Flint Mi

A recall election ousted the longtime mayor this week, exposing racial tensions in this segregated auto town that the good times have forgotten. Woodrow Stanley, 51, lost decisively Tuesday in a recall election sponsored by angry residents who accused the third-term incumbent of being more interested in hanging on to his $107,000-a-year job than dealing aggressively with a city budget deficit that has ballooned to more than $30 million.

As the unemployment rate topped 25% and General Motors planned to cut more jobs in this long-struggling auto town, voters decided to focus their anger on one person: Mayor Donald J. Williamson. More than 17,000 residents signed a petition demanding his recall, citing waste, corruption, mismanagement and sundry other complaints. Williamson resigned 10 days before the vote. "He made people so mad," said Eric Mays, a retired GM worker who led an earlier effort to recall Williamson that failed.

To all of you abandoned by KJOI and left wandering in the wilderness of jazz and rock, I have good news. Turn to KDUO-FM, an easy-listening station at 97.5, San Bernardino, and smile again. JUNE A. GREGSON, Monrovia

James Rutherford has lived here his entire life, in good times and in bad. The former mayor and police chief, now the director of the Flint Downtown Development Authority, says he doubts that the city -- once synonymous with automobile manufacturing -- can regain its place as a thriving industrial center. "I don't think anyone else believes that we'll ever have major manufacturing in the city of Flint again," he said recently. "We've just about hit bottom." General Motors Corp. and Delphi Corp.

Visitors to United Auto Workers Union Local 659 are warned in no uncertain terms that foreign cars are "absolutely prohibited" in the parking lot. A sign fronting the union hall proclaims that this is "home of the 1937 sitdowners," a proud monument to workers who occupied General Motors plants for 44 days until the company recognized the UAW for the first time. Welcome to Flint, the quintessential company town that is stuck in a time warp.

As the unemployment rate topped 25% and General Motors planned to cut more jobs in this long-struggling auto town, voters decided to focus their anger on one person: Mayor Donald J. Williamson. More than 17,000 residents signed a petition demanding his recall, citing waste, corruption, mismanagement and sundry other complaints. Williamson resigned 10 days before the vote. "He made people so mad," said Eric Mays, a retired GM worker who led an earlier effort to recall Williamson that failed.

The state acted to take over the finances of Flint, a battered Rust Belt city that is $40 million in debt. Flint, with a population of 125,000, is the biggest Michigan city to face such a takeover. Flint has been plagued by high unemployment. General Motors Corp., its biggest private employer, has cut its Flint work force from 80,000 to 19,000 in the last 15 years. In March, the city recalled its mayor over the financial crisis.

James Rutherford has lived here his entire life, in good times and in bad. The former mayor and police chief, now the director of the Flint Downtown Development Authority, says he doubts that the city -- once synonymous with automobile manufacturing -- can regain its place as a thriving industrial center. "I don't think anyone else believes that we'll ever have major manufacturing in the city of Flint again," he said recently. "We've just about hit bottom." General Motors Corp. and Delphi Corp.

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The state acted to take over the finances of Flint, a battered Rust Belt city that is $40 million in debt. Flint, with a population of 125,000, is the biggest Michigan city to face such a takeover. Flint has been plagued by high unemployment. General Motors Corp., its biggest private employer, has cut its Flint work force from 80,000 to 19,000 in the last 15 years. In March, the city recalled its mayor over the financial crisis.

A recall election ousted the longtime mayor this week, exposing racial tensions in this segregated auto town that the good times have forgotten. Woodrow Stanley, 51, lost decisively Tuesday in a recall election sponsored by angry residents who accused the third-term incumbent of being more interested in hanging on to his $107,000-a-year job than dealing aggressively with a city budget deficit that has ballooned to more than $30 million.

Visitors to United Auto Workers Union Local 659 are warned in no uncertain terms that foreign cars are "absolutely prohibited" in the parking lot. A sign fronting the union hall proclaims that this is "home of the 1937 sitdowners," a proud monument to workers who occupied General Motors plants for 44 days until the company recognized the UAW for the first time. Welcome to Flint, the quintessential company town that is stuck in a time warp.

To all of you abandoned by KJOI and left wandering in the wilderness of jazz and rock, I have good news. Turn to KDUO-FM, an easy-listening station at 97.5, San Bernardino, and smile again. JUNE A. GREGSON, Monrovia