Replace pipes that 'poisoned' Flint water, lawsuit demands

January 28, 2016

Article from nr.news-republic.com via fliuch.org

Matt Hopper holds and comforts Nyla Hopper, age 5, after she has her blood drawn to be tested for lead on January 26, 2016 in Flint, Michigan

The downtrodden US city of Flint was poisoned in a misguided drive by penny-pinching officials to save money, a lawsuit filed Wednesday claimed, demanding the corroded lead pipes responsible for contaminating tap water be immediately replaced.

Officials are accused of ignoring months of health warnings about foul-smelling and discolored water, even as residents complained it was making them sick.

"In a failed attempt to save a few bucks, state-appointed officials poisoned the drinking water of an important American city, causing permanent damage to an entire generation of its children," Michael Steinberg, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said in announcing the lawsuit.

"The people of Flint cannot trust the state of Michigan to fix this man-made disaster and that is why court oversight is critically needed."

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder speaks to the media regarding the status of the Flint water crisis on January 27, 2016 at Flint City Hall in Flint, Michigan

Governor Rick Snyder -- who faces calls to resign over his handling of the scandal -- appointed a team of outside experts Wednesday to help the state resolve Flint's water crisis and deal with the long-term health impacts.

In an interview with CNN, set to air Wednesday evening, he admitted the number of children harmed by lead in the water could be much higher than tests have so far revealed.

"There could be many more," the governor told CNN, "and we're assuming that."

Snyder vowed at a news conference to help "address the damage that's been done" in the predominantly poor and black city of 100,000.

But he stopped short of promising to replace the pipes, which began releasing lead after Flint switched to a cheaper but dangerously corrosive water supply.

"It's a lot of work to take out pipes, to redo the infrastructure," Snyder told reporters.

"The short-term solution is to hopefully recoat, and have it validated by third parties so we know the water is safely coming out."

$1.5 billion fix

Tears stream down the face of Morgan Walker, 5, as she gets her finger pricked for a lead screening on January 26, 2016 in Flint, Michigan

Lead exposure is harmful to everyone, but it can have devastating impacts on young children by irreversibly harming brain development. It has been shown to lower intelligence, stunt growth and lead to aggressive and anti-social behavior.

Water treatment plants across the United States are required to closely monitor lead levels in tap water and use chemicals to reduce acidity and coat pipes to prevent corrosion.

The state of Michigan is working to map out exactly where the old lead pipes are in Flint so it can "come up with the proper priorities about how we replace that infrastructure," Snyder said. But he said that was a long-term project and declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Flint's mayor has estimated that the cost of fixing the damage done to the city's infrastructure by the corrosive water could reach $1.5 billion.

The cash-strapped city was reportedly hoping to save $5 million over two years by drawing water from the Flint River beginning in April 2014 rather than continuing to buy it from nearby Detroit.

The state's environment department approved the switch even though the city's treatment plant was not able to produce water that met state and federal standards.

It cost $12 million to switch Flint back to the Detroit water system in October after a local pediatrician released a study showing that the number of children with elevated blood-lead levels had doubled from 2.1 to four percent.

Nation's pipes need replacing

The City of Flint Water Plant is illuminated by moonlight on January 23, 2016 in Flint, Michigan

Activists and environmentalists say the state now needs to spend whatever it takes to make sure the water is safe to drink.

"For years the state told us we were crazy, that our water was safe, which wasn't true," said Melissa Mays of Water You Fighting For, a Flint-based organization which joined the American Civil Liberties Union and the Natural Resources Defense Council in filing the lawsuit.

"For the sake of my kids and the people of Flint, we need a federal court to fix Flint's water problems because these city and state agencies failed us on their own."

Replacing all the lead pipes in Flint would take years and cause major disruption for residents because roads would need to be shut down to dig them out of the ground, said Greg DiLoreto of the American Society for Civil Engineers.

