I am encouraged by the Obama Administration's commitment to the automotive industry and recognition that it built and sustained America's middle class. We in Flint have been witness to the importance of GM and the UAW in the lives of working Americans whether it was the creation of the auto industry in the early 20th century or the 21st century investment by GM with production of the Chevy Volt. I am hopeful that over the next 60 days those in Washington can work with GM and the UAW to solidify the future of this anchor of the American middle class.

However, for far too long we in Flint and others connected to the auto industry have been caught in the economic maelstrom "Free Trade" has created. I ask that over the same 60 days the Obama administration reexamine our existing trade policies that have created so many of the obstacles for our auto industry. It is unfair to continue to ask workers and their families to make sacrifices if we are unwilling to simply ask our trading partners to participate in fair trade.

Job creation in the 21st century moves at the speed of thought. Entrepreneurs in the fields of new manufacturing, energy, education and healthcare want to hit the ground running and not get bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. The cities that will attract new jobs in the 21st century will be the ones that make it the easiest for businesses to open their doors quickly and who provide a business environment that encourages rapid development. This will take some real change at City Hall and Dayne Walling is working for that change now.

The first step to getting Flint Open On-Line for Business would be to have all the necessary business forms on-line and available 24 hours a day. With just this step, Flint can start to be more competitive for new jobs.

It was another busy weekend going door-to-door in Flint for the Walling for Mayor team. This weekend six shifts of volunteers hit the streets in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th wards. Over 150 new supporters were identified in just two days.

It is great efforts like this that will make the difference on election day. If you would like to be a part of the Walling for Mayor team, please contact us at 810-233-9190 or email us at votewalling@gmail.com

Join Dayne on the radio Wednesday morning from 7am to 9am. He will be a guest on Off the Kuf on WKUF-LP 94.3 FM Kettering University's commercial free, listener supported radio station. The show covers local politics and is broadcast live from the White Horse Tavern (621 W Court St ).

Show your support for Dayne's campaign by coming down to the White Horse and cheering him on as he tackles the tough questions facing Flint. You can also stream WKUF on your computer. Just follow this link.

We are proud to announce that the Acorn PAC has endorsed Dayne's candidacy for Mayor of Flint. Acorn is the nation's largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people.

Flint Acorn and its 4,000 local members work to reduce youth violence through educational seminars. They also advocate for more police officers on the streets, work to reduce home foreclosures and offer free tax preparation services to low-income people.

Acorn members will be joining Dayne in the weeks to come as he goes door-to-door sharing his plans to strengthen every neighborhood in Flint and to prevent foreclosures.

The primary election is just 40 days away and today is officially the first day that mayoral yard signs can be posted.

If you would like a Walling for Mayor sign for your yard, please give us a call at 810-233-9190 or stop by the campaign office at 940 S. Grand Traverse.

If you are on Facebook but haven't yet added Dayne as a friend, just follow this link. You can stay up to date on upcoming Walling for Mayor events, receive updates from Dayne from the campaign trail, and share your thoughts on recent events in the Flint community.

Online social networks like Facebook are just one of the many ways that Dayne connects with his supporters. You will also find Dayne on Myspace, Youtube, Twitter and Flickr.

Check out the Walling for Mayor multimedia page to view the latest videos from the campaign trail.

Mayoral candidates forum set for April 7
by Joe Lawlor | The Flint Journal

FLINT, Michigan -- The Flint chapter of the NAACP will host a candidates forum for those running in the May 5 mayoral primary.
Candidates will answer questions at 6 p.m. April 7 at the Hasselbring Senior Center. Dawn Jones of WJRT (Channel 12) will moderate.

Read the full story at Mlive.com

"I volunteer for Dayne Walling, because I believe he is the leader Flint needs now! He will energize our community and form partnerships so that our city can support our small businesses, improve the climate for economic development and jobs, help neighborhoods carry out their revitalization plans and partner with city schools to make them, once again, an attraction for Flint. Dayne is young, but wise and experienced, with creative ideas that have been tested in forward thinking communities - a change we need. I believe he will listen and work well with all of the diverse residents and leaders of Flint and represent our city in a way that will make us proud again. Besides all of this, he is a man of integrity with the gift of a great mind." Ann Kraft

This weekend Dayne and his volunteers knocked on doors in the 8th ward neighborhood north of Miller Rd. Many folks were happy to share their thoughts for the future of the city and to show their support for Dayne's candidacy for Mayor of Flint.

