:: Dayne Walling for Mayor of Flint ::

Dayne Walling is Flint’s First Rhodes Scholar

In 1995, as Dayne was finishing his studies at Michigan State University, he was chosen as one of only 32 Americans to receive a Rhodes scholarship to the University of Oxford in England. Dayne is the first person from Flint to receive the prestigious scholarship.

Rhodes scholars are chosen by criteria set down by the scholarship’s founder Cecil Rhodes in 1902. He declared that Rhodes scholars should “esteem the performance of public duties as their highest aim.” They are judged on their literary and scholastic attainments, fondness for and success in sports, truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship. They are also evaluated on their moral force of character and instincts to lead.

The Rhodes scholarship provided Dayne with a truly world class education that he has put to use serving his fellow man with knowledge and compassion. Dayne attributes his academic and personal success to the values instilled in him by his parents and to the outstanding public education he received right here in Flint.

Basketball Nets and Blue Tigers

Following Wednesday’s cleanup, Dayne held a press conference to announce his commitment to donate 5% of his total campaign funds to the Michigan Blue Tiger Democrats. Dayne then presented Frank Houston from the Blue Tigers with a $1000 check.

Dayne also announced that his campaign would be providing new basketball nets to any public court in Flint that needs one. If you live near a court that is in need of new nets, please contact Walling for Mayor Headquarters at 233-9190

Meet us with a ladder and we’ll bring the nets.

Putting People First

Dayne and the Walling for Mayor Action Team were out working in the community once again. This week’s cleanup was at Memorial Park in Downtown Flint just across the street from the campaign’s headquarters. Early Wednesday they pulled weeds, bagged trash, repainted the court’s lines, and hung new basketball nets in the morning sun.

Click here to read the Flint Journal’s Home Town Headlines story on the cleanup.

For more pics from the cleanup, click here.

Kids Crim Events

Dayne's family participated in the Kids Crim events on Saturday. His youngest son Emery ran the toddler race and his eldest son Bennett was in the 1/2 mile run through the Applewood estate. All kinds of partner organizations were there to support this great family event including ABC12, Alpha Montesorri, and the Cultural Center.

Click here for the ABC 12 news coverage.

Click here to see more photos from the races.

Flint Journal Candidate Biographies

Click here to read the Flint Journal’s short bio on Dayne. You’ll also find links to the other candidates’ bios on the page. When placed side by side with the other candidates, the best choice is clear. Dayne has the right combination of knowledge and experience to turn this city around and bring opportunity back to Flint.

If you would like to read Dayne's full biography, you'll find it here.

Press Conference at the J. F. Kennedy Center on N. Saginaw St.

Dayne held a press conference Monday afternoon to announce that he’s turned in over 1500 petition signatures to the city clerk’s office after knocking on over 3000 doors in Flint. He also announced that he has raised over $50,000 in campaign contributions. He chose the closed Kennedy Community Center to hold the press conference to highlight his Road Map to Opportunity, which includes a plan to reopen Flint’s closed community centers and fill them with positive programming for Flint’s senior citizens and youth.

The press conference was covered by ABC-TV 12 and made the 5 and 6 o’clock news broadcasts.

Read their coverage and watch the video here.

Flint River Cleanup

The Flint River, too often looked at as a division between the northern and the southern ends of our city, can also bring people together. This Saturday the Walling for Mayor campaign staff joined over 30 local volunteers from all parts of the city at the Annual Flint River Cleanup sponsored by the Flint River Watershed Coalition.

Six staffers and Dayne were on hand to pull an odd assortment of trash and debris such as a tire, a shopping cart, and a couple of bicycles from the river. They bagged trash from the U of M-Flint campus north to Veteran’s park. The Flint River gave our city its name. It’s a part of our history and common heritage. The Walling for Mayor campaign is proud to have contributed to the worthy cause of keeping it beautiful.

To see more pictures from the cleanup, please visit our photo archive.

Seniors Deserve Safety

As Dayne went door-to-door in the 3rd Ward, he spoke with an energetic 92 year old lady who was hesitant to answer her door in the middle of the afternoon. She told Dayne that she sleeps every night with a loaded pistol to protect herself.

Dayne has a plan for safe streets and open community centers. The Road Map to Opportunity includes a commitment to targeted police patrols, so our seniors can get to know their neighborhood patrol officers. After all that they have done for us, our seniors deserve to be safe.

You're Invited

Dayne invites you to a performance by the Norton Male Chorus at his home church, Court Street United Methodist Church on Saturday, May 5, 7:00 pm. We hope you can join him for what is sure to be a wonderful performance.

The Norton Male Chorus has been singing to audiences near and far for over 81 years. To learn more about Flint’s premier male chorus please visit their website. http://nortonchorus.tripod.com/home.html

School Board Elections

The Flint School Board elections on May 8th will decide the course our school system will take in the post-Milton era. Get out and vote and tell your friends and family to get out and vote. Some of these seats on the school board may be decided by a dozen votes or less. Your vote could be the deciding ballot. Local elections, like the upcoming school board elections, often draw the fewest voters, but they have a profound impact on the course our city takes.

As a product of the Flint Community Schools, a Flint Central graduate, and the son of two Flint educators, Dayne knows that turning this city around requires that our schools succeed.

Dayne wants his sons to have the same opportunities that he had as a student in Flint’s public schools. His eldest son, Bennet, is a kindergartner at Pierce Elementary. Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. It is vital that we choose wisely when determining the course of their educations.

South End Voters Speak Out

Dayne was at Supreme Doughnuts Tuesday morning for his weekly coffee talk with the people of Flint. The Walling for Mayor campaign staff spent several days last week going door-to-door in the surrounding neighborhoods along Fenton Rd. and Dayne wanted another chance to find out what was on the minds of the people of Flint’s 8th ward.

Upon introducing himself to a table of regular customers, one man joked “You’re not ugly enough to be mayor”. “We need young blood like yourself” countered a women across the table. She went on to ask if Dayne was a convicted felon. When he told her he wasn’t, she said” That’s pretty cool”.

Drug sales, break-ins, and prostitution in the area concerned many folks. “My husband was propositioned right outside our home” said one young wife on Lincoln St. “We’re moving to Davison; this neighborhood wasn’t like this when we bought our home five years ago. I wish we could stay, but we can’t”. “They chase the prostitutes out of one part of town, and they just relocate somewhere else.” said her husband. “Now they’re here, but nothing is being done about it”. Unfortunately, stories like this are all too common in Flint. People just don’t feel enough is being done to proactively prevent crime.

The people of Flint are our greatest resource; how are we going to attract new jobs and opportunities to Flint, when we can’t even keep the people we have from moving out of the city? Flint needs new leadership and a renewed focus on putting the citizens of Flint first at City Hall.