My City August 2022

MYHISTORY

William Osmund Kelly 1940-44

Born in Flint in 1909,WilliamOsmund Kelly, or “Oz” as he was locally known, was a Flintstone through and through. In 1928, he graduated from Flint St. Matthew High School and then attended Flint Junior College. During his time in college, he formed a band called “Oz Kelly and his Orchestra.” e band experienced some success touring Ohio,Wisconsin and Michigan including a show at Flint’s IMA Auditorium. He was selected as mayor by the city council in 1940 and re selected for three subsequent terms. In 1944, Kelly resigned to join the Navy during WorldWar II, serving until the end of the war and into 1946. Upon his return to the states, he was the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor but lost the election. In 1949, he was appointed postmaster and joined the National Association of Postmasters. In 1956, he became the executive director of the Flint Manufacturer’s Association. Kelly played a big role in the city both socially and politically with numerous ties to local programs and events. In 1971, he wrote and published a paper in the American Water Works Association Journal stating the need for the city to pipe in additional water from Lake Huron to help reserves during drought years, starting in motion the planned switch to the new pipeline (that never materialized). Also during the early 70s, Kelly was part of the Democratic party’s eœorts to put an end to Jimmy Hoœa’s bid for control of the party by appealing to the more liberal viewpoints of the day.While mayor, Kelly stewarded the city through the initial war eœort and pushed through more liberal policies. e Flint Urban League began operation, the NAACP became more active in city politics, and Flint Community Schools hired their žrst black teacher, Marion Coates. Kelly died in 1974. ®

Oliver Ransom Tappin 1940 Little is known about Tappin except that he was born in (oddly enough) Flintville, WI in 1893 and was a full-edged UAW supporter. He was a worker at Chevrolet and as part of the city council, he, along with fellow supporter Joe Shears, convinced the council to adopt a pro-union stance. After being chosen mayor in 1940, Tappin immediately pushed to replace City Manager John Barringer and Police Chief Jim Wills, both of whom were company men.Œey were replaced by William Findlater and Captain Twohey, respectively. Tappin never served his full mayoral term, leaving as winter began. He died tragically just ‘ve years later in 1945.

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