FLINT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Flint City Council voted on Monday night to suspend one of its members for the month of August.
In a 5-2 vote, the Council suspended First Ward Councilman Eric Mays for “conduct unbecoming” and for unprofessional behavior during July meetings. A resolution stated that Mays swore at council members during a July 10 Special Affairs Committee meeting and when asked to leave after violating orders from the chairperson, he delayed his exit and continued shouting profanities.
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Mays is not allowed to attend meetings until September 1.
This is not the first time Mays has been in the hot seat for this kind of behavior. In April, a judge sentenced Mays to six months of probation and a small fine for refusing to leave a council meeting the prior year after members voted to eject him. Mays is also part of a lawsuit filed against the City of Flint and Mayor Sheldon Neeley over the creation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Advisory Committee. It was created to recommend to the city council how to spend the $15.6 million of ARPA funding the city received that was available for community grants.
The lawsuit claims Neeley and the city violated the Flint Charter by creating the committee without an ordinance or resolution and making appointments without approval from the city council.
A different resolution on Monday night called for Fourth Ward Councilwoman Judy Priestley and Ninth Ward Councilwoman Eva Worthing to be suspended through September 1 as well. As of Tuesday morning, it is unclear whether council members voted on that resolution. That resolution states Worthing “instigated a physical altercation” with Sixth Ward Councilwoman Tonya Burns during a July 19 Finance Committee meeting.