Read more: Local, State, Politics, Health, Flushing, Hurley, Flint, Health, Lawsuit, Fight
A growing number of Genesee County communities are joining the City of Flushing’s fight against the Hurley Medical Center millage proposal which would raise $10 million for the institution over the next 10 years. Clio, Burton, Grand Blanc Township, and Fenton Township are the latest to take Flushing’s side.
At issue is whether the Genesee County Board of Commissioners went beyond legal powers to require a county vote on an entity funded and controlled by the City of Flint. “We believe the county doesn’t have the authority,” said Flushing Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Szukhent, the force behind a lawsuit to be filed against the county.
“They themselves do not have the authority to govern. (There are) no checks and balances,” he said. “You’re basically saying, “here is the money and we are going to pay for it.”
Flushing is looking to recover about $3,500 from this process. That would pay for staffers to work the polling sites and other organizational items. They are also looking to recover legal fees. City leaders say this is not about Hurley, but the legality of the process.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Hurley,” Szukhent said. “This is not about Hurley. This is about the Genesee County Board of Commissioners overstepping their boundaries.”
However, Genesee County Commissioner Brenda Clack disagrees. She gave a statement to NBC25 saying the following:
“I think it’s just time that the community stepped up. It’s not just the city, it’s Genesee County. If just city individuals used it, that would be different but that’s not so. It serves Genesee County and beyond. I just don’t support that argument at all,” Clacks said.