We also had a successful meeting of supporters in the city's sixth ward that included planning an upcoming house party in the Mott Park neighborhood for Walling supporters.

All told the Walling campaign knocked on over 400 doors and identified 120 supporters. A special thanks goes out to all the volunteers that gave their time and energy this weekend.

The Walling for Mayor campaign office hosted volunteers from wards 8 and 9 Thursday night for the first of many meetings devoted to coordinating volunteer activities and building support in every corner of the city. New and long time volunteers met to share their thoughts on how to move Flint forward. Check the calendar page for upcoming volunteer meetings for your neighborhood.

Tonight at 7:30pm there will be a volunteer meeting for Walling supporters living in wards 8 and 9 at the Walling for Mayor Headquarters at 940 S. Grand Traverse St. Volunteers at the meeting will discuss leadership roles and all the ways that they can contribute to the city-wide campaign.

If you live in another ward of the city and would like to join the Walling for Mayor team, check the list below for the day and time of the meeting scheduled for your area. For more information call us at 810-233-9190 or email us at votewalling@gmail.com.

Wards 1 & 2 - Monday 3/23 @ 7pm Headquarters
Wards 3 & 5 - Saturday 3/21 @ 5pm Headquarters
Ward 4 - Tuesday 3/24 @ 7:30 pm Headquarters
Ward 6 - Sunday 3/22 @ 5:00 pm Headquarters
Ward 7 - Tuesday 3/24 @ 7:30 pm 1412 Ridgelawn Ave. (Marti Everett)

Flint Changed the World. Working Together We Can Change Flint.

Contributing to Dayne Walling's campaign to bring change and opportunity to Flint is easy to do.

While we would love to see you stop by the Walling Campaign office or at one of our upcoming fund raisers, it is easy to make a contribution to Dayne's campaign from the comfort of your home. Just visit our contributions page to donate using PayPal.

Your generous donation will help to fund necessary campaign costs such as stamps, printing costs, and TV and radio advertising. Please make a contribution today.

Then sign up for weekly emails from the Walling for Mayor campaign today. Just above this daily blog space, you will find the email sign-up area. Just fill in your name and email address and you will be informed of all upcoming activities, volunteer opportunities, and fund raising events.

Join the team that is working to bring change to Flint.

This Sunday, March 15, at 5pm, Dayne will host a volunteer training meeting at the Flint YMCA. Anyone interested in working for a better Flint is welcome to join us and find out how to become part of the city wide Walling team. Refreshments will be provided.

Tomorrow, March 11th, Dayne will be the guest of Tom Summer on the Kettering University Radio Station (Wkuf 94.3fm) at 7:30am.

Tune in or stream the broadcast live on the Internet at: http://www.kettering.edu/wkuf/

Today just after 3pm, Dayne Walling turned in over 2000 signatures to secure his place on the May 5th primary ballot. The Walling for Mayor campaign gathered over 100 signatures from every ward of the city. Now as the campaign enters the second phase, it's vital that we all work together to bring real change and opportunity to Flint.

Arts & Media Organizing Meeting

Artists, media professionals, and creative people are needed to volunteer their talents to bring change to Flint.

Bring your ideas on how to use art, media and film to bring change to Flint to the Walling for Mayor creative meeting on March 9th, from 7-8pm, at Flint City T-Shirts (629 S Saginaw St).

The deadline for submitting petition signatures is fast approaching. If you haven't yet signed a petition to get Dayne Walling on the May 5th primary ballot, please stop by the campaign headquarters at 940 S. Grand Traverse or give us a call at 233-9190.

If you are circulating a petition, please return them to the campaign office by Friday, March 6th. That's this Friday, so please speak with your friends and neighbors and get those signatures! If you need someone from the campaign to pick up your petition, give us a call.

Last night's volunteer training meeting was an amazing success. It was great to see so many enthusiastic people from all parts of the city brave the cold on a Sunday night. This meeting was only the first of many to come in the weeks and months ahead. Only a true city-wide campaign can bring together the people needed to bring real change to our city.

Thanks go out to everyone that attended the training session. If you have further questions, you can always reach us here at Walling headquarters at 810-233-9091 or by email at votewalling@gmail.com.

If you couldn't make last night's meeting but would like to be part of the Walling for Mayor team, you can find out about upcoming meetings and events on the VoteWalling.com calendar page.