McAlester 1857 William Baker John A. Kline John W. Palmer 1858 John S. Ryno Benjamin Pearson Chas. H. Cudney 1859 Elijah Drake 1860 Benjamin F. Golf William Miller 1861 L. Bradford S. C. Smith William Bloomer 1862 A.M. Hurd L. Buckingham Josiah Pratt 1863 L. H. Roberts James D. Haight 1864 David Watson Theo. Simons L. Buckingham 1865 1866 William W. Joyner Leonard Weason Jacob B. Covert 1867 Orson B. Gibson Edmond Curtis 1868 William O. Bassett William Boomer 1869 Jno. C. Clement Josiah Pratt Josiah Pratt (?) 1870 Robert W. Dullam L. H. Robert Silas Austin 1871 Robert Patrick, Sr. Almon Reynolds George Stanard 1872 S. B. Wicks Henry Stanley 1873 Edmond Curtis L. Buckingham Henry Thayer 1874 Josiah Pratt 1875 John Becker 1876 John Andrews Augustus Root1877 John C. Dayton D. C. Andrews 1878 Thomas Sullivan M. H. White 1879 Alfred Ingalls William Pidd
Council
1855 Charter Alderman Wards Council Years 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 1855 J.W. Armstrong George W. Dewey Benjamin Pearson David Mather William M. Fenton Alvin T. Crosman 2nd 1856 H. W. Wood ? (George W. Dewey) Charles Rice ? (David Mather) Henry Higgins ? (Alvin T. Crosman) 3rd 1857 ? (H. W. Wood) C.S. Payne ? (Charles Rice)Lewis Walker† Samuel N. Warren ? (Henry Higgins) George W. Fish 4th 1858 Jno. C. Allen Samuel B. Wicks G.W. Skidmore 5th 1859 J. Skidmore 6th 1861 ? (Jno. C. Allen) Oscar Adams ? (Samuel B. Wicks) William Hamilton ? (J. Skidmore) William Patterson 7th 1861 Alexander McFarland ? (Oscar Adams) Edward C. Turner ? (William Hamilton) William Clark ? (William Patterson) 8th 1862 ? (Alexander McFarland) David Spencer Fox ? (Edward C. Turner) William Hamilton ? (William Clark) Paul H. Stewart 9th 1863 O.F. Forsyth Edward C. Turner I. N. Eldridge David Foote 10th 1864William StevensonHiram Parsell 11th 1865George H. Durand 12th 1865L.H. Roberts 13th 1866 John Hawley I. N. Eldridge Sumner Howard 14th 1867 Abner Randall William Hamilton Charles Smith 15th 1868 Orson B. Gibson 16th 1869F.W. Judd Orson B. GibsonF.H. Pierce 17th 1870M.S. ElmoreWilson S. TouseyW. O'Donoughue 18th 1871Damon StewartJohn WillettW.BuckinghamJ.R. ChambersChas. D. Smith 19th 1872Samuel C. RandallWilliam DullamJ.B.F. CurtisEdward B. ClappJosiah W. BegoleJames Williams 20th 1873Benj. CotharinH.C. SpencerP. Cleveland, Jr. 21st 1874William R. Morse 22nd 1875Thomas PageWilliams FobesChris Becker 23rd 1876Chas. A. MasonHenry BrownChas. D. Smith 24th 1877Andrew J. WardWilliam A. AtwoodWilliam A. BurrJ. Zimmerman 25th 1878S.N. AndrousHenry C. WalkerJos. M. Corkey 26th 1879George L. Caldwell? (Thomas Page)? (S.N. Androus)? (William A. Atwood)? (Jos. M. Corkey)A.R. Michaels † To fill vacancy
1888 Charter
1929 Charter
1974 Charter Councilor Wards Council Years 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 1974 to 1983 John W. Northrup (ward unknown) 1983 to 1985 John W. Northrup (ward unknown) Jack Minore 1985-1991 John W. Northrup (ward unknown) Scott Kincaid 1991-January 1997 John W. Northrup (ward unknown) Peggy R. Cook Scott Kincaid January 1997 to 1998 Scott Kincaid 1998 to 2004 Scott Kincaid 2004 to 2005 Joshua Freeman Scott Kincaid 2005–2007 Darryl Buchanan Jackie Poplar Kerry Nelson Sandy Hill Carolyn Sims Sheldon Neeley Jim Ananich Ehren Gonzales Scott Kincaid 2007–2009 Delrico Loyd Jackie Poplar Kerry Nelson Sandy Hill Carolyn Sims Sheldon Neeley Ehren Gonzales Scott Kincaid 2009–2013 Delrico Loyd Jacqueline Poplar Bryant Nolden Joshua Freeman Bernard Lawler Sheldon Neeley Dale Weighill Michael Sarginson Scott Kincaid 2013-2017 Eric Mays Bryant Nolden (2013-1/2015; VP 2013-2014)Kerry Nelson, President (2015-2016) Wantwaz Davis, Vice President (2014-2015) Herbert Winfrey Monica Galloway Vicki VanBuren, Vice President (2015-2016) Scott Kincaid, president (2013-2014)January 2018 to 2021Maurice DavisSantino GuerraKate FieldsJerri Winfrey-CarterHerbert WinfreyMonica GallowayAllan GriggsEva WorthingJanuary 2022 to 2025Eric Mays (d. Feb. 24, 2024) Leon El-Alamin (app. Mar. 25, 2024)Ladel LewisQuincy Murphy (d. Sept. 29, 2024) Lashawn Johnson (elected Aug. 13, 2025)Jeltema, Ryan. “LaShawn Johnson Officially Declared Winner of Flint Third Ward Race.” ABC 12 WJRT-TV, 13 Aug. 2025, www.abc12.com/news/local/lashawn-johnson-officially-declared-winner-of-flint-third-ward-race/article_73c94f50-d0ce-450a-8585-58cab8413be6.html. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.Judy Priestley Jerri Winfrey-CarterTonya BurnsAllie Herkenroder (res. Jul. 1, 2023) Candice Mushatt (app. Jul. 26, 2023)Dennis PfeifferEva Worthing (recalled 2023, dropped out of May 2024 special election)Fonger, Ron. “Flint Councilwoman Facing Recall Withdraws from Special Election.” Mlive, 19 Dec. 2023, www.mlive.com/news/flint/2023/12/flint-councilwoman-facing-recall-withdraws-from-special-election.html. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Jonathan Jarrett (elec. May 2024) President and vice president are selected in November. The city council originally faced a 2 month deadlock beginning in November 2025 but in February 2026, the council elected 7th Ward Councilwoman Candice Mushatt as the new council president and 9th Ward Councilman Jonathan Jarret as the council vice president.
Receivership Transition Advisory Board The Receivership Transition Advisory Board was appointed by Governor Snyder after the city exited direct control of the emergency manager in its second Financial emergency in Michigan. member position start end Fred Headen chair Brian Larkin David McGhee Robert McMahan Beverly Walker-Griffea Mike Finney Michael Townsend Paul Newman William Tarver
Charter Review Commission
member 1974 position Carl L Bekofske chairman leroy Nichols vice chairman Bob Jackson John H. West Joseph Conroy Charles A. Greene James P. Hanley Philip D. Marvin Banius C. Hedrick
member 2015 position term John D. Cherry Vice chair - Brian Larkin - Cleora Magee chair - Victoria McKenze Charles Metcalfe Heidi PhaneufJames RichardsonMarsha WesleyBarry WilliamsQuincy Murphy -
Supervisors Supervisors represented the City on the Genesee County, Michigan Board of Supervisors. Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1855 Charles N. Beecher 1856 1857 George S. Hopkins 1858 Francis Baker William Lyons George S. Hopkins 1859 1860 W. O'Donoughue Samuel N. WarrenL.G. Buckingham 1861 D.S. Freeman George S. Hopkins 1862 John C. Clement18631864P.H. Stewart1865 Josiah W. Begole 1866 1867 Paul H. Stewart 1868William Paterson 1869 Andrew B. Chapin Paul H. Stewart 1870 1871 George E. Newall George W. Thayer 1872 Cornelius Roosevelt George L. Walker 1873 1874 John Algoe 1875 S. MathewsonEphraim S. Williams 1876 James Van Vleet 1877 D.S. Freeman 1878 L.C. Witney Albert Crosby 1879
Ombudsman The City Ombudsman is a charter independent office of the city appointed by the City Council in a 2/3 votes to a seven-year term. A police ombudsman, Richard Dicks, predated the current charter position and was appointed in 1969.
Term Office holder notes12/26/75-1978Joe Dupcza05/15/78-07/21/87James Ananich07/22/87-07/21/94Terry Bankert08/17/94-04/08/96Darryl BuchananHe was removed from office by the City Council but was returned to office after a lawsuit and finished his term. 01/1999-05/8/2006 Jessie Binion 05/8/2006-12/2/2011 Brenda L. Purifoy Removed from office by the Emergency Manager Michael Brown.
References