Washington Post Reports Flint City Manager Not Alone In Re-directing Water Source

The Washington Post says today that the City of Flint, Michigan, had been discussing for years the possibility of discontinuing use of the Detroit system as the source for its water.  According to the article, the Flint City Council voted 7-1 to end its contract with the Detroit water authority.  It was after this that the mayor of Flint and the city manager approved the action.  (Disclosure:  I have a past business relationship with the former mayor of Flint.)

If this chronology is correct, there is no one person to blame for the decision to cease having Detroit supply Flint's water.  However, the follow-up to reports of problems with the new water supply -- the Flint River -- is another story entirely.  Here, the responsibility lies with the governor's office which failed to take seriously allegations that the water was unsafe.

As the Post further reports this fiasco has created a deep distrust in government.  It is not yet apparent that everyone in Michigan government is taking this aspect of the crisis seriously enough.  I continue to call for the resignation of the Governor as a way to begin to restore badly shaken confidence.