But while short-term fixes might be able to resolve Flint's lead problems for now, replacing those pipes is something that Flint -- and most other American cities -- has to start planning for, he told AFP.

A large proportion of the nation's water systems were built in the early 20th century and some pipes date back to the late 1800s.

"No engineer designed any system to last 150 years," DiLoreto said in a telephone interview.

"This is like your house. At some point you're going to have to put a new roof on it."

Lame Duck Donegal County Council, Corruption and Councillor's Inaction over O'Donnell Controversy

January 27, 2016

Reaction and inaction of Donegal Councillors over appearance of the infamous Cllr John O'Donnell at the council meeting in Lifford, Co Donegal, Monday, January 25thSee Winds of Corruption Hit Donegal

In good company left to right - Top Padraig Flynn,  Ray Burke, Bertie Ahern, Liam Lawlor, Brien Cowan, Charles Haughey, Bottom - Hugh McElbaney, John O'Donnell, Joe Queenan — In good company left to right - Top Padraig Flynn, Ray Burke, Bertie Ahern, Liam Lawlor, Brien Cowan, Charles Haughey, Bottom - Hugh McElbaney, John O'Donnell, Joe Queenan

The following is an extract from DonegalDaily, Monday Jan 27, 2016. Click on opposite photograph of Cllr O Donnell taking his seat at council.

Cllr John O'Donnell, takes his seat in council council.   DonegalDaily, — Cllr John O'Donnell, takes his seat in council council. DonegalDaily,

UPROAR AT COUNCIL AS McBREARTY LOSES BID TO EXPEL CLLR JOHN O’DONNELL

CLLR Frank McBrearty has lost in his bid to have Cllr John O'Donnell kicked off council committees.
Councillors voted for a counter motion from Cllr Ian McGarvey and seconded by Cllr Nicholas Crossan allowing for 'due process' in the controversy

Councillors voted 20 votes to 12 in favour of moving on from the issue and to allow the current investigation into O'Donnell to continue.
Councillors John Campbell and Michael Mac Giolla Easbuig walked out of the meeting.
The meeting had to be suspended as members of the public walked out and staged a noisy protest just outside the council chamber.
Earlier councillors were told that they cannot expel controversial councillor O'Donnell.
The council had already ruled they cannot remove him as a council.
Cllr O'Donnell arrived at the January monthly meeting in Lifford today before it started.
He took his seat without talking to councillors. He has been at the centre of a media storm since an RTE programme broadcast on December 7 showed him offering favours to an undercover journalist team in return for payment.
Cllr Frank McBrearty told the chamber that he knew that the council could not remove O'Donnell from his seat as a councillor.
However he said the council did have the power to remove the Kilmacrennan man from council committees.
"We need to send a clear signal to this country that we will not tolerate corruption in Ireland and more specifically here in Donegal," said Cllr McBrearty.

The motion was seconded by Cllr John Campbell.

However council director Liam Ward said based on legal advice given to the council, councillors did not have power to expel Cllr O'Donnell from committees.
Today I have been attacked by councillors from Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein for walking out of the council chamber yesterday.
I am very disappointed that only myself and Independent Cllr John Campbell were prepared to walk out on a point of principle.
In December all councillors attended a special meeting and called on O'Donnell to resign but a month later they are not prepared to back that up by voting with their feet.
They had a chance to remove O'Donnell from his committee positions but refused even to do that. The next item on the agenda was the disposal of council assets.
This is precisely the kind of decision which is compromised by the continuing presence of O'Donnell in the chamber and shows why every means to pressurise him should be used to force him to stand down.

But instead of maintaining the pressure on O'Donnell, the political parties have chosen to close ranks and attack me and John Campbell instead. I can only assume our walkout has angered them by exposing their unwillingness to take any action.

The following is an extract from DonegalNow, Wednesday, Jan 27, 2016. Click on opposite photograph to read full article.

MAC GIOLLA EASBUIG ACCUSEd COUNCILLORS OF ATTACKING HIM OVER O'DONNELL WALKOUT

A Donegal councillor has lashed out at councillors he accuses of attacking him for walking out of the Donegal County Council meeting yesterday.

Michéal Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig said he has been attacked by councillors from Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin following a walkout staged by himself and John Campbell yesterday in protest at the presence of Councillor John O'Donnell.

"I am very disappointed that only myself and Independent Cllr John Campbell were prepared to walk out on a point of principle," said Mac Giolla Easbuig.

In December, all councillors attended a special meeting in which they called on John O'Donnell to resign, but Mac Giolla Easbuig said he is disappointed they were not willing to vote with their feet yesterday.

"Instead of maintaining the pressure on O'Donnell, the political parties have chosen to close ranks and attack me and John Campbell instead. I can only assume our walkout has angered them by exposing their unwillingness to take any action," he said.

"What goes on in Lifford at meetings every second month only consumes a fraction of my time working as a councillor. The people know how hard I work on their behalf," Mac Giolla Easbuig said.

Councillor Dessie Shiels, from Letterkenny, did not attend the council meeting because he objected to Cllr John O'Donnell's presence.

If Politicians Cared, They'd Say and DO This

January 26, 2016

Postedby Mike Hampton on January 24, 2016

Mike Hampton lives in Knysna, South Africa. He will presentallegations of local government corruption and mal administration to Parliament on February 10 2016.

He says " It's been an almost 5 year battle, at great personal cost, to try gain justice for our pretty town. The DA and ANC have repeatedly shown that they don't care about us. I don't know if Parliament is merely another wall to try climb but i have to hope that there is someone in higher authority who still cares for us, the public. I walk a difficult path. The DA and their cronies are trying to shut me up with a flood of court cases. I need your help not only to survive but to better spread the truth."

We Need

We need local political and municipal leaders who put an emphasis on public service, not self-service.

We need political representation that puts us, the public, first (unclouded by provincial or national interests).

We need Councillors who are willing to sign a commitment form… and be voted out of office if they fail in their duty to do their best to uphold their election goals.

We need elected officials whose agenda and constitution are easy to understand.

We need plain speaking political parties and independents that seek and deliver understanding of how our local government works; the state of our infrastructure, where monies are needed and spent etc.

We need independent politicians or locally based political parties who believe in this and more, public servants who are prepared to make this promise and commitment:

PROMISE

I believe in direct democracy, electorate education, communication and honesty.

I promise to prioritise austerity and public service before salary by:

Donating 10% of my Councillor’s salary towards community service e.g. community liaison assistant, charity, promoting culture integration etc.
Opposing councillor salary increases for the first 3 years of public service. In the event of being unable to stop salary increases during that period, I will donate the value of the latest increase received to community service. I will publicly challenge my fellow Councillors to do the same.
To contribute 5% of my salary to my party for running costs not covered by local government.

[these contributions are based after relevant taxation, reducing my income by approximately 20% for my first 3 years of service to those who elected me]

I promise impartiality, to the best of my knowledge, by:

Refusing to join any political coalition (that could affect my vote).
Voting with conscience, on each matter according to its merits, favouring no party, not even a fellow party member.

I promise transparency by:

Supporting free speech.
Encouraging whistleblowers.
Believing in the public’s right to know.
Contributing to a quarterly newsletter/article addressed to the public.
Making my vote on important Council matters known (and explained) to the public.
Encouraging media access to local government.
Posting the party’s annual accounting online.

I promise necessity by:

Addressing tough topics such as racism, crime, drugs, pollution and budgets. I will not avoid tough issues for the sake of public relations or image (for myself or the town/city).

I promise to sign a Councillor Commitment Form that states that the public (who voted me into office) are my employer and thus, after a one-year settling into office period, have the right to recall me if they believe that I’ve failed to uphold my party’s constitution or do my best to achieve my election promises.