In a mostly conciliatory address in which she repeatedly thanked those who have reached out to her beleaguered city during the “shocking and unprecedented” water crisis, the mayor of Flint, Mich., did take aim at Washington in her first State of the City speech.
“Even with the good news, so much more needs to be done to get the lead out of Flint and get the financial and other resources our citizens and our businesses need to recover from this disaster,” Karen Weaver told a packed Flint City Council chambers Nov. 4. “That’s especially true when it comes to the U.S. Congress, which left for its annual summer recess without committing one thin dime to help overcome one of the nation’s most horrendous water disasters. The 100,000 residents of Flint must not be a priority, not for those who control the U.S. House and Senate.